Medical Translation: A Linguistic Form Slavery or Cultural Labyrinth?

The objective of this paper was to establish the applicability of Communicative and Semantic Approaches to finding cultural equivalences in translation of texts in the medical field. There are a number of contending approaches around the practice of translation. Translation of medical documents from English to Kiswahili face many challenges. The translatability of a text is dependent on a number of issues including linguistic and cultural features. Even though we recognize that there has been a shift over the years from a philological approach to a more pragmatic approach in translation, we do appreciate that a well translated text is the one that reflects as much as possible the Source Text (ST henceforth). There are several approaches to translation. In trying to understand whether translation is linguistic form slavery where a translator enslaves him/herself to the target text (TT henceforth) or a cultural labyrinth where a translator finds him/herself in cultural confusion, this study employed a translation approach proposed by Newmark (1981). We used secondary data which includes translation excerpts from content translated by ‘Translators Without Borders’ (TWB) which is an organization whose primary mandate is to translate medical texts from English to Standard Kiswahili. The analyzed data indicate that the communicative and the semantic approaches are not stand alone, but rather, are complimentary approaches in finding cultural equivalents in the translation of medical texts. Medical translations were viewed to violate off record and indirect strategies of keeping politeness in the text. This study was particularly important in trying find out the extent to which a translator can deviate from linguistic form while keeping cultural appropriateness. The study recommends a complementary usage of both the communicative and semantic approaches in medical translation. Moreover, the study further recommends that translators handling medical texts should not be enslaved to the linguistic forms of the ST since their audience is different from that of the ST. We opine that future research in the area of translation should focus on the aspect of politeness as a communicative aspect in many cultures and how it can be an impediment in the process of translation itself. Keywords: Translation, Source text (ST) and source language (SL), Target text (TT) and target language (TL), Communicative and Semantic Translation (CST), standard Kiswahili (Formal Kiswahili used in schools and official contexts in East Africa), Kiswahili is a bantu language and is the lingua franca used in East and Central Africa. Back translation and blind back translation

Project Delivery Systems, Procurement Practices and Implementation of Building Construction Projects in the Kenyan Judiciary

Kenyan population increased from 20 million in 1985 to approximately 47.6 million in 2019 and with it, demand for justice also increased yet the growth did not come with improved Judiciary infrastructure. This attracted the World Bank through the Judicial Performance Improvement Project (JPIP) to fund 30 major court construction projects while the Kenyan Government also funded another 33 such projects from 2013. However, by January, 2020,only 10 projects had been completed and successfully handed over with all the 63 projects being out of the planned time and with variation on the original scope of works.This gave rise to this study that aimed to evaluate the influence of project delivery systems on implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan judiciary as moderated with the procurement practices. The study was based on general systems theory. Pragmatism paradigm and convergent parallel mixed research design was adopted and proportionate stratified sampling was used to select a population of 234 consisting of judiciary staff, construction staff  and consultants.Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires, interviews and document  content analysis. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha while data was analyzed using descriptive statistics which included measures of central tendency. Qualitative data was subjected to thematic analysis to triangulate results derived from quantitative data. Inferential statistics was analyzed by correlation, simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis. Two hypotheses were tested to establish whether there were significant relationships between project delivery systems and implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary, namely  1.H0:  Project delivery systems have no significant relationship with implementation of construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary and 2.H0: There is no significant moderating influence of procurement practices on the relationship between project delivery systems  and implementation of construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary.The findings were that there was a significant influence of project delivery systems on the implementation of construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary and that procurement practices significantly moderated the relationship between project delivery systems and implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary.The slope coefficient was significant when p ≤0.05. The findings of the study will be beneficial to policy makers, project managers in public and private sectors and scholars regarding project delivery attributes on implementation of building construction projects. Keywords:Project delivery Systems, Procurement Practices and Implementation of Building Construction Projects. DOI: 10.7176/CER/13-6-03 Publication date:September 30th 202

Climate Related Risks and Opportunities for Agricultural Adaptation in Semi-Arid Eastern Kenya.

This report contains information on a field assessment of risks associated with climate variability in eastern Kenya. It also includes the compilations of climate related agricultural risks gathered from a Kamba radio dialogue with local communities of Eastern Kenya, aired from January to April 2012. It highlights the significant potential in the region for mitigating climate change through improved management of agricultural land and crop and livestock husbandry practices, as well as on tapping into the wide range of traditional knowledge of the local communities. This will lead to better livelihoods of communities in the semiarid areas

User Involvement, Procurement Practices and Implementation of Building Construction Projects in the Kenyan Judiciary

Kenyan population increased from 20 million in 1985 to approximately 47.6 million in 2019 and with it, demand for justice also increased yet the growth did not come with improved Judiciary infrastructure. This attracted the World Bank through the Judicial Performance Improvement Project (JPIP) to fund 30 major court construction projects while the Kenyan Government also funded another 33 such projects from 2013. However, by January, 2020,only 10 projects had been completed and successfully handed over with all the 63 projects being out of the planned time and with variation on the original scope of works.This gave rise to this study that aimed to evaluate the influence of user involvement on implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan judiciary as moderated with the procurement practices. The study was based on general systems theory. Pragmatism paradigm and convergent parallel mixed research design was adopted and proportionate stratified sampling was used to select a population of 234 consisting of judiciary staff, construction staff  and consultants .Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires, interviews and document  content analysis. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha while data was analyzed using descriptive statistics which included measures of central tendency. Qualitative data was subjected to thematic analysis to triangulate results derived from quantitative data. Inferential statistics was analyzed by correlation, simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis. Two hypotheses were tested to establish whether there were significant relationships between project delivery attributes and implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary, namely  1.H0:  User Involvement has no significant relationship with implementation of construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary and 2.H0: There is a significant moderating influence of procurement practices on the relationship between user involvement  and implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary. The findings were that there was a significant influence of user involvement on the implementation of construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary and that procurement practices significantly moderated the relationship between user involvement and implementation of building construction projects in the Kenyan Judiciary. The slope coefficient was significant when p ≤0.05. The findings of the study will be beneficial to policy makers, project managers in public and private sectors and scholars regarding project delivery attributes on implementation of building construction projects. Keywords: User involvement, Procurement Practices and Implementation of Building Construction Projects. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-18-12 Publication date:September 30th 202

Insurance stakeholders’ perceptions on effectiveness and usage of fraud detection and prevention techniques in motor insurance sector

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Degree of Master of Commerce of Strathmore UniversityThis study aimed to establish insurance stakeholders’ perceptions on effectiveness and usage of fraud detection and prevention techniques in Kenyan motor insurance sector. It also sought to establish the organizational factors’ influence on usage of fraud detection and prevention techniques in Kenyan motor insurance sector. The study utilized structured questionnaires on a sample of 384 respondents that comprised of the employees, insurance brokers, motor valuers and insurance agents. Descriptive statistics comprising of averages and ranking method was used to assess the perceived effectiveness and usage of the anti-fraud techniques. Spearman’s rho correlation analysis was to assess the organizational factors that influence the perceived usage of the anti-fraud techniques. Friedman’s test was used to assess if significant variation existed in the views of the insurance stakeholders on the effectiveness and usage of anti-fraud techniques. The findings established that the most effective anti-fraud techniques were proper due diligence on customers, insurance fraud investigators, evaluation of insurance policies and claims, Integrated Motor Insurance Database System and claims assessment. Furthermore these most effective anti-fraud techniques were perceived to be least used. Significant variation based on the views of the respondents was noted on the effectiveness of due diligence on customers and the Integrated Motor Insurance Database techniques. Lack of a dedicated audit committee and adherence to fraud policy influenced the lack of usage of the anti-fraud techniques. The main limitation of the study was a fairly low responses rate and the exclusive use of questionnaires. Future studies should focus on assessing the effectiveness and actual usage of these techniques in the Kenyan public sector. They should also consider using secondary data to assess the influence of organizational factors on the usage of anti-fraud techniques

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Funeral Speeches in Kenya: A Case of Junior Odinga’s Speech

The objective of this paper was to critically analyze the political undertones and the socioeconomic allusions in the funeral speeches in Kenya with a case study of a speech delivered by Junior Odinga during the requiem mass for Fidel Odinga. This study employed Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA henceforth) by Norman Fairclough (1995), especially the assumption that texts are open to diverse interpretations. The purposefully selected corpus of the speech reveals that Fidel, as eulogized, lived in a very hash socio-political environment, yet he hailed from an economically able family. Most importantly, the study reveals that the deceased had two phases of life contrary to popular beliefs of the political elite in Kenya. What attracted this research is the urge to explore the dynamics of funeral speeches in the Kenyan context. This study found out that funeral speeches in Kenya are carefully crafted to carry very heavy social, economic and political undertones. Furthermore, the study established that funeral speeches in Kenya overlap the eulogy boundary and spills over to other spheres of life not only of the deceased but to the elite political class. The study recommends further research in the area of the concept of face and face threatening mitigation strategies in funeral discourse. In addition, this study recommends an in depth study of the contextual forces behind eulogy speeches in Kenya. Keywords: Political speech, political, discourse, funeral speech, Raila Odinga, Junior Odinga

Factors that influence advance directives completion amongst terminally ill patients at a tertiary hospital in Kenya

Background: An advance directive (AD) is a written or verbal document that legally stipulates a person’s health care preference while they are competent to make decisions for themselves and is used to guide decisions on lifesustaining treatment in the event that they become incapacitated. AD can take the form of a living will, a limitation of care document, a do-not-resuscitate order, or an appointment of a surrogate by durable power of attorney. The completion rate of AD varies from region to region, and it is influenced by multiple factors. The objectives of this study were to determine the proportion of terminally ill patients with AD and to identify the factors that influence the completion of AD amongst terminally ill patients at a tertiary hospital in Kenya. Methods: The study was a retrospective survey. All available records of terminally ill patients seen at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, between July 2010 and December 2015, and that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Results: In total, 216 records of terminally ill patients were analyzed: 89 records were of patients that had AD and 127 records were of patients that did not have AD. The proportion of terminally ill patients that had completed AD was 41.2%. The factors that were associated with the completion of AD on bivariate analysis were history of ICU admission, history of endotracheal intubation, functional status of the patient, the medical specialty taking care of the patient, patient’s caregiver discussing the AD with the patient, and a palliative specialist review. On multivariate regression analysis, discussion of AD with a caregiver and patient’s functional impairment were the factors with statistically significant association with completion of AD. Conclusions: The proportion of terminally ill patients that had AD in their medical records was significant. However, most terminally ill patients did not have AD. Our data, perhaps the first on the subject in East Africa, suggest that most of the factors associated with AD completion mirrored those seen in other regions of the world. Discussion between patient and their physician and patient’s functional impairment were the factors independently associated with completion of AD. Therefore, physicians need to be aware of the importance of discussions of AD with their patients

Neologism: A Narrowing or a Broadening Process, a Case of Sheng

This study is meant to test lexical pragmatic process of broadening using Sheng[1] data. Sheng is such an emotic language phenomenon that both linguists and non-linguists have grappled with for a long time. In this paper, Sheng is handled as a tool for communication used by the Kenyan youth in their daily interaction, all other contending views notwithstanding. It is also important to state from the onset that we handle Sheng from a functional grammar[2] point of view. This study employed a Lexical Pragmatics theory as proposed by Blutner (1998) and indeed many other scholars, who view neologism as a broadening process. In this study, we have a different view on neologism albeit. Thus, we argue that in fact neologism is a narrowing process in Sheng, according to the data on Sheng. Neologism here is used as defined by Crystal (2001) and Kate (2001)[3]. Data used in this paper was gathered through questionnaires issued to speakers of Sheng in Jericho Estate in the Eastland’s area of Nairobi. The data was later analyzed within lexical pragmatic theoretical framework. This study recommends a further investigation into the various seemingly dialectical variations of Sheng. Keywords: Broadening, narrowing, neologism, lexical pragmatics, word, Sheng [1] Considered as a youth jargon, code, language spoken by the youth in the urban settlements in Kenya. [2] A theory of grammar concerned with how the social, cognitive, and pragmatic functions of language relate to structure. [3] Crystal (2001) defines neologism as the creation of new lexical items in the languag

INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE COMPETENCY ON PUPILS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN KISUMU COUNTY, KENYA

Academic achievement of pupils’ in Kisumu County has not been encouraging coupled with disparities between the sub-counties. Purpose of the study was to establish the influence of teachers’ knowledge competency on pupils’ academic achievement. The study employed survey research design. The study was conceptualized on principles of high-quality teaching and learning. Study Population comprised 3290 teachers, 658 head teachers, 7 assurance officers and 7 directors. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill table was used to select sample of 294 teachers and 203 head teachers. Study sample were selected by stratified, random and purposive sampling. Samples selected comprised 294 teachers, 203 head teachers, 7 assurance officers and 7 directors. Informed consent, confidentiality of respondents was observed and data collected at work place. All sources were cited to avoid plagiarism Data was collected using questionnaire, interview schedule and observation checklist. Validity was ensured by comprehensively including all the study variables after which they were presented for assessment to the specialists in Curriculum and Instruction in Kisii University. Reliability of the instruments was determined by test-retest method. Correlation coefficient of teachers’ questionnaire, Head teachers’ questionnaire, QASOs interview schedule, ADDTMs interview schedule and teachers’ observation checklist yielded 0.75, 0.71, 0.73, 0.74 and 0.77 respectively. Level of significance was set at 5%. Data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data was sorted, coded and processed using SPSS version 20 to generate frequencies and percentages. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlations and Multiple Linear Regressions to establish presence or absence of correlations and association. Qualitative data were sorted into themes and sub-themes, analyzed in an on-going process then reported in prose. Teaching skills and assessment competencies had statistically significant relationship with pupils’ academic achievement at (0.125), p-value (0.027) < 0.05 and (0.121), p-value (0.033) < 0.05 respectively. It was recommended that teachers’ competencies be enhanced through in-service courses; review tests and measurements in professional studies offered in colleges. Article visualizations