Correcting Translation Errors Pertaining to Verb Tenses and Person in Spanish: The Case of the Third-year Jordanian Students in the Spanish Language Department at Al al-Bayt University

Abstract

Translation is one of the most significant fields in human sciences. It facilitates cross-cultural communication and introduces a variety of scientific disciplines into our community. The main objective of this study is to improve the translation between Arabic and Spanish. We therefore intend to examine the translation errors made by the Translation -2 (Arabic into Spanish) students with regard to how to translate the various tenses into Spanish and how to choose the appropriate person of the verb. In order to meet the study’s objectives, we asked our students of Translation-2 to translate 27 sentences into the Spanish language (covering all tenses) so we could analyze their errors and then figure out ways to avoid them. It was discovered that most students have difficulty telling the difference between a Spanish verb in its fourth, fifth, and sixth persons. Also, we found that most students have problems with the Subjunctive tenses and the Indicative Perfect tenses as they do not precisely know the limitations between them. We propose that the Spanish teachers should concentrate on going over the different Spanish tenses with their students before commencing the translation course, and they should also pay closer attention to helping the student choose the correct person of the verb by assigning writing exercises and reviewing classes.