Semantic Challenges in Translating Road Signs

الملخص

Translating road signs between Arabic and English presents semantic challenges due to their distinct cultural contexts. This study investigates these challenges within the functionalist approaches in contemporary translation studies. Road signs incorporate minimal texts, ellipsis, shapes, colors, etc., all together decide the meaning of the sign and how they function as a specific message to road users. This hybrid nature of road signs is therefore vocative and imperative because they necessitate immediate action upon reception. This research paper utilizes Peter Newmark’s communicative approach of translation to demonstrate that conventional translation methods that prioritize word-for-word transfer techniques fail to preserve the functionality of road signs when translated.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54633/2333-025-059-017