Espousing Effective Strategies when Translating Abbreviations

Abstract

Abbreviations are concise versions of words or phrases that are commonly used in various types of writing, including formal and informal contexts, as well as in speech, to improve conciseness, clarity, effectiveness, and efficiency. Using abbreviations is a way to save time and space, as well as to avoid repeating long words and phrases or to adhere to established standards. This study seeks to investigate the occurrence of abbreviations in the English language and to identify and analyze the typical mistakes made by translation students at the University of Omar Al-muktar. The study's findings suggest that translation students in their third and fourth years at Omar Al-Muktar University face difficulties in recognizing the source terms used to create abbreviations and generating English abbreviations. Third-year students outperformed fourth-year students in both tasks. More specifically, they demonstrated superior proficiency in forming abbreviations compared to their ability to recognize the original terms. this indicates a requirement for focused teaching and assistance to enhance students' abilities in comprehending and generating English abbreviations, specifically among students in their fourth year.