Overcoming the complexities of translating travel texts: Opportunities and challenges The case of Amadeus pricing and ticketing system’s manual

Overcoming the complexities of translating travel texts: Opportunities and challenges The case of Amadeus pricing and ticketing system’s manual (English- Arabic)

By: Abdelwahid Ayoub Mohammed Hamad el-Neel (Dr)

A paper presented at the VII International Tourism Congress
2nd to 4th December 2014, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
Abstract
This paper explores the challenges confronting translators in rendering into Arabic travel technical publications such as IATA, UFTAA, ICAO and airline manuals, pricing and ticketing systems, etc. Forming part of technical/scientific texts, travel texts are characterized by the massive bulk of technical elements such like symbols, codes, abbreviations, special reference expressions and contexts which form real complexities to translators to cope with. Unlike tourist texts where the vocative purpose is primordial through seeking persuasion and impression of readers and raising of their attention and interest, travel materials are normally not culturally- oriented; favoring the directive, informative and pragmatic functions.
The voids and differences existing between English and Arabic across all syntactic, lexical, pragmatic and textual levels have significant implications for E-A translation of travel texts.
This paper exhibits a translated manual of Amadeus pricing and ticketing system and intends to analytically and critically describe the competencies employed and the strategies adopted by the translator to achieve proper rendition of the material in Arabic. The analysis allowed for important observations and findings.

Key words: Scientific translation, technical translation, travel manuals, Amadeus pricing and ticketing system, English language, Arabic language.