Difficulties That Facing EFL learners Of Second and Third Year of English Department at Omar Almukhtar University in Translating Idiomatic Expressions

Abstract

Translation is the process of converting an original text written from the source language to a text written in the other language, so translation is a transfer of civilization, culture and thought. Translating idiomatic expressions is a difficult and complex process that requires the student not only to control the languages transmitted to them, but also to have a cultural sense in both languages. This research revolves around the difficulties facing by libyan learners at Omar Almukhtar university in translating idiomatic expressions. The aim of the study is to investigate the type of difficulty that students face while translating expressions and trying to propose solutions that may help in reduce these difficulties.  The mixed method of the study necessitated the use of a descriptive approach to describe the phenomenon under investigation and a statistical program SPSS used to describe and evaluate the data collected from the questionnaire. The results show that Libyan students face challenges in translating idiomatic expressions from English to Arabic, as evidenced by the varied responses in the observation test. Also, Literal translations indicate a lack of understanding of idiomatic meanings and cultural context.  The study concludes with recommendations and suggestions to help students overcome the challenges they face in translating idiomatic expressions.