The Impact of Translating Ability and its Accuracy on the Oral Performance of Intermediate Iranian EFL Learners

Translation is the process of transferring text from one language into another, a complex skill that requiring several abilities. Consequently, hiring capable translators or assigning translation tasks must be exercised carefully, otherwise it entails the risk that imprecise or even wrong information will be conveyed. We live in an educational world where orality is seen as a positive personal and of course a necessary characteristic. Worldwide expansion of the English language leads to increase the demand of acquiring good communication skill in English. The present study investigates the impact of translating ability on the oral performance of Iranian EFL learners at the intermediate language proficiency level. Accordingly, this study examined male’s and female’s EFL learners difference in the speaking skill as well as the significant difference between the oral production of the students with high and low level of translating ability. Data was collected from 60 Iranian students of Azad University, Shahreza branch. Two sources of data involved in this study were quantitative data, which obtained from skill level descriptions for translation that divided into three levels: minimal performance (levels 0 to 1), limited performance (levels 1 to 3), and professional performance (levels 3 to 5), and qualitative data, which obtained through the interview. The findings of this study revealed that translating ability had positive effects on the speaking performance of Iranian EFL learners. In addition, it shows that even female learners with a higher level of accuracy in translating still struggled in their oral performance, while male learners with a lower level of translating ability and accuracy had a better oral performance.

Keywords:

translating ability , translation accuracy , EFL , oral performance