Investigation of the errors of orthography and punctuation errors in the scientific translations of undergraduate translation trainees based on the script approved by the Persian Academy of Language and Literature.

Research findings show that some features of the Persian script leads to individual words written in several different forms. This issue, in particular, creates difficulties for the computerized storage and retrieval of texts and harms the internal integrity and external validity of the Persian language. Correct Orthography and punctuation is also very important for translation trainees as it is one of the important criteria for assessing their professional competence. Thus, it is necessary to identify, classify and introduce such errors in order to reduce the frequency of their occurrence. In this research, the English-to-Persian scientific translations of 35 undergraduate translation students of three universities were analyzed according to (mainly) the criteria of the latest approved script of the Academy of Persian Language and literature. The research identified a wide range of orthographic errors in the translations, which can be subdivided into three main categories: (a) spacing errors between word components, errors in writing secondary Persian signs and (c) punctuation errors. The findings indicate that the translation trainees' adherence to the approved script is not at a desirable level and it is, thus, necessary to take fundamental measures to improve the current situation, for which some suggestions were put forth. The findings of this research can be widely used for training the native and non-native users of Persian language.
Extended Abstract:
Introduction
To date no studies have been conducted to identify orthographic and punctuation errors in English-to-Persian translations produced by translation trainees. Even in studies that have examined other types of Persian texts, only a limited number of orthographic standards have been employed as the basis for data collection. In some cases, researchers have relied on their linguistic intuition as the primary criterion for analysis. To address part of this research gap, the present study aims to identify, classify, and analyze orthographic and punctuation errors in scientific translations produced by undergraduate students majoring in English translation. The focus on such texts is particularly significant, as adherence to the orthographic standards of the target language is one of the key criteria for evaluating the professional competence of translators in general and translation trainees in particular. Furthermore, the translation of scientific texts often involves the incorporation of foreign terms, phrases, and even neologisms through loan translation, necessitating their alignment with Persian orthographic rules. The primary goal of this research was to provide findings that will benefit translation trainees, instructors, and evaluators by raising awareness of the prevalent orthographic errors and facilitating the improvement of the quality of translated texts.
 
Methodology
The analysis is based on the orthographic standards approved by the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. Participants included 35 female students in their sixth semester, from three universities in Qom, Iran. They had completed the "Persian Editing" course in the prior semester. Each translated a scientific article taken from the open-access journal Translation and Interpreting. Translations were completed using MemoQ software and submitted to the researcher as Microsoft Word documents. The first 700 words of the second section of each article (24,500 words in total) were analyzed. To ensure originality, translations were compared with Google Translate outputs, and four translations showing significant similarities were excluded from the final analysis. The translations were, then, reviewed twice line by line to identify errors based on the Persian Academy’s orthographic standards and guidlines. For uncertain cases, the researcher consulted the Persian Orthographic Dictionary (Sadeghi & Zandi-Moghadam, 2015). Given the more or less shared punctuation rules between Persian and English, punctuation errors, which are not systematically addressed by the Academy, were analyzed using Cintas & Remael's (2020) framework.
Results
A wide range of orthographic errors were identified in the translations, which can be subdivided into three main categories: (a) spacing errors between word components, (b) errors in writing secondary Persian signs and (c) punctuation errors. The findings indicate that the translation trainees' adherence to the approved script is not at a desirable level and it is, thus, necessary to take fundamental measures to improve the current situation, for which some suggestions were put forth. The characteristics of the Persian script that lead to occurrence of the identified errors have been identified and introduced about three decades ago. Many of these errors have been identified and introduced in previous studies in different environments, media and texts. Despite the fact that the problems of Persian script and the errors resulting from them are known, we still see frequent occurrence of these errors in the texts. Therefore, it is necessary to think of a solution for this problem.
 
Discussion
Our proposal aims to address script errors in all types of Persian texts (both translated and non-translated) through three dimensions: theoretical, policy, and operational. The goal is improving script uniformity. We suggest that the Persian Language and Literature Academy hold annual or biennial conferences on “Persian Script: Current Challenges and Solutions” to facilitate discussions among experts, share research findings, and propose solutions for standardizing Persian script. Current policies are insufficient to ensure compliance with the Academy’s approved script standards. Immediate action is needed to teach standard Persian script at all educational levels, with policies and laws supporting its widespread use across all media and environments. The Academy, education and research commissions, and the Islamic Council’s social commission must actively drive this change.

To ensure policy effectiveness, familiarity with standard Persian script should be a requirement in exams for educational progression and employment (starting with government exams). Furthermore, Persian script training should be incorporated into the curriculum of language-related courses, with at least four credits dedicated to Persian script and ortography.

While the current study focuses on a small subset of Persian speakers, the findings likely apply broadly. Errors are common in various fields and media, including government documents, press articles, subtitles, and academic works. The study's results may also be relevant to non-native Persian speakers. Expanding research to examine script errors in different fields and media is essential. The Academy should play a central role in funding and supporting these efforts. Future studies could explore the impact of factors such as media type, field of use, and demographics (e.g., education, age, social status) on the occurrence and distribution of typographical errors.
 
Conflict of Interest
The author declares that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.