A Pragma-Stylistic Assessment of English Interpretations of Arab Leaders' Speeches at the UN General Assembly

Authors

  • Ra'ed Esma'il Ahmed

    Department of Public Law, College of Law, University of Ninevah, Mosul 41002, Iraq

    Department of Translation, College of Arts, University of Mosul, Mosul 41002, Iraq
  • Abdulrahman Ahmed Abdulrahman

    Department of Translation, College of Arts, University of Mosul, Mosul 41002, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.10894
Received: 5 July 2025 | Revised: 21 July 2025 | Accepted: 25 July 2025 | Published Online: 12 November 2025

Abstract

The current study provides a pragma-stylistic assessment of the English interpretation of Arab leaders' speeches delivered at the United Nations General Assembly. The main problem of the study is that the English interpretation of Arab leaders' speeches contains some differences in the pragma-stylistic fundamentals usually found in the Arabic texts of these speeches. It investigates the impact of the variances in pragmatic and stylistic elements produced in the English interpretation of their Arabic counterparts, aiming to understand the speech acts' intentions, and to propose improvements for each element with inappropriate renderings in English. To realize the preceding aims, the study hypothesizes that (1) The explicit pragma-stylistic elements of Arabic are frequently lost in the interpretation. (2) The interpreters fail to express the Arabic implicit pragma-stylistic criteria. The study is implemented by using a comparative textual analysis of original Arabic speeches and their simultaneous English renditions at successive United Nations General Assembly debate sessions. Elizabeth Black's model of assessment, which covers five criteria selected for the analysis and discussion of the texts, recognises some aspects of pragmatic alteration and stylistic weaknesses that change the speakers' proposed oratorical force, political position, and cultural significance. The study concludes with practical recommendations to improve the capability of interpreters to grasp and comprehend the deep meaning of such speeches, which are realised through extensive courses of interpreter training and procedures for guaranteeing greater loyalty and effect in the English versions of Arab leaders' speeches at the United Nations General Assembly.

Keywords:

Pragmatics; Stylistics; Leaders' Speeches; Interpreters; Debate Sessions

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How to Cite

Esma’il Ahmed, R., & Ahmed Abdulrahman, A. (2025). A Pragma-Stylistic Assessment of English Interpretations of Arab Leaders’ Speeches at the UN General Assembly. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 990–1004. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.10894

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

Article Type

Article

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Copyright © 2025 Ra'ed Esma'il Ahmed, Abdulrahman Ahmed Abdulrahman

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.