German-to-Basque Translation Analysis of Multiword Expressions in a Learner Translation Corpus

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the annotation in a learner translation corpus consisting of German source texts and student translations into Basque. The analysis was carried out with the purpose of identifying trainee translators’ strengths and weaknesses when translating multiword expressions, such as compounds, collocations, and idioms. The data comprised eight German source texts and sixty-eight Basque translations from undergraduate students enrolled at the University of the Basque Country. From the total number of annotations (1214), which include not only errors but also cases of interference from the source language and positive outcomes, around 27 % are related to multiword expressions. The results of the translation analysis show that there are variables — such as the use of machine translation systems, the level of specialisation of the source text, the type of multiword expression to be translated or the absence of a literal counterpart in the target language — that may affect the translation of such units and lead to erroneous solutions and/or interference in the outputs produced by the trainee translators. From a pedagogical point of view, these findings will have a direct impact on the translation classes and will be very valuable for designing corpus-based in-class activities