Zahra Amirian - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Zahra Amirian

Journal of Intercultural Communication

Dubbing is the main mode of audiovisual translations which is used on IRIB (Iran’s national TV) f... more Dubbing is the main mode of audiovisual translations which is used on IRIB (Iran’s national TV) for transferring and broadcasting foreign series such as "Due South". Given priority to the target culture (that is Iranian culture), IRIB's policy is to filter and transfer foreign assumptions and values; so, the main strategies in IRIB's dubbing may match well with Schleiermacher’s (1998) concepts of "domestication" in order to create what Toury (1980) calls "acceptable translation" which is "oriented towards the norms of the target culture" (Agost, 2001, p. 71). In this way, some adaptations were observed to change the story, so the original dialogues of one episode of "Due South" with its Persian dubbed dialogues were examined sentence by sentence in order to find cases which are domesticated, and the possible cultural reasons behind them were discussed. The result seems to be a strategy of violating the main plot and changing ...

Radical orientation in the feminism movement evoked numerous criticisms for a more neutral and no... more Radical orientation in the feminism movement evoked numerous criticisms for a more neutral and non-politic paradigm toward women. The urge for visibility is a long- established intersection between gender and translation. Paratexts as elements outside the text proper have created a promising avenue for redirecting translators’ visibility outside the textual background. This study sets out to investigate how male and female fiction translators apply their prefaces as an opportunity to elaborate on themselves as translators and their profession as a delicate and serious task. One hundred translators’ prefaces in the fictions translated from English to Persian by females and males were analyzed through thematic analysis. The contents of translation- and translator-oriented themes reflected more tendencies of female translators toward talking in the first-person point of view and asserting more personal accounts while men chose the third-person point of view and focused mostly on introd...

Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2018

This study aims to examine the cross-cultural similarities and differences in the use of rapport ... more This study aims to examine the cross-cultural similarities and differences in the use of rapport management strategies (rapport enhancement, rapport maintenance, rapport neglect, and rapport challenge) in the complaints during service encounters based on Spencer Oatey’s (2008) model. To this end, 90 participants (30 Persian native speakers, 30 Iranian EFL (English as a foreign language) learners, and 30 English speakers) were asked to complete a role-play Discourse Completion Task in four different situations. The study argues that: (1) the use of rapport management strategies is universal; all the groups used all kinds of rapport management strategies; (2) the use of rapport management strategies is culture-specific; the participants in each group differently used the intended strategies; and (3) the socio-pragmatic competence of EFL learners is sometimes different from that of the native speakers of English; it goes through developmental stages and is influenced by L1 norms. The s...

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 2019

The present study addresses the issue of song translation from a descriptive approach and relied ... more The present study addresses the issue of song translation from a descriptive approach and relied on the comparative analysis of twenty-nine songs from six animated movies along with their Persian translations presented in the Persian dubbed version of the animations. Upon analyzing the corpus in the first phase of the study, it was found that direct translation and adaptation were the most frequent microstrategies used in translating songs. Furthermore, the second phase of analysis revealed that the tendency of the translators of these six animations was more towards a target-text oriented translation of songs rather than a source-text oriented one.

Although the existing research has advanced our understating of sociological issues such as trans... more Although the existing research has advanced our understating of sociological issues such as translators’ prefaces, a paucity of studies into languages of limited diffusion, including Persian is strongly felt. To partly fill this gap, this study aims to explore Iranian fiction translators’ (in)visibility from the perspective of paratexts. Paratextual elements, especially prefaces, are among the most privileged translators' commentaries that provide opportunities for translators to have a direct contact with readers and foreground their presence and status in their profession. Drawing on a convenience sampling technique, the corpus of the study comprised the prefaces of 300 Persian translated works of fiction from English. The corpus under investigation encompassed a wide spectrum of English writers and Persian translators. The prefaces of the translations were analyzed in accordance with the “thematic analysis” procedure, where the prefaces were examined multiple times, and meani...

Keeping portfolio opens a window on the way teachers try to assess students' writing improvem... more Keeping portfolio opens a window on the way teachers try to assess students' writing improvement and learning capacity. Implementing this curricular innovation, the present study was an attempt to grow tutor-student dynamic involvement in giving/receiving written corrective feedback (WCF). To this end, two intact classes of EFL university students participated, each experiencing a distinct portfolio-keeping model (working vs. showcase) while receiving WCF from triadic sources (self, peer, & tutor) and varying tutor feedback types (indirect-unfocused vs. direct-focused). Students' performance on "TOEFL Test of Written English"andtheir grades in the previous writing course, namely "Advanced Grammar and Sentence Writing"were averaged out for both groups (Working Portfolio Group/WPG and Showcase Portfolio Group/ SPG) to assign them as low-, medium- and high-proficiency L2 writers. Written products kept in their portfolios were examined to see how differently...

Interest plays a key role in education and language learning. This study investigated if selectin... more Interest plays a key role in education and language learning. This study investigated if selecting and using interest-based instructional materials could impact learners' performance in L2 reading. It also examined whether there were meaningful differences between male and female learners' performance, concerning the use of interest-based materials. Sixty first-grade university students participated in the study. To answer the research questions, a quantitative method using the 'interest survey questionnaire' and the 'achievement test,' was employed. The collected data were compared and analyzed using t-test, and through SPSS. The results revealed that the use of Interest-Based Language Teaching (IBLT) made a significant contribution to the improvement of learners' performance in L2 reading. They also revealed some interaction of interest and gender, not at significant level though, with respect to the learners' performance in learning. Thus, language...

Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 2021

This study aimed at investigating the interrelationships between EFL teachers' mindsets, self... more This study aimed at investigating the interrelationships between EFL teachers' mindsets, self-efficacy, and emotional experiences and Iranian EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) and L2 motivational self system (L2MSS). The participants of this study were 100 Iranian teachers and 501 students of the same EFL teachers, both male and female randomly selected from high schools. To fulfill the purpose of the study, teachers were asked to complete four questionnaires to measure their implicit theories of intelligence, efficacy, and emotional experiences including their burnout symptoms. Learners were required to complete two questionnaires to measure their willingness to communicate and L2 motivational self system. The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) revealed a significant structural relationship among all variables. Results also indicated that motivation was the strongest direct predictor of willingness to communicate. WTC was also indirectly correlated w...

Journal of Writing Research, 2020

The present study investigated the effects of applying cumulative group dynamic assessment (G-DA)... more The present study investigated the effects of applying cumulative group dynamic assessment (G-DA) procedures (Poehner, 2009) to support EFL writing development in a university context in Iran. It focused on learner achievement, patterns of occurrence of mediation incidents, and learners' and teachers' perceptions towards G-DA. Quantitative data was collected from learners' performance on writing tests and the frequency of occurrence of mediation incidents involving EFL writing components based on Jacobs, Zinkgraf, Wormouth, Hartfield, and Hughey's (1981) scale. Findings revealed that G-DA was more effective than conventional explicit intervention for supporting EFL writing development. Also, it worked best for low ability learners as compared to mid and high ability ones. Besides, the number of mediation incidents declined from 27 in session one to 8 in the final session, confirming the efficacy of G-DA in promoting both EFL writing and learner self-regulation. Most teacher mediation involved language use, vocabulary, and organization and fewer incidents involved content and mechanics. Qualitative data analysis indicated that most learners and teachers held positive attitudes towards the efficacy of G-DA for supporting EFL writing development. However, a few participants asserted that the procedures were unsystematic, stressful, time consuming, and inappropriate for large classes.

English Language Teaching, 2019

Cognitive complexity is traditionally used for describing human cognition along a simplicity-comp... more Cognitive complexity is traditionally used for describing human cognition along a simplicity-complexity axis in tests like TOFEL IBT and GRE where text creation and rhetorical organization are quintessentially important. Accordingly, this study sought to investigate the impact of mentor text modelling on cognitive complexity of academic writing tasks in terms of students’ responses to the test inputs. For this purpose, from the population of applicants applying for various high stake exams at Jihahde Daneshgahi, Isfahan University, three intact classes were selected based on a convenient sampling method. The students, both male and female, were graduates from various majors in applied sciences whose age range was between 24 and 29 and they had all passed the preparatory classes required for attending academic writing courses. Each targeted class with twenty-five applicants was concurrently programmed for three writing tasks with various cognitive complexity levels: Independent...

Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, May 13, 2015

She has taught English to Iranian EFL learners for about 12 years. Her research interests are dis... more She has taught English to Iranian EFL learners for about 12 years. Her research interests are discourse analysis, genre analysis, second language writing and translation studies

Connor et al. (2008) mention " specifying textual requirements of genres " (p.12) as on... more Connor et al. (2008) mention " specifying textual requirements of genres " (p.12) as one of the reasons which have motivated researchers in the analysis of writing. Members of each genre should be able to produce and retrieve these textual requirements appropriately to be considered communicatively proficient. One of the textual requirements of genres is regularities of specific forms and content. Lexical bundles are one of the features which play significant role in building genres' regularities. Many researchers have tried to define academic writing with resort to the lexical bundles employed in it. Advanced and high intermediate L2 students' pieces of writing and also postgraduate writing have been analyzed in different aspects. However, the important element in the analysis of postgraduate writing has always been the differences between genres across disciplines. In other words, in investigating lexical bundles in different genres, researchers have not focused ...

Journal of Studies in Education, 2013

This study aimed to investigate the types of metacognitive strategies used by Iranian university ... more This study aimed to investigate the types of metacognitive strategies used by Iranian university students majoring in English, and the differences in the use of these strategies between listeners across two levels of high and low proficiency. The results revealed that Iranian university students used "problem-solving strategies" most frequently and "person-knowledge strategies" least frequently. It was also found that more proficient listeners used metacognitive strategies more frequently than less proficient listeners and there was a significant difference in the use of "person-knowledge strategies" between high and low proficient listeners. The results of the study have some implications for students, teachers, syllabus designers and EFL text book designers.

Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2012

Considering the communicative framework of language teaching, writing has an advantage-a person c... more Considering the communicative framework of language teaching, writing has an advantage-a person can give a variety of information to a close or distant, known or unknown reader or readers. Such way of communicating is highly important in the modern world, whether the communication is in the form of paper-and-pencil writing or advanced electronic writing. Therefore, this skill should be encouraged and nurtured during the language teaching course. Writing consists of different aspects like outline, structure, use of words, etc. which should be considered while teaching and practicing. Among those aspects, one is the focus of this study which is the use of cohesive devices to create a coherent text. Two techniques of teaching these devices, explicit teaching and dictogloss, are evaluated among intermediate Iranian language learners to see which one is more effective in helping them to improve the coherence of their compositions. The conclusion is that both techniques are effective but dictogloss seems to be more useful in case of these participants.

International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 2015

The present study attempts to investigate Iranian EFL high school teachers' perceptions about the... more The present study attempts to investigate Iranian EFL high school teachers' perceptions about the importance of autonomy promoting strategies. The study also purports to investigate the actual practice of the participant teachers for promoting their learners' autonomy. For this purpose, a questionnaire adopted from Chang (2007) was distributed among 97 Iranian EFL high school teachers. Among the participants, 88 answered the questionnaires completely and constituted the sample size of the study. Wilcoxon Ranks Test revealed a significant difference between the teachers' perception and their practice. Additionally, interview data were explored to delve into the problems which cause the gap. The interviewees referred to lack of time, university entrance exam, as well as insufficient teacher training as the major causes of the problem. The findings provide implications for language teachers and those in charge of teacher education programs.

International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 2015

The present study aims to investigate teachers' practices for promoting learner autonomy in an Ir... more The present study aims to investigate teachers' practices for promoting learner autonomy in an Iranian EFL high school context. For this purpose, the practices of 42 teachers, both males and females, were observed. The notes taken from observations were further analyzed qualitatively and the strategies implemented for promoting the autonomy of learners were coded and classified. This led to the emergence of four strategies, namely; focus on the learners' independence from the teacher, giving choice to the students, providing opportunities for the learners to learn from each other, providing opportunities for self/peer evaluation, and setting out of class activities. Moreover, in order to delve into the problems which constraint promoting Learner autonomy in high schools, 19 teachers as well as 17 students were interviewed. While the teachers referred to predetermined materials, schedule, and tests, lack of facilities, university entrance exam, students' desire to depend on teachers, and learners' low level of English proficiency as the major impediments of promoting learner autonomy, the students referred to lack of time, students' proficiency level, teachers' lack of training, and students' schooling background. The results provide insights for language teachers, teacher educators, and syllabus designers.

The present study investigated the use of interactive metadiscourse resources (IMRs) in terms of ... more The present study investigated the use of interactive metadiscourse resources (IMRs) in terms of appropriacy during a process-based writing course by applying qualitative and exploratory methods. Moreover, learners' perception was investigated to find out how confident they felt as they were writing and rewriting the drafts. 30 intermediate EFL learners were chosen to participate in this study based on their performance on the OPT. The participants wrote essays on argumentative topics during the period of one semester. Each participant submitted three drafts on a topic, the first draft, the draft after revising and the draft after editing. Experts' appropriacy judgments showed a clear improvement in the appropriate use of IMRs from the participants' earlier drafts to their final drafts. Furthermore, analysis of the interviews' data showed that most of the interviewees had positive views towards this kind of writing and stated that their level of confidence in using IMRs increased through the stages and they felt more confident towards the end of the course. The results of this study seem to have some implications for teachers and practitioners in EFL contexts and could be of major significance for classroom application.

Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 2018

Professional development in sustainable teacher education has recently shifted to focusing on ped... more Professional development in sustainable teacher education has recently shifted to focusing on pedagogical practice rather than theoretical knowledge. Given that, reflection practice can have an effective role in identifying undiscovered potentials of prospective language teachers. Hence, the current study was an attempt to examine the potential core qualities of Iranian prospective language teachers in a way to sustain professional development through merging theoretical knowledge and pedagogical practice. To that end, core reflection model, which is a concept in the context of sustainability, was practiced by ten prospective language teachers through drawing on their reflective journals, focus group discussions, and field notes collected over a four month period. Analysis of the obtained data revealed several core qualities on the three scales of feeling, thinking, and wanting. These qualities appeared to have been developed through interaction of both theoretical knowledge and ped...

Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, Sep 16, 2021