Analysis of English-Indonesian Text Translation Errors Among Sixth-Semester Mathematics Education Students
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Abstract
Translation is a complex process of transferring meaning from a source language to a target language, requiring not only lexical knowledge but also a deep understanding of the context and subject-specific terminology. This study analyzes the errors made by sixth-semester students of the Mathematics Education Study Program at UIN Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Pa-dangsidimpuan in translating an English academic text into Indonesian. The research employed a descriptive qualitative method. The population comprised all 64 students enrolled in the Mathematics English course during the even semester of the 2025/2026 academic year, with the entire population serving as the sample (total sampling). The instrument was a translation task of an excerpt from a mathematics education article. The findings reveal that students made significant errors in translating mathematical terminology (e.g., “equivalent fractions”) and pedagogical terms (e.g., “cognitively demanding task,” “instructional task”). The primary cause of errors was the tendency to translate word-for-word without grasping the overall context of the text, compounded by limited time for revision. These findings highlight the need for instructional strategies that emphasize contextual comprehension over literal translation.
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