Translation and Interpreting Research
Research Institute for Translation Studies (RITS)

Error Analysis of English Translations of Persian Sport Sciences Thesis Abstracts

Document Type : Translation Studies

Authors

Narjes Asgari Vartooni 1
Mahmoud Afrouz 2
Vazgen Minasian 3

1 MA Student of Translation Studies, Department of English Language and Literature, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/tir.2026.21086
Abstract
Informative texts, including those in sport sciences, demand precise factual communication yet pose translation challenges due to specialised jargon, culturally bound idioms, and context-dependent nuances. This study aimed to identify the most recurrent errors in human translations of thesis abstracts in sport sciences using the Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM) framework, focusing on a period prior to the emergence of Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and artificial intelligence (AI) (the 1380s Iranian calendar years, approximately 2001–2011). A sample of 15 English abstracts was randomly selected from Persian-language sport sciences theses from that period. Errors were classified according to MQM dimensions, and two independent raters confirmed the identification and documentation of errors. The analysis revealed a fluctuating error pattern between 2005 and 2010, characterised by an initial decline followed by a subsequent rise, indicating temporary variability in translation quality. These findings provide empirical evidence of recurrent translation challenges in pre-NMT and pre-AI academic sport sciences texts, with implications for translation scholars, academic editors, and thesis supervisors.

Keywords

Abstract translation
error analysis
multidimensional quality metrics
sport sciences
Translation and Interpreting Research
Volume 3, Issue 9
Winter 2026

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