Students' Ability in Translating Economic Technical Terms in Argumentative Texts

Abstract

This study aims to find out the ability of the students in translating the economic technical terms in the argumentative texts. The subjects of this research are the students of class B batch 2021 of English Literature Department of Universitas Sumatera Utara. This study used descriptive qualitative method, and focuses on the use of Accuracy ratio as the method to analyze the data. The data are 30 economic technical terms collected from the economic argumentative texts deriving from CNN news articles. The results indicate that the translation ability of ten students from Class B, Batch 2021 of the English Literature program at Universitas Sumatera Utara, revealing an accuracy ratio of 0.8 in translating economic technical terms within argumentative texts. Despite this proficiency, students face significant challenges, primarily influenced by linguistic and non-linguistic factors, with 80% citing difficulties related to understanding the source language's meaning and 70% struggling with linguistic aspects. Key obstacles identified include a lack of vocabulary, insufficient grammar mastery, limited knowledge of technical terms, and challenges in structuring English phrases into Indonesian. The research emphasizes the difficulties of translating economic terminology, highlighting issues such as conceptual complexities, unfamiliar vocabulary, and cultural context. Effective translation requires a strong language foundation, comprehensive knowledge of subject matter, and sensitivity to cultural nuances to ensure clarity and accuract for the target audience.