Publication Details
Abstract
This research investigates the influence of functional misunderstanding, literal transfer, and cross-linguistic interference on the translation of discourse cues by Saudi EFL learners. The study used a mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology to examine patterns of semantic and pragmatic disruption in translated texts, identifying the cognitive and linguistic elements that contribute to these errors. The results indicate systematic heterogeneity among marker types, with contrastive markers exhibiting the greatest vulnerability to misinterpretation, succeeded by causal and more intricate relationship forms. These patterns suggest a continual challenge in comprehending discourse interactions and a significant dependence on superficial, literal translation from the originating language. The findings indicate that translation errors at the discourse level are systematically connected to interference and functional misanalysis, resulting in diminished coherence and distorted semantic relationships. The study contends that discourse markers provide a significant area of susceptibility in EFL translation, wherein language form frequently takes precedence over functional meaning. The study presents a conceptual framework for understanding discourse-level interference in translation by incorporating insights from cross-linguistic theory and discourse analysis. The findings have significant implications for translation teaching, emphasizing the necessity to progress beyond sentence-level precision towards functional and discourse-focused training. The study promotes teaching methods that integrate contextualized practice, corpus-informed instruction, and innovative AI-assisted technologies to elevate learners' understanding of discourse relations and enhance translation quality, coherence, and communicative efficacy.