The role of coping strategies and emotional factors in predicting Iranian translation students’ translation ability

Abstract

This study set out to delve into Iranian translation students’ stress coping strategies and emotional factors and their roles in translation ability. For this purpose, 135 MA and BA translation students were selected according to a convenience sampling from four universities in Mashhad, a city in northeast of Iran. The participants were asked to complete the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) as well as a number of emotional factors (stress tolerance, problem-solving, and independence) simultaneously. The CISS focuses on three major dimensions of coping in response to a stressful situation: task-oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented coping. Task-oriented coping refers to responses directed at either problem resolution or cognitively reframing the meaning of the stressful situation. Emotion-oriented coping refers to responses directed toward oneself rather than the problem at hand. Avoidance-oriented coping refers to responses designed to avoid dealing with the stressful situation, such as distracting oneself with other situations. The participants were also asked to translate a text from NAATI sample test. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that among coping strategies, task-oriented coping influenced positively translation ability. The other two coping strategies had no significant impact on translation ability. In addition, among coping strategies, task was a positive and a significant predictor of stress tolerance and problem-solving. The three emotional factors all influenced translation ability positively with independence having the highest impact. Task coping strategy was a positive predictor of both stress tolerance and problem-solving.