Errors in Translation - A Comparative Study of Noun Phrase in English and Malay Abstracts

Oct 15, 2026

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Translation abstracts serve as a critical gatekeeping tool for postgraduate writing, either motivating readers to engage or prompting them to stop. This study examines backward translation of abstracts produced by 10 randomly selected postgraduate students, comparing Malay noun-phrase structures translated from English. It identifies common error types including inaccurate word order, inaccurate translation, added translation, dropped translation, and structure change, using exploratory semantic analysis grounded in noun phrases and their syntactic features.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Abstract

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Introduction

Table 1. Types of translation errors

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 [www.alls.aiac.org.au](www.alls.aiac.org.au) | Errors in Translation: A Comparative Study of Noun Phrase in English and Malay Abstracts
Ainul Azmin Md Zamin*, Raihana Abu Hasan
Department of English Language and Literature Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia
Corresponding Author: Ainul Azmin Md Zamin, E-mail: [ainul_azmin@iium.edu.my](ainul_azmin@iium.edu.my) | | | --- | --- | | ARTICLE INFO | ABSTRACT
Abstract as a summary of a dissertation harbours important information where it serves to attract readers to consider reading the entire passage or to abandon it. This study seeks to investigate the backward translation of abstracts made by 10 randomly selected postgraduate students. This research serves as a guideline for students in composing their abstracts as it aims to compare the differences in noun phrase structure written in Malay as translated from English. It also analyses the types of errors when English noun phrases are translated to Malay. Preliminary findings from this pilot study found that translation errors committed were mainly inaccurate word order, inaccurate translation, added translation, dropped translation and also structure change. For this study, an exploratory mode of semantic analysis is applied by looking at noun phrases, the meaningful group of words that form a major part of any sentence, with the noun as the head of the group. Syntax is inevitably interwoven in the analysis as the structure and grammatical aspects of the translations are also analysed. They are examined by comparing English texts to its corresponding translation in the Malay language. Particularly relevant in this study is the need to emphasize on the semantics and syntax skills of the students before a good transaltion work can be produced. Language practitioners can also tap on translation activities to improve the learners’language competency. | | Article history
Received: April 12, 2018
Accepted: July 19, 2018
Published: October 31, 2018
Volume: 9 Issue: 5
Advance access: August 2018 | | | Conflicts of interest: None
Funding: None | | | Key words:
Translation Errors,
Noun Phrase,
Error Analysis,
Semantics,
Backward Translation | | INTRODUCTION Translating abstracts is part and parcel of writing a thesis for any postgraduate student. Larson (1998) defines translation as “a change of form from the Source Language (SL) into the Target Language (TL) that refers to the actual words, phrases, clauses, and sentences of a particular language”. As highlighted by Al-Hassan (2013), problems in translations do not only include lexical content and syntax, but also ideologies, values and ways of life in a given culture. Meaning is something that cannot stand on its own; it is always situated within a context and coexistsin a form, be it a word, phrase or clause. It is also interwoven with other areas of language studies, from pragmatics to syntax, morphology, and even phonology where a tiny difference in sound can bring an entirely different meaning. Baker (2011) stated that non-equivalence in the target language is because the source language may have more specific terms (hyponym) while the target language only has general ones (superordinate). The best end product of a translation is a text that uses the normal language forms of the target language, that communicates as much as possible to the target language speakers the same meaning that was understood by speakers of the source language, and that maintains the dynamics of the original text. Thus, translations may fall in between this continuum; modified literal, inconsistent mixture, near idiomatic or completely. Based on Larson’s (1998) observations, a form can have several meaning components, such as plurality in English signified by the suffix–s which the Malay language does not. A form can also have seve

FAQs

What is the aim of the study on translation errors?

The study investigates backward translation of abstracts and compares noun-phrase structure differences between English and Malay, including the kinds of errors produced.

What error types were found in the preliminary findings?

Errors were mainly inaccurate word order, inaccurate translation, added translation, dropped translation, and structure change.

How does the study analyze noun phrases in translations?

It applies exploratory semantic analysis focusing on noun phrases, while also examining syntax because structural and grammatical aspects of the translations are analyzed through comparisons of English and corresponding Malay texts.

Oct 15, 2026

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