EXAMINING THE INTERFERENCE OF L1 ON ENGLISH TRANSLATION QUALITY OF GRADE VII STUDENTS

Abstract

Translating English into Indonesian is still a significant challenge for junior high school students. English is a foreign language that Indonesian students speak after their mother tongue or local dialect and Indonesian language as the second. This study looks at first language (L1) interference on translation quality among grade VII of Junior High School students on descriptive text. As the importance of multilingual education grows, it is critical to understand how a person's first language (L1) interferes with how accurately, acceptably and readably they translate. This understanding is key to developing effective language teaching practices. This study used a mixed method by giving translation test and questionnaires to students. The study included 31 students of VII.3 class in SMP Negeri 3 Ampek Angkek. The researcher used a purposive sampling technique that chose one out of three classes. The results showed a considerable effect of students' first language on translation quality in the aspects of accuracy, acceptability, and readability. Students who dominantly use Indonesian as their first language perform better than those who spoke Minangnese the most. The findings suggest an increase in the utilization of Indonesian in English learning process.