Analyzing Problem-Causing Factors for Pakistani EFL Learners in

English Language Teaching; Vol. 12, No. 5; 2019

ISSN 1916-4742 E-ISSN 1916-4750

Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

194

Translating Present Indefinite and Past Indefinite Tenses From Urdu

Into English

Muhammad Din

& Mamuna Ghani

Department of English, Islamia University Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Correspondence: Muhammad Din, Department of English, Islamia University Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Received: March 9, 2019 Accepted: April 23, 2019 Online Published: April 25, 2019

doi: 10.5539/elt.v12n5p194 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n5p194

Abstract

Translation is considered one of the most important skills in studying and learning a language. It is termed as a

craft which is thought to be enjoyed by those who aspire to grab a sound command over second language. This

study has strived to analyze problem-causing factors faced by the EFL learners in translation particularly in

translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English and present some suggestions to

remedy the problems brought to light by the present study. The present study is quantitative in its approach. The

subjects (n=200) of this study are the students of B.Sc. (4

Year) class. In order to achieve the set objectives of

the study, the researcher has conducted an achievement test to achieve the set objectives of the study. The test

was comprised of such ten (10) sentences of Urdu of which five were of present indefinite and the remaining five

were of past indefinite tense. These sentences were taken from the paragraphs which were selected from the past

papers of the university (Bahauddin Zakaria University Multan, Pakistan) examinations. This study has also

aimed to present some suggestions as remedial measures to remedy these factors which cause problems for the

Pakistani EFL learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. The

present study recommends that two forms (singular/plural) of the first form of a verb should be given in the first

column instead of infinitival meaning of this form, the exact Urdu meaning of this form of should be given and

the grammar books should also give the meaning of the past form of a verb.

Keywords: EFL learners, language, tenses, translation

1. Introduction

Translation is considered one of the most important skills in studying and learning a language. It is termed as a

craft which is thought to be enjoyed by those who aspire to grab a sound command over second language.

Translation is also such an intellectual task in which meaning from one language (Source Language) are

transformed to another language (Target Language) by following some lexical, grammatical, contextual, cultural

and syntactical constraints. Nida (1963) styles translation a message which is naturally equivalent of the source

language reproduced in the receptor language. The most important requisite for a good translation is the

translator’s competence of source language (SL) and target language (TL). Jackson (2005) opines that grammar

is of prime significance for translating a source language into a target language. It also involves set of rules,

principles, conventions and their exceptions which must be internalized by a translator. Shakur (2008) believes

that for translation activity language competence is inevitable and this demands bilingual learning and

competence. Such a competence necessitates the sound knowledge of the linguistic systems of the source

language (SL) and target language (TL). According to Shakur (2008), translation also involves the development

of three different kinds of competence on the part of the translator. They include language competence, subject

competence and transfer competence.

1.1 Significance of English in Pakistan

English has become an international language or an “international lingua franca”. It has achieved such a status as

is recognized by every country across the world. Yano (2001) finds a relation between globalization and the rise

of English as a global language. Joseph (2004) also seconds this opinion regarding the global recognition of

English language. Bozzini (2001) styles English an international language of remarkable sweep and diversity.

Han (2005) also attributes the global significance of English language to the EFL learners’ mounting awareness

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of the diverse cultures. Crystal (2003) claims English language is taught as a foreign language in more than one

hundred countries. Moreover, in most of the countries, this language is used as an official or a “semi-official”

language today. In Pakistan, English occupies a place of honor and prestige among the languages spoken here. In

recent times, owing to the remarkable success of the English-speaking nations in the fields of industry and

politics, the people, governments, and institutions have steered their focus and interest towards this language.

Same is the case in Pakistan. It has generally been observed that strong language competence renders students

good pedestal and they get entry into higher institutions as the learning of English language wields so much

intense importance in Pakistan in the present scenario. English has also become the symbol of education and an

elite status in the Pakistani society and has become the language of media, science, technology and a means of

inter-national as well as intra-national communication. Ghani (2003) styles this language “a gateway to success”

in Pakistan. Akram & Mehmood (2007) have analyzed the factors which motivate the Pakistani students to go

for the learning of English language. They claim that the motivational factors like studies abroad, greater job

opportunities, social or missionary aspirations, better economic prospects and academic ends make them learn

this language.

1.2 Teaching of English as a Second/Foreign Language in Pakistan

English is a compulsory subject up to graduation level in Pakistan, but it has been observed that even after

spending a lot of time in learning English, majority of school and college students are unable to write

grammatically correct English. It has been observed that the teaching of English in Pakistan, specifically in

state-run schools and colleges, is highly ritualized. Seldom do the students focus on learning English when they

are mentally obsessed in learning texts for the sake of its reproduction. The reproduction of set texts and the

provision of memorized written answers to questions about those texts mean that the teaching of English

neglects speaking, listening and critical reading which are termed as the integral features of language

competence. Akram and Mehmood (2007) have also analyzed and enumerated some of the problems and

challenges which are being faced in teaching English as a foreign language in Pakistan. A very pertinent and

relevant issue regarding the teaching of English as a foreign language in Pakistan has been raised by them is that

of medium i.e. literature. They seem to be convinced that this medium of teaching English language is

inadequate to impart the required competence among the learners of this language. The methodology adopted by

the teachers is grammar translation which is another issue acting as an obstacle for the ESL learners to grab

competence in the target language. Mostly, English into Urdu translation is resorted to by second language (SL)

educators.

1.3 Urdu Into English Translation – A Pedagogic Resource in Pakistan

Urdu into English translation is the question which is the most challenging one for most of the ESL learners of

every level as this question is given a reasonable proportion in a question paper set by the school/college or

board/university examinations so that the ESL/EFL learners can use translation to assimilate L2 information

through L1 processing. This question is included in the examination papers to test the various aspects of the

ESL/EFL learners’ language competence. Shakur (2008) claims translation develops the learners’ competence in

source and target languages automatically. The development of thoughtful and critical reading is eminently

ensured through translation. The researcher also believes that translation is a language learning tool as it ensures

the improvement of verbal agility, expansion of learners’ vocabulary in L2, consolidation of L2 structures and

monitoring and comprehension of L2.

1.4 Statement of the Problem

The problem that the present study aims to cope with is to highlight those factors which cause problems for the

Pakistani EFL learners in their translating simple present (Present Indefinite) tense and simple past (Past

Indefinite) tense from Urdu into English.

Baker (1992) ascribes the problems in translation to the absence of equivalence between SL into TL. Ervin and

Bower (1953) also point out that the differences in syntactic features, meanings of words and cultural contexts

pose linguistic challenges to the translators.

1.5 Objectives of the Study

• To explore and analyze the factors which cause problems for the EFL learners in translating present

indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English.

• To present some suggestions to remedy the factors which cause p

roblems for the EFL learners in translating

present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English.

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1.6 Research Questions

• What factors do cause problems for the EFL learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite

tenses from Urdu into English?

• What suggestions are made to remedy the factors brought to light by the present study?

2. Literature Review

Translation is “an inter-language process” as it involves the transference process and the interpretation of the

verbal symbols of one language to those of another (Bell, 1991). Alfaori (2017) styles translation

multidimensional because the dimensions like process and product mark this abstract concept of this subject field.

So, reliability and validity are the glaring features of translation. Catford (1965) also brands translation “an

operation performed on language” because of the substitution of a text from one language to the text of another.A

good and accepted translation requires a translator to be equipped with the skills to represent the whole scheme

of ideas, express manner and style, bring ease and render an identical response of a given text (Nida, 1964; Tytler,

1907). Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) also lay stress on replicating the original situation of a given text (source

language) by using different words. The presents study aims to unearth the problems faced by Pakistani EFL

learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. In this respect, the

researcher has reviewed the literature relating this field and this has been discussed as follows;

Buriro et al. (2016) have analyzed Sindhi EFL learners’ errors in translation Sindhi into English. They have

administered a test consisting of ten Sindhi sentences to twenty undergraduate students to translate them into

English. The researchers have used “a modified model of error analysis propounded by Rod Ellis (1994)” for the

analysis of these errors. The findings of this study reveal that L1 interference, poor knowledge of grammar and

learners’ assumptions are the factors which are responsible for their poor translation skills. They also argue that

these learners have committed spelling, morphological and punctuation errors because of their L1 interference.

Koshhal (2017) has conducted a study to investigate the errors committed by the Iranian EFL elementary

learners in translating Persian sentences into English. The researcher has analyzed these errors by categorizing

them into three aspects i.e. spelling, grammar and choice of words. The results of this study show that these EFL

learners committed a variety of errors. For instance, these errors were relating to the wrong use of the parts of

speech, tenses and their sequence, word order, articles, voice, negative imperatives and change of narration. This

study also throws light on the sources of these errors committed by the participants of this study. According to

Khoshhal (2017), there are three main sources of these errors. They include the errors caused by first language of

the EFL learners, over generalization of specific grammatical rules and poor teaching techniques. The researcher

rounds off his discussion by claiming that the teaching of verbs should be more focused as this area proves to be

formidable challenge for EFL learners in translating source language into target language. To this end, Khoshhal

(2017) recommends that teachers should present maximum examples and instances of the use of verb in the

process of translation to the students so that they may get familiarize themselves with the correct use of the form

of verbs in translation. Ngangbam (2016) has conducted a case study regarding the errors committed by English

language learners of Mutah University. The researcher has categorized the errors committed by the subjects of

this study into fifteen categories to find the causes and frequency of these errors. The results of this study reveal

that mother tongue (MT) interference, lack of grammatical knowledge, wrong sentence fragmentation and

overuse are among those factors which cause problems for the English learners of this university.

Baker (1992) argues that “grammatical equivalence” is one of the problems that students face in doing

translation because grammatical rules vary from language to language. The differences of grammatical structures

cause problems demand the required changes in transferring text from source language to target language. This

can be done by adding or omitting some information in target language. In this regard, Baker (1992) maintains

that a translator must be well-versed with those grammatical devices which can be resorted to in translating

source language into target language. Such grammatical devices include tense and aspect, number, gender,

person and voice.

In translation theory, equivalence enjoys paramount importance. Much effort has been exerted by theorists to

investigate the effect of this notion on a translator while dealing with a text in the process of translation (Alfaori,

2017, p. 86). According to Alfaori (2017), a translator must comprehend the meanings of a text given in source

language, take care of the loss of meaning in translating SL into TL and avoid non-equivalence and poor

substitutes. According to Birjandi (1999), lexical knowledge and the conceptual understanding of a text on the

part of a translator may flourish his/her translation skills. This researcher has reached these findings by exploring

the effects of the EFL learners’ lexical knowledge on their translation skills.

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Tandikombong et al. (2016) have conducted a study to identify the grammatical errors made by the Indonesian

students in translating Indonesian text into English text. They have found out the students have made various

types of errors while doing translation. But the most frequent errors were of verb (39.16%) followed by noun

errors. Their study has also made probe into the factors which cause errors in translating Indonesian text into

English text. For instance, ignorance of rule restriction, overgeneralization, application of rules and false concept

hypothesized are the factors which cause problem for the Indonesian translators in rendering Indonesian text into

English text.

Alfadly and Aldeibani (2013) have analyzed those linguistic problems which the Yemeni English Majors at

Hardamout University have to face in translation between Arabic and English. Alfadly and Aldeibani (2013)

have found out that mistranslation is one the problems which is caused because of the learners’ weakness in

grammar. Incorrect passives, L1 interference and the use of participle are those linguistic problems which have

been brought to light by Alfadly and Aldeibani (2013). Kern (1994) terms translation a cognitive strategy in the

process of reading comprehension. He points out the students go for translation to comprehend text. Cook (1992)

has also maintained that ESL learners resort to their first language during their processing the second the

language.

Kasmer (1999) highlights the importance and role of translation in an ESL/EFL classroom and throws light on

the approaches for using translation in this context. While discussing the pay offs of bilingual immersion,

Kasmer (1999) maintains that ESL/EFL learners can comprehend the main ideas of a text through bilingual

immersion. Another advantage that can be reaped through bilingual immersion is the assimilation of foreign

culture tagged with a foreign language. Co-teaching is another approach which can be used in an ESL/EFL

classroom. The researcher claims that the ESL/EFL learners can make use of the grammar of both native and

target language through co-teaching. This approach can also ensure the facilitation of guided negotiation of

meaning. Apart from this, co-teaching helps the ESL/EFL learners in learning sentence structure through

consciousness raising which alleviates some forms of culture shocks. According to Kasmer (1999), the use of

bilingual text in an ESL/EFL classroom can also be helpful for the learners. Even the use of combination

approaches is also very advantageous for the ESL/EFL learners. Kasmer (1999) also suggests some translation

techniques and approaches to be adopted in ESL/EFL classrooms. For instance, lost in the translation, role-plays

with native language brainstorming and bilingual dialogues are such translation approaches as can benefit the

ESL/EFL learners in various ways.

Jawaid and Zeman (2011) believe that translation becomes a complex task because of the linguistic differences

between source and target languages. Talking with specific reference to Urdu and English languages, the

researchers maintain that in Urdu language Verbs inflect according to number, gender and the head noun as Urdu

is highly inflectional and diverse in morphology as compared with English. Shakur (2008) throws light on the

significance of translation by claiming that it develops the ESL/EFL learners’ communicative strategies and

skills. It also enhances the learners’ oral fluency and the creative use of foreign language. The researcher further

maintains that the qualities like accuracy, clarity and flexibility which are essential to language learning can be

ascertained through translation.Alsobhani and Muthanna (2011) maintain that there are multifaceted problems

the EFL learners of Yemen face in translating Arabic into English. According to them, the lack of the practice of

grammar and its inadequate knowledge, inadequate lexical resources, teaching methodology and environment

and insufficient cultural background are the problems faced by these EFL learners in translating Arabic into

English. The selection of an appropriate lexical item is also one of the challenges the Yemeni EFL learners

encounter in translating source language into target language.

The review of studies carried out in the field of translation particularly with reference to the problems faced by

the EFL learners brings the fact to light that there is still a gap that should be dealt with. The studies that have

been reviewed reveal that researchers have conducted studies in their contexts relating the general areas which

pose problems for EFL learners. The present study has been carried out to unearth the problems faced by the

Pakistani EFL learners in translating Urdu into English particularly present indefinite and past indefinite tenses.

3. Research Methodology

The present quantitative study aims to investigate the problems faced by the EFL learners in translating Urdu

into English particularly present indefinite and past indefinite. An achievement test has been developed to

achieve the set objectives of the study.

3.1 Population of the Study

The population of the present study comprises all the male and female graduation students (university students)

of Punjab (Pakistan).

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3.2 Sample of the Study

The present study has gone for one of “probability sampling” which is reasonably representative sample using

resource. Dornyei (2011) maintains that the key component of probability sampling is “random sampling

method”. The assumption underlying this procedure is that this procedure minimizes the effects of any

extraneous or subjective factors. Thus, random samples are always more representative than non-random

samples (Dornyei, 2011). Moreover, Gay et al. (2012) also claim that random sampling is the best way to obtain

a representative sample as random sampling is required for many statistical analyses. These analyses permit the

researcher to make inferences about a population based on the behavior of a sample. The students (n=200) of

B.Sc. (4

Year) class are the sample of this study.

3.3 Profile of the Sample

The sample of this study are the students of 4

Year class. These student study science subjects in different

combinationswhich have been recommended by the relevant University. All the subjects of this study are from

Government colleges of the province of Punjab (Pakistan). They study the subject of English as a compulsory

subject for 100 marks. Out of these 100 marks, they are to attempt a question of Urdu into English translation for

20 marks. This question poses a challenge for these EFL learners as they generally opt an optional question of

Letter Writing in lieu of translation.

3.4 Research Instrument

An achievement test was developed as a research instrument and conducted by the researcher to achieve the set

objectives of the study. The test was comprised of such ten (10) Urdusentences of which five were of present

indefinite and five were of past indefinite tense. These sentences were taken from those paragraphs which were

selected from the past papers from 2007 to 2017 Annual Examinationof the university (Bahauddin Zakaria

University Multan, Pakistan) examinations. The selection of these items for the development of this achievement

test was made keeping in view the objectives of the study.

The reason behind the choice of these paragraphs from the university exam was that the university papers come

up to the standards of reliability and validity of any achievement test as these papers are made by keeping in

view the average, good and excellent students in view. After pooling these items for the development of the

achievement test, the researcher presented this test to two experts to seek their expert opinion and feedback for

its content and face validity. The researcher also discussed with theme certain issues in the development process

of this instrument. The changes which were recommended by these experts were incorporated before setting this

tool into application.

3.5 Limitations of the Study

The present study chiefly aims to discuss the Pakistani EFL learners’ problems with reference to the translation

of present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English and highlight those factors which pose

challenges to them. The participants of this study are the university students of the state-run government colleges

of Pakistan. These things constitute the limitations of this study.

3.6 Ethical Considerations

All the ethical considerations were kept in view during the data collection, data analysis and reporting phases of

the study. Complete anonymity and confidentiality of the respondents was ensured by assigning them codes in

reporting their views. Also, before collecting the responses, a consent form was got duly signed from the head of

the institutions and class teachers from where the data was collected.

4. Results

This study aims to highlight the the factors which cause problems for the EFL learners in translation particularly

in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. Apart from this, there are also

many problems which the Pakistani EFL learners face in translating Urdu into English. These problems are

relating to the wrong use of pronouns, articles, conjunctions, punctuation, inappropriate lexical items marks and

subject omission, sentence fragmentation, confusion regarding the difference between adjective and adverb. As

the main thrust of this study is the problems faced by EFL learners’ in translating present indefinite and past

indefinite tenses from Urdu into English, so the problems mentioned above have not been discussed in detail

here.

Apart from the general problems mentioned above, this study has chiefly focused on highlighting those factors

which cause problems for EFL learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into

English. The instances of incorrect translation of these two tenses from Urdu into English along with their

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frequency and percentage have been presented in a table given as follows;

Table 2. Instances of incorrect (English) translation of present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu

into English

S. No. Translation (Incorrect) Frequency Percentage

1 We are become happy by calling others bad. 44 22

2 We are not takeourselves by the collar. 39 19.5

3 Natural beauty is provide the people happiness.

25 12.5

The attraction and charms of the beautiful things is

increase with the passage of time.

53 26.5

The Process of education is progress with the mutual

cooperation of teacher and student.

41 20.5

Our forefathers were earn their livelihood diligently and

were live simple life.

36 18

Man was not know much about mathematics, space

research, engineering, trade, banking, communication and

electronics before the invention of computer.

57 28.5

Astrology and fortune telling were affect the lives of the

people very much.

33 16.5

In the past, the people were bring drinking water from

miles.

21 10.5

The people were respect each other and were shareeach

other’s sufferings.

49 24.5

Table 2 shows how the Pakistani EFL learners face problems in translating simple present (present indefinite)

tense and simple past (past indefinite) tense from Urdu (SL) into English (TL). For instance, a sentence which

was of present indefinite tense was translated by the subjects into English as follows:

۔ﮟﻴﻫﮯﺗ ﺎﺟ ﻮﻫ ﺵﻮﺧ ﻢﮨﺮﮐ ہ ﮐ ﺍﺮﺑ ﻮﮐ ںﻭﺮﺳﻭﺩ

Translation:

We are become happy by calling others bad. (Incorrect)

Transliteration:

doosrun ko burakehkar hum khush ho jate hein.

Gloss: others to bad calling by we become happy

In the same way, another sentence which was of past indefinite was translated by the students into English as

follows:

۔ﮯﻬﺗ ﮯﺗﺮﮐ ﺮﺴﺑ ﯽﮔ ﺪﻧﺯ ﻩﺩ ﺎﺳ ﺭﻭﺍ ﮯﻬﺗ ﮯﺗ ﺎﻤﮐ یﺯﻭﺭ ﮯﺳ ﺖﻨﺤﻣ ﺩﺍﺪﺟﺍﺅﺎﺑﺁ ےﺭﺎﻤﮨ

Translation:

Our forefathers were earn their livelihood diligently and were live simple life. (Incorrect)

Transliteration:

hamarey abaao ajdad mehnat se roozi kamate thei aur sadha zindagi basar kartey thei

Gloss: our forefathers hardwork with livelihood earned and simple life lived

The above given examples showthat the Pakistani EFL learners remain unable to translate the verbs of present

indefinite and past indefinite from Urdu into English. They are misled by the concept that the last two word of a

Urdu sentence having Present Indefinite and Past Indefinite tenses like “ﮟﻴﻫ ﮯﺗ ﺎﺟ ﻮﻫ” (hәu dƷɑ ȶei hein)

and "ﮯﻬﺗﮯﺗ ﺎﻤﮐ یﺯﻭﺭ" (rәuz¡ kmәtei ȶhei) would be translated into English with the help of two different verbs.

That’s why they go for the expressions like “are become” and “were earned”.

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5. Discussion

The objectives set by the present study are to explore analyze the factors which cause problems for the EFL

learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English and to present some

suggestions to remedy the factors which cause problems for the EFL learners in translating present indefinite and

past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. So, the researcher has discussed these issues as follows;

The first objective of the present study is to explore the factors which cause problems for the Pakistani ESL

learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. This study has

brought to light some factors which have been discussed as follows;

5.1 L1 Interference

The present study has found out that L1 interference is one of the major factors which make the Pakistani EFL

learners to add auxiliary verbs in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English.

This is so because they fail to apply grammatical devices in translating source language into target language

because of the lack of the knowledge of grammatical equivalence. The findings of the study conducted by

Khoshhal (2017) also corroborate the findings of the present study. Koshhal (2017) has also strived to trace the

causes and factors of errors in translating Persian sentences into English. According to the results of this study,

there are three types of factors which cause the errors in translation carried out by the Iranian EFL learners.

These factors include first language interference (interlingual errors), over generalization of grammatical rules

(intralingual errors) and poor teaching techniques. Kim (1998) also seconds the findings of the present study that

errors committed by EFL learners in translating source language into target language are caused by L1 transfer.

According to the results of the study conducted by Kim (1998), 22% of the errors are attributed to L1 transfer.

Likewise, Kushhal (2017) maintains that in a study conducted in the Korean context, it has been found out that

24% of the errors were caused because of the transfer of the structures of L1 when the Korean EFL learners were

asked to translate Korean sentences into English. In the same vein, Jdetawy (2011) has also highlighted the issue

that sometimes “interlingual transfer strategy” poses problem for the Arab EFL learners in their attempt to learn

second language. The findings of the study carried out by Sarfraz (2011) also second the findings of the present

study as this study shows that 46.36% of the errors committed by the Pakistani EFL learners have been caused

by interlanguage process while 11.4% errors are the result of mother tongue (MT) interference.The findings of

the case study carried out by Ngangbam(2016) also substantiate the findings of the present study that L1

interference is the factor which poses challenges to EFL learners in translating and interpreting second language.

The findings of the studies conducted by Kambal (1980), Kao (1999) and Lin (2002) also second the findings of

the present study that EFL learners encounter difficulties in empowering L2 because of this factor. Buriro et al.

(2015) have also reached the findings that L1 interference causes problems in translating Sindhi language into

English by the Pakistani EFL learners. According to their study, 45% of the errors are related to L1 interference.

In fact, they ascribe all the errors to the EFL learners’ L1 interference.

5.2 Infinitival Meaning

The second factor which causes problem for the Pakistani EFL learners in translating present indefinite and past

indefinite tenses from Urdu into English is the grammar books which are used to teach translation at every level.

For instance, when the Pakistani EFL learners are taught English verbs, they are almost always taught only three

forms of a verb i.e. present, past and past participle. The grammar books published by the Punjab Text Book

Board, Pakistan give these three forms of a verb. For instance, verb “become” is presented in these books as

follows;

Present Past Past Participle

Become became become

Here, the verb “become” is given the meaning in Urdu as “ﺎﻧﻮﻫ

”(hәunә) which is an infinitive (tense less)and it

means “tobe”. When the Pakistani ESL learners translate an expression like “ﮟﻴﻫ ﮯﺗ ﺎﺟ ﻮﻫ”(hәu dƷɑȶei hein),

they translate it as “are become” because the grammar books present the present form of verb tense less. This

thing misleads the translators to translate an Urdu sentence of present indefinite into English by adding an

auxiliary verb like “are” to strike an agreement between subject and verb as they remain unable to the know the

complete meaning of a verb like “become” which embodies the meaning of present tense. That’s why, these ESL

learners translate the Urdu expressions “ﮟﻴﻫ ﮯﺗ ﺎﺟ ﻮﻫ” (hәu dƷɑȶei hein) into English on the premise that the

English equivalence for “ﮯﺗ ﺎﺟ ﻮﻫ” (hәu dƷɑȶei)is “become” and for “ﮟﻴﻫ”(hein)is “are”.

Thus, these EFL learners remain unable to comprehend the meaning of the present form of verbsgiven in a

grammar book. The meanings of present form of a verb include the aspects which have been given as follows;

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a) Plural form of verb

b) Present form of verb is an equivalent for such Urdu expressions as end with an auxiliary verb and needs no

auxiliary verb to maintain subject-verb agreement.

The problem that the ESL learners face in translating past indefinite tense from Urdu into English is because they

remain unable to comprehend the full meaning of the past form of a verb. For instance, the Urdu expression ﺮﺛﺎﺘﻣ

۔ﮯﻬﺗ ﮯﺗﺮﮐ” (mɜȶɑsә kәrtei ȶhei) was translated by 16.5%of the subjects of the present study as “were affect”

because the ESL learners remain unable to know that inEnglish, unlike Urdu, the past form of a verb carries the

meaning of an action/state and tense as well. This also causes the ESL learners to mistranslate the Urdu

expressions like “ﮯﻫ ﺎﺗ ﻮﻫ ۂﻓ ﺎﺿ ﺍ” (ɑƱzɑfә hәutɑ hei) into “is increase”. The reason is that most of the ESL

learners consider these Urdu expressions as two separate words and they try to use two different words as their

equivalents in English for they are not generally taught that only the past form of a verb suffices for such

expressions. For example, the past form of the verb “go” is “went” which is always plural and not require any

auxiliary verb. But the students use singular or plural auxiliary verb (was/were) along with this form of verb.

This problem can be attributed to the teaching techniques which are faulty and poor and do not let the EFL

learners to have exposure to maximum and variety of instances of the use of the correct form of the verbs. Owing

to this, students commit errors in rendering Urdu sentences into English.

The present study finds that the Pakistani EFL learners remain unable to comprehend the meaning of the present

and past forms of a verb in English language and thus they try to add an extra auxiliary verb when they go for

translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. This shows that face the problem

of finding the exact grammatical equivalence in the process of translation. The findings of the study conducted

by Alsobhani and Muthanna (2011) also reveal that the Arabic EFL learners face problems in translating SL into

TL because of the lack of the practice of grammar. This results in their being unable to find a grammatically

appropriate lexical item in translating source language into target language. Zawahreh’s (2013) study also lays

stress on the EFL learners’ paying attention to the parts of speech, context and collocations for getting command

over translation skills.

The present study has strived to highlight those factors which problems for the Pakistani EFL learners in

translating Urdu into English. The results of this study are corroborated by the results of the study conducted by

Khoshhal (2017) in the Iranian context as this study claims that 66% of the participants of the study have

committed the errors relating to the wrong use of verbs and the wrong use of tense while translating Persian

sentences into English. The study conducted by Ngangbam (2016) reveals that Mutah university English

language learners commit errors of the wrong use of verb because of the lack of grammatical knowledge.

According to this study, 3.46% of the errors are relating to the verbs and 5.06% of errors are caused because of

the syntactic problems faced by the subjects of this study. The findings of the quantitative study conducted by

Akhtar and Rizwan (2015) also corroborate the findings of the present study. According to their study, EFL

learners frequently commit errors related to tenses and morphemes. This study ascribes these errors to L1

interference.

The findings of the study conducted by Baker (1992) demonstrate that EFL learners remain unable to translate a

source language (SL) into target language (TL) when they do not know about the “grammatical equivalence” i.e.

tense and aspect involved in the process of translating source language into target language. Apart from this, this

study also focuses on the importance of the comprehension of other aspects like gender, person, number and

voice in the process of translation. Likewise, the findings of the study conducted by Birjandi (1999) reveal that

there lies a significant relationship between EFL learners’ translation skills and their lexical knowledge. The

present study finds that the Pakistani EFL learners remain unable to comprehend the meaning of the present and

past forms of a verb in English language and thus they try to add an extra auxiliary verb when they go for

translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. This shows that face the problem

of finding the exact grammatical equivalence in the process of translation. The findings of the study conducted

by Alsobhani and Muthanna (2011) also reveal that the Arabic EFL learners face problems in translating SL into

TL because of the lack of the practice of grammar. This results in their being unable to find a grammatically

appropriate lexical item in translating source language into target language. Zawahreh’s (2013) study also lays

stress on the EFL learners’ paying attention to the parts of speech, context and collocations for getting command

over translation skills.

6. Conclusion

This study has strived to unearth and highlight the factors which cause problems for the Pakistani EFL learners

in translating Urdu into English particularly present indefinite and past indefinite tenses. It has been found out

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that these learners commit errors in translating these two tenses because of the presence of some factors. Among

these factors are L1 transfer and interference, lack of grammatical practice, lack of the knowledge of the

grammatical equivalence and the use of the poor and outmoded teaching material and old-fashioned techniques.

Apart from this, this study has also found that teaching the forms of verbs through grammar books published by

the Punjab Textbook Board, Pakistan cause problems for the learners in rendering Urdu into English.

The findings of this study can be very helpful in teaching English as foreign language in Pakistan particularly

when Translation is used as a pedagogical resource. This study will have pedagogical implications as it will help;

• Foreign language educators to teach English as foreign language through translation in a better way

• Teachers to examine and revise their teaching techniques for better outcomes

• Syllabus designers in designing syllabus and developing such materials as can prove EFL learners’ way for

comprehensive EL learning

• Researchers in the field of teaching methodologies so that they may conduct more studies in this area to

develop, design and introduce the most modern techniques and methodologies which can be helpful for the EFL

learners

• EFL learners particularly the Pakistani EFL learners to develop and enhance their translation skills and

abilities

This study has also aimed to present some suggestions as remedial measures for the problems faced by the

Pakistani EFL learners in translating present indefinite and past indefinite tenses from Urdu into English. In the

light of the findings of the present study, the researcher makes some recommendations which have been given as

follows;

• Two forms (singular/plural) of a verb should be given in the first column

• Instead of infinitival meaning of the present form a verb, the exact Urdu meaning of this form of should be

given

• The grammar books should also give the meaning of the past form of a verb

• Studies should also be conducted to highlight the effectiveness and usefulness of the bilingual and

monolingual dictionaries

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