The Impact of Collocational Competence on Translation Quality: Literature Review

Abstract

This study reviews the literature on the significance of collocational competence on the quality of translation, being a meaningful lexical relationship between words. Though the value of recognizing collocations in translation is well acknowledged, several earlier studies have underlined students’ lack of collocational competence and the difficulties they encounter when dealing with collocations in the translation process. The current study evaluates previous research in this field and examines the influence of lexical and grammatical collocation knowledge in translation from English into Arabic and vice versa. The significance of this review lies in exploring the importance of a translator’s collocational expertise in accurately translating lexical and grammatical collocations in the target language. This review aims at answering the review question: How does collocational competence affect translation quality? To answer this question, the researchers examined many studies investigating the impact of collocational competence on the quality of translation. The review further aims at increasing awareness of the significance of this aspect of translation accuracy. The review study provides an overview of pertinent terminology and classifications and a brief introduction to the subject. Then follows an overview of the significance of collocations competence for ensuring the quality of the translation. The final section includes recommendations for translation instructors as well as translators. The review’s findings showed a substantial correlation between the quality of the translation and the adequate knowledge of lexical and grammatical collocations.