The Criteria and Variables Affecting the Selection of Quality Book Ideally Suited for Translation: The Perspectives of King Saud University Staff

Abstract

This study investigated the ideal definition of QB, that is Quality Book-one that is ideally suited for translation-and the variables affecting its selection criteria among 136 members of King Saud University (KSU) academic staff. A workshop was held to elicit the ideal definition of QB to answer the first question, and a 19-item electronic questionnaire with four domains was designed to help collect the data necessary to answer the other two questions of the study. The results revealed that all four domains came low; "Authorship and Publication" came the highest with a mean score of 2.28 and "Titling and Contents" came the lowest with a mean score of 1.76. 5-way ANOVA (without interaction) was applied in accordance with the variables of the study at α≤ 0.05 among the mean scores. The analysis revealed significance of the variables of gender, those who translated a book or more before, and those who participated in a conference devoted for translation whereas the variables of qualification and revising a translated book did not reveal any statistical significance.

Developing and validating translators’ book selection criteria scale: The case of translators in Iran

“…For example, a study by Abanomey, Al-Jabali, and Galal (2015) examined the ideal definition of a quality book (books considered by the academic staff of King Saud University to be suitable for translation). They also looked for variables that influenced selection criteria.…”