Explorations In Empirical Translation Process Research

This book assembles fifteen original, interdisciplinary research chapters that explore methodological and conceptual considerations as well as user and usage studies to elucidate the relation between the translation product and translation/post-editing processes. It introduces numerous innovative empirical/data-driven measures as well as novel classification schemes and taxonomies to investigate and quantify the relation between translation quality and translation effort in from-scratch translation, machine translation post-editing and computer-assisted audiovisual translation. The volume addresses questions in the translation of cognates, neologisms, metaphors, and idioms, as well as figurative and cultural specific expressions. It re-assesses the notion of translation universals and translation literality, elaborates on the definition of translation units and syntactic equivalence, and investigates the impact of translation ambiguity and translation entropy. The results and findings are interpreted in the context of psycho-linguistic models of bilingualism and re-frame empirical translation process research within the context of modern dynamic cognitive theories of the mind. The volume bridges the gap between translation process research and machine translation research. It appeals to students and researchers in the fields.

This book assembles fifteen original, interdisciplinary research chapters that explore methodological and conceptual considerations as well as user and usage studies to elucidate the relation between the translation product and translation/post-editing processes. It introduces numerous innovative empirical/data-driven measures as well as novel classification schemes and taxonomies to investigate and quantify the relation between translation quality and translation effort in from-scratch translation, machine translation post-editing and computer-assisted audiovisual translation. The volume addresses questions in the translation of cognates, neologisms, metaphors, and idioms, as well as figurative and cultural specific expressions. It re-assesses the notion of translation universals and translation literality, elaborates on the definition of translation units and syntactic equivalence, and investigates the impact of translation ambiguity and translation entropy. The results and findings are interpreted in the context of psycho-linguistic models of bilingualism and re-frame empirical translation process research within the context of modern dynamic cognitive theories of the mind. The volume bridges the gap between translation process research and machine translation research. It appeals to students and researchers in the fields.

This volume provides a comprehensive introduction to the Translation Process Research Database (TPR-DB), which was compiled by the Centre for Research and Innovation in Translation and Technologies (CRITT). The TPR-DB is a unique resource featuring more than 500 hours of recorded translation process data, augmented with over 200 different rich annotations. Twelve chapters describe the diverse research directions this data can support, including the computational, statistical and psycholinguistic modeling of human translation processes. In the first chapters of this book, the reader is introduced to the CRITT TPR-DB. This is followed by two main parts, the first of which focuses on usability issues and details of implementing interactive machine translation. It also discusses the use of external resources and translator-information interaction. The second part addresses the cognitive and statistical modeling of human translation processes, including co-activation at the lexical, syntactic and discourse levels, translation literality, and various annotation schemata for the data.

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Reembedding Translation Process Research is a rich collection of empirical research papers investigating important new facets of the relationship between translation and cognition. The common thread running through the collection is the notion of “re-embedding” the acts of translating and interpreting—and the ways we understand them. That is, they all aim to re-situate these acts within what we now know about the brain, the powerful relationship of brain and body, and the complex interaction between cognition and the environment in which it is embedded. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of the overall notion of re-embedding, thereby expanding the breadth of empirical research about translating. This book refuses Descartes' distinction between mind and brain, and reaffirms the highly dynamic, emergent, and interactive nature of cognitive processes in translation. The overarching conclusion is that translation studies should reconsider, re-embed, any model of translation processes that arises without properly accommodating the interdependence of brain, body, and environment in the emergence of cognition.

Empirical research is carried out in a cyclic way: approaching a research area bottom-up, data lead to interpretations and ideally to the abstraction of laws, on the basis of which a theory can be derived. Deductive research is based on a theory, on the basis of which hypotheses can be formulated and tested against the background of empirical data. Looking at the state-of-the-art in translation studies, either theories as well as models are designed or empirical data are collected and interpreted. However, the final step is still lacking: so far, empirical data has not lead to the formulation of theories or models, whereas existing theories and models have not yet been comprehensively tested with empirical methods. This publication addresses these issues from several perspectives: multi-method product- as well as process-based research may gain insights into translation as well as interpreting phenomena. These phenomena may include cognitive and organizational processes, procedures and strategies, competence and performance, translation properties and universals, etc. Empirical findings about the deeper structures of translation and interpreting will reduce the gap between translation and interpreting practice and model and theory building. Furthermore, the availability of more large-scale empirical testing triggers the development of models and theories concerning translation and interpreting phenomena and behavior based on quantifiable, replicable and transparent data.

This volume contains ten papers describing various translation experiments using Translog and/or think-aloud methodology. Copenhagen Studies in Language volumes 36 (Looking at Eyes edited by Susanne Gopferich and Arnt Lykke Jakobsen) and 37 are two complementary volumes containing empirical studies by scholars working in the field of translation process research. Contributors include members of the EU Eye-to-IT project

Cognitive research in translation and interpreting has reached a critical threshold of maturity that is triggering rapid expansion along exciting new paths that potentially lead to deeper connections with other disciplines. Innovation and Expansion in Translation Process Research reflects this broadening scope and reach, emphasizing ongoing methodological innovations, diversification of research topics and questions, and rich interactions with adjacent fields of research. The contributions to the volume can be grouped within four loosely defined themes: advances in traditional topics in translation process research, including problems in translation, translation competence or expertise, and specialization of translators; advances in research into the emotional or affective aspects of translating and translator training; innovations in machine translation and post-editing; expansion of cognitively-oriented translation studies to include editing processes and reception studies. This timely volume highlights the burgeoning growth, diversification, and connectivity of translation process research.