Error Analysis of English Translations of Persian Sport Sciences Thesis Abstracts

Informative texts, including those in sport sciences, demand precise factual communication yet pose translation challenges due to specialised jargon, culturally bound idioms, and context-dependent nuances. This study aimed to identify the most recurrent errors in human translations of thesis abstracts in sport sciences using the Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM) framework, focusing on a period prior to the emergence of Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and artificial intelligence (AI) (the ۱۳۸۰s Iranian calendar years, approximately ۲۰۰۱–۲۰۱۱). A sample of ۱۵ English abstracts was randomly selected from Persian-language sport sciences theses from that period. Errors were classified according to MQM dimensions, and two independent raters confirmed the identification and documentation of errors. The analysis revealed a fluctuating error pattern between ۲۰۰۵ and ۲۰۱۰, characterised by an initial decline followed by a subsequent rise, indicating temporary variability in translation quality. These findings provide empirical evidence of recurrent translation challenges in pre-NMT and pre-AI academic sport sciences texts, with implications for translation scholars, academic editors, and thesis supervisors.

کلیدواژه ها:

Abstract translation ، error analysis ، multidimensional quality metrics ، sport sciences