Textual Competence and the Use of Cohesion Devices in Translating into a Second Language

Abstract

This article compares the differences in the use of textual features and cohesive devices among translators with different levels of translation competence. The data are extracted from a Chinese into English translation corpus, which consists of 315 translation passages produced by 105 translators. The features and devices identified in the literature review are first subjected to a one-way ANOVA and then a discriminant analysis to yield those features and devices statistically salient enough to differentiate translation competence levels. The results of this study provide insight into L2 translation competence and suggest a new approach to assessing such competence.