Translator Training Research Articles

Step-by-step approach to teaching legal translation: the case of understanding English legal texts

ABSTRACT This paper is based within the framework of step-by-step approach to teaching legal translation. The underlying philosophy behind this approach is that when specific aspects of legal translations are tackled in isolation and trainees become aware of the pitfalls involved and the possible solutions, this helps them in further training as well as in their professional practice. Drawing on this assumption, this paper introduces a case study dealing with understanding and interpretation of English legal texts from the classroom perspective. The paper presents a number of problems that pose difficulties to trainees and proposes exercises to help them overcome such problems in a systematic way. Although this paper uses Czech as a target language, the exercises can be adapted to teach legal translation from English into other target languages. The issues have been selected based on the author’s experience with addressing recurring problems faced by legal translation trainees. Such issues include understanding complex sentences showing all-inclusiveness and syntactic discontinuities, legal cross-referencing expressions (e.g. subject to and without prejudice to) or conjunctions whose meaning may not be transparent (e.g. provided, however, that).

Bringing source text quality into the legal translation classroom: training translators to face defective source texts

ABSTRACT Legal translators are routinely faced with defective source texts in their professional practice while being expected to produce effective translations despite such quality issues. Given the high-quality expectations required in legal translation, we have brought this professional reality into the classroom by outlining a quality control activity to allow legal translation trainees to systematise how they deal with defective Spanish administrative source texts. The proposal includes two steps: a translatability assessment and a pre-editing stage of defective administrative source texts. After empirically testing our proposal in the classroom, our initial findings suggest that this approach not only assists trainees to factor in poor source text quality when translating, but also to produce better translations.

“Translating” legal translation training theory into practice: the McGill University experience

ABSTRACT In the fall of 2020, McGill University (Montreal, Canada) launched a graduate diploma that focused on legal translation. The Graduate Diploma in Legal Translation (GDLT) aims to train the next generation of legal translators and jurilinguists in Canada. One of the main pillars of the GDLT is the formal and comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to legal translation competence development (Prieto Ramos 2011, 2015). Based on five core competences (strategic and methodological, communicative and textual, thematic and cultural, instrumental, and interpersonal and professional management), this approach is integrative and process-oriented with the aim of ensuring quality and adequacy in legal translation. McGill University used this approach as a roadmap to create the GDLT structure and plan of study. In this paper, we will offer an overview of McGill University’s initiative, providing critical analysis of the approach proposed by Prieto Ramos and of its interpretation and application for training purposes at McGill University. Our curriculum mapping methodology involves aligning the course-level learning outcomes to the broader programme-level learning outcomes which coincide with the proposed five core competences. Findings on the degree of alignment and an argument for an enriched competence training approach will be discussed in this paper.

147 Creating a state-wide university network for translational science training

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: We have evaluated the primary factors behind successful expansion of the predoctoral TL1 training grant at OHSU to all research-intensive universities in the state, evaluating the precepts that were key to integration. We also evaluate inclusion of social and behavioral sciences in clinical and translational science training, METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: OHSU contains three professional schools (medicine, nursing, and dentistry) as well as graduate studies in science. There are also three research-intensive universities in Oregon: Portland State University (PSU); Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis; and the University of Oregon (UO). We report evaluation of our 7-year experience with a predoctoral TL1 program and the precepts behind successful implementation of statewide outreach. We have tracked applicants from each university and program, trainee feedback, and success of the applicants as measured by persistence in research, inclusion of translational methods, additional training acquired, and subsequent research funding. We also evaluate participation by behavioral and social scientists. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The predoctoral TL1 has included 40 scholars over 7 years, with 65% PhD graduate students and 35% MD students who pursue an additional research degree (PhD, MCR). Of PhD graduate students, the distribution is similar among universities: OHSU 31%, PSU 19%, OSU 27%, UO 23%. 38% of all graduate student trainees are in behavioral or social science. Key precepts behind success include: concentration on specific graduate programs at each university; implementing a common curriculum based on the MCR curriculum; interinstitutional mentor teams; leadership team that spans universities; required core TL1 activities; and a competitive application process with an interinstitutional review committee. Applicants are required to identify how translational science education enhances their research career. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Creating a statewide resource for TL1 translational science training has increased opportunities to expand translational research throughout Oregon through providing new opportunities to enhance excellence through disseminating resources and training across the universities.

A Study on Gansu’s Translation and Interpretation Talents Training from the Perspective of Market Demand

Local socioeconomic advancement has given rise to great growth in language service industry of Gansu China, creating the brisk demand for full-fledged translation and interpretation (T&I) talents. However, such progress is slowed by a lack of senior T&I talents and poor T&I training. The existing literature provides little information on the further exploration of the imbalance between T&I talents supply and market demand in Gansu. Therefore, this study adopts quantitative analysis of the data collected through two structured questionnaire surveys to investigate the root causes of this discrepancy. The first survey is for the employment status and curriculum satisfaction among Gansu’s Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) graduates. MTI graduates from Lanzhou University and Northwest Normal University provide 220 samples through the random sampling method. While the second survey examines employer demand for T&I talents. 52 samples are drawn from Gansu’s renowned and accredited language service providers (LSPs) and non-language service providers (non-LSPs) using the stratified sampling method. Results of the research reveal that only 3.18% MTI graduates enter into the T&I industry, confirming Gansu’s MTI training fail to meet the market demand. Based on the market-specific requirements for translators and interpreters, the present authors put forward several suggestions from the perspectives of aligning curriculum design with market needs, meeting the qualification requirements and enhancing the cultivation of essential T&I competences, with hope of providing effective references to the T&I training in Gansu Province and even other regions in northwest China.

Evaluative study of a MOOC on knowledge translation in five French-speaking countries.

Over the past few years, the RENARD research team has observed a sharp increase in the need for knowledge translation (KT) training. Given the high demand, it has been nearly impossible for the team to provide training entirely in person, and so a massive open online course (MOOC) was developed. Its aim is to promote the use and appropriation of the KT process by practitioners, decision-makers, and others in the public sphere. The goal of this study was to evaluate the MOOC by collecting users' opinions, reactions, appropriation, and practice changes. A qualitative research design was used. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews (n = 16) with professionals from Canada, France, and three West African countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal) who had taken the MOOC. All interviews were subjected to thematic content analysis. The MOOC content was generally appreciated and reused by the respondents. The results revealed one main motive for completing the course: the immediate opportunity to apply their learning in their practice environments. However, most respondents deplored the lack of interaction among learners and expressed the need for coaching with an instructor to deepen the topics covered during the course. The results also revealed connection and accessibility issues linked to the Internet network and unstable access to electricity in West African countries. The study highlights the potential of MOOCs for the acquisition of knowledge and competencies by KT professionals. Several recommendations and avenues of exploration were formulated to optimize and improve future designs of MOOCs on KT.

Implication of Social Rejection in Cognitive Bias Modification Interpretation Training in Adolescents With Eating Disorders.

Difficulties in interpersonal relationships intensify negative emotions and act as risk and maintenance factors for eating pathology in eating disorders. Rejection sensitivity refers to the tendency to react sensitively to a rejection. Patients with eating disorders experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships because of their high sensitivity to rejection. Cognitive bias modification interpretation (CBM-I) is a treatment developed to correct interpretation bias for social and emotional stimuli. In this review, we searched for research characteristics and trends through a systematic literature analysis of CBM-I for eating disorders. Five papers that met the selection and exclusion criteria were included in the final literature review and analyzed according to detailed topics (participant characteristics, design, and results). The literature supports the efficacy of the CBM-I in reducing negative interpretation bias and eating disorder psychopathology in patients with eating disorders. CBM-I targets emotional dysregulation in adolescent patients with eating disorders and serves as an additional strengthening psychotherapy to alleviate eating disorder symptoms. The current findings highlight the potential of CBM-I as an individualized adjunctive treatment for adolescents with eating disorders and social functioning problems.

Multiword constructions in European Parliament conference English: a corpus-driven pedagogical list

ABSTRACT The market demand for retour interpreting, especially into English as a B language, has driven training needs for B language enhancement. Interpreter trainers suggest memorising (semi-)fixed expressions in one’s B language to enhance accuracy, fluency, and idiomaticity. These prefabricated multiword units ease processing effort in both language production and comprehension while signalling one’s identity in a professional community. This study aims to create a pedagogical list of multiword constructions (MWCs) for conference interpreting purposes. A corpus-driven approach was adopted to identify four-word lexical bundles from a 664,732-word corpus comprising transcribed speeches interpreted into or delivered in English during European Parliament (EP) plenary sessions. The bundles were combined into MWCs more complete in structure and meaning. The MWCs were categorised based on their degree of specificity, meaning, and possible operations and functions in simultaneous interpreting (SI). Two major categories of MWCs were distinguished: Specific and Less Specific. Specific MWCs refer to EU-oriented or non-EU-oriented concrete concepts. Less Specific MWCs, being less substantial in meaning, may act as open grammar devices, padding, and sometimes tone-softener in SI. As part of a three-step pedagogical task, a complete annotated interpreted speech illustrates how an EP interpreter uses MWCs to frame ideas and develop discourse.

Examining student translators’ writing and translation products: quality, errors and self-perceived mental workload

ABSTRACT Although writing and translation are closely related text productions, their interface has rarely been studied in translator training. This study examined student translators’ writing and translation products in terms of their quality, errors and self-perceived mental workload. Data were collected from 11 intermediate-level translation students at a university in mainland China. They were asked to complete four tasks: L1 (Chinese) writing (L1W), L1 (English-Chinese) translation (L1T), L2 (English) writing (L2W), and L2 (Chinese-English) translation (L2T). The results of quantitative analyses revealed no significant linear correlation between self-perceived mental workload and quality/errors, but a significant effect of task type on mental workload. Errors most frequently occurred in translation and L2 text production. The L2W error rate predicted L2T scores and L2T error rates. A discrepancy was noted between the students’ self-evaluation and their actual performance. The findings of this study may help researchers and teachers gain a fine-grained understanding of students’ performance in writing and translation and shed light on the development of pedagogical measures in translator training.

A bibliometric investigation on didactic proposals in interpreter training (2001-2020)

ABSTRACT This paper provides an overview of didactic proposals in interpreter training from 2001 to 2020 based on the results of a pre-registered, bibliometric study. The specific aims are: (1) to characterise bibliometric patterns of publications containing didactic proposals in interpreter training both synchronically (for the whole period) and diachronically (in five-year periods); (2) to characterise these proposals both synchronically and diachronically, and (3) to describe synchronically how the aspects being trained and/or assessed in such proposals have been operationalised. The corpus of publication records was extracted from BITRA, and TSB was consulted to expand it. The final database contained 668 documents, and 351 of them included an abstract. Keywords were extracted from the abstracts to characterise didactic proposals. Keywords were analysed using keyword analysis and graphically represented with keyword network visualisations generated with VOSviewer. Results show a tendency to bring interpreter training closer to technological and professional changes over time and a clear use of socioconstructivist methods with a particular interest in developing students’ metacognition. The paper concludes with a discussion of its limitations and possible ways to provide more nuanced overviews of didactic proposals in interpreter training.

Divergence-Guided Simultaneous Speech Translation

To achieve high-quality translation with low latency, a Simultaneous Speech Translation (SimulST) system relies on a policy module to decide whether to translate immediately or wait for additional streaming input, along with a translation model capable of effectively handling partial speech input. Prior research has tackled these components separately, either using ``wait-k'' policies based on fixed-length segments or detected word boundaries, or dynamic policies based on different strategies (e.g., meaningful units), while employing offline models for prefix-to-prefix translation. In this paper, we propose Divergence-Guided Simultaneous Speech Translation (DiG-SST), a tightly integrated approach focusing on both translation quality and latency for streaming input. Specifically, we introduce a simple yet effective prefix-based strategy for training translation models with partial speech input, and develop an adaptive policy that makes read/write decisions for the translation model based on the expected divergence in translation distributions resulting from future input. Our experiments on multiple translation directions of the MuST-C benchmark demonstrate that our approach achieves a better trade-off between translation quality and latency compared to existing methods.

MT error detection and correction by Chinese language learners

Abstract This article analyzes texts that have been generated by machine translation (MT) and post-edited by native English-speaking trainee translators (English>Chinese) who are also Chinese language learners enrolled in a four-year undergraduate translation program. The project examines the work product of trainee translators to categorize 122 errors that are (un)noticed and (un)corrected by them. MT errors in the Accuracy category were best identified and corrected, followed by those in the Lexicon and Fluency categories. Trainee translators who were advanced language learners outperformed the intermediate group in MT error detection and correction, especially in the Lexicon category. This study sheds light upon the use of raw MT output as meaningful input for trainee translators who are in the process of learning Chinese. Its findings provide information regarding the type of exercises needed in language learning and translation training for students with different levels of language proficiency.

Adapting to technological change: An investigation of translator training and the translation market in the Arab world

This study overviews the technology-related skills required by the translation market and the potential (mis)alignment between market needs and the skills developed in translator training programs in the Arab world. To this end, we collected and analyzed a corpus of 145 job ads for Arabic translation or localization services, seeking to spot market trends in the technology skills required. The study also collected and analyzed documentary evidence on translation programs in the Arab world to reveal the types of technology-related courses and the skills they foster. The findings reveal that computer-aided translation and software localization skills are increasingly required by the Arabic translation market. Moreover, the number of technology-related courses increased over time as training programs updated their offerings to meet current and expected future market demands. However, only a limited number of translation programs offer localization courses. This indicated a potential area of improvement. This study's insights should inform the development of translator training program courses to meet the job market's evolving needs.

Investigating the Professional Needs of Undergraduate Translation Students at the College of Language Sciences, King Saud University

Translation instructors typically select texts based on what they think students need. However, their translation experience may not extend beyond teaching translation. Furthermore, previous research reported a gap between translator training and the translation job market. As translation courses should cater to the needs of the translation profession, the current study was motivated by the importance of identifying the professional needs of undergraduate translation students in the English Language Program at the College of Language Sciences, King Saud University, to identify any gap between the Program’s requirements and workplace practices. Using questionnaires, interviews, and the analysis of relevant documents, the researchers attempted to identify the most frequent fields, genres, skills, and evaluation criteria professional translators encounter at the workplace. The graduates of the Program under investigation, reported that the most frequent translation fields in the job market were the business translation and legal translation. Furthermore, the most common genres were terms and conditions, policies, reports, agreements and contracts, and website content. The analysis of the documents and interview data showed that the genres addressed in the legal translation course align with the genres encountered at the workplace. In addition, the evaluation criteria adopted by course instructors are well-aligned with the aspects emphasized by employers. In general, some significant discrepancies were found between the Program and the job market regarding genres and fields. Thus, it is recommended that course specifications and objectives are revised in light of job market needs.

TRAINING THE AUGMENTED INTERPRETER TODAY

Any interpretation training programme aspiring to excellence must be closely connected with the professional world and make effective use of innovative teaching methods, cooperation with external stakeholders, and modern technologies in order to ensure a high quality of learning. This paper focuses on the different aspects of ‘quality’ in light of the advent of new technologies and the changing nature of the interpreting profession. Interpretation training programmes must learn today how to prepare a widely employable interpreter to survive the pressures of the professional world. A scenario-based approach, that simulates work-like situations, is effective in interpretation training. The paper will focus on mock conferences, as its most effective teaching practice. Mock conferences help to enhance the authenticity and diversity of lifelike situations in class, provide the students with contextualised practice that helps to develop non-linguistic competences. The latest technologies, e.g. ICTs, AI, etc., offer a new degree of automation to all professional language mediation activities, calling for a rethinking of the interpreter’s skillset. The future will accommodate both artificial and human interpreting, and the bar for humans will be raised. The interpretation students must learn how to use the latest technologies for the benefit of the client. A new, augmented interpreter profile includes the combination of the classical competences (interpretation, language and cultural, interpersonal, ethical, etc.) and technological competences which must be used for the benefit of the client and the events at which the interpreter works. The paper also explores the value added by human interpretation to communication, such as depth of message comprehension, teamwork, shared responsibility and liability and, most importantly, the value of the ‘interpreter who cares’.

Enhancing Translation Competence: Investigating Summarization Impact on English/French to Arabic Translation.

The training of oral and written summarization is embedded in Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory (CAT). This study examines how this form of intervention can improve the long-term reading comprehension skills of students at the Intermediate level; under a program to train translators in English/French into Arabic. It assesses the effectiveness of individual learning and cooperative study methods. One group was given personalized learning, another collaborative; both were split further into spoken and written groups. The 120 students in this cohort all came from the translation studies department at Al-Noor University College (all under age 23). During the six sessions, a delayed post-test used summarization and cooperation scales. The results obtained from one-way ANOVA clarify the impact of summarization training, with verbal groups performing better than written and control learning. In the delayed post-test, groups engaged in collaborative learning notably improved. According to survey results, questions about teacher and student feedback offer mainly positive evaluations of summarization strategies and collaborative learning in translation studies. This study stresses the advanced reading skills in translation studies students gained through summarization training or collaborative learning. This study investigates if there are significant differences in the delayed improvement of reading skills among Translation Department students due to different patterns of summarization training, individually and collaboratively. It also investigates whether there is a significant difference in the delayed effects on reading skills between collaborative and individual approaches, as well as summarizing strategies perception among teachers and students working in Translation Departments

The Role of Yemeni Translators in Promoting the Humanitarian Action in Yemen During the Civil War

Seven years have passed since the forgotten war in Yemen, as Western media called it. During these years, the Yemeni translator played a prominent role in promoting humanitarian work by accompanying international aid and medical staff their interventions and responses in an internally displaced person (IDP)camps, field hospitals, shelters, and food and drug distribution centres. This study aimed to examine the roles played by the Yemeni translators in promoting human actions and meet community needs. An interview was conducted with 10 Yemeni translators working in the field of relief and humanitarian actions in Yemen. The United Nations has classified Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. Therefore, to meet the needs of society and the huge number of internally displaced people because of the ongoing conflict. Several international organizations provided urgent assistance to affected families and IDP camps, which required bilingual translators and assistants to provide field support, monitor the needs of indigenous people. The study found that Yemeni translators have played a key role in promoting humanitarian work, despite the difficulties and risks facing their works in the field. Therefore, this study recommended training the local translators by provide an adequate and up to date training for local translators who are working in the field of translation to reach effective and professional results.

Indirect translation explained

Although largely ignored by earlier researchers or examined only to a limited extent, indirect translation—translation from or for a translation—has come to be recognized as a noteworthy area, which can open a wide field for researchers. It would be fair to assert that it has experienced a significant upswing in research attention in the past few years with the publication of three special issues in the journal Target (Pięta et al., 2022), Translation Studies (Rosa et al., 2017), Perspectives (Davier et al., 2023) and also encyclopedic entries and books (Andre, 2020; Hadley, 2023; Pięta, 2021) and numerous research articles. Despite all efforts so far, “research on indirect translation [is] lagging so far behind other subfields that focus on adjacent phenomena (e.g. retranslation or self-translation […])” (Davier et al., 2023, p. 824). Therefore, the volume under review will considerably contribute to the extant literature. This book, co-authored by renowned scholars of indirect translation and in an accessible style, explores indirect translation across various domains, such as news translation, interpreting, and audiovisual translation, from both theoretical and practical perspectives. As such, it expands beyond the traditional focus on written and literary translation (Pięta et al., 2023). Packed with practical exercises, helpful tips, and effective solutions for learners, this volume is an essential read for translator trainers, trainees, scholars, and researchers of indirect translation. The book comprises seven core chapters, along with an introduction and a conclusion. Each chapter presents learning outcomes and suggests thought-provoking activities, which aim to enhance reader engagement with the text. The book also contains a glossary, which defines key terms for readers.

The effect of training to target cognitive biases towards social rejection in eating disorders.

This study examined the effect of cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) training in Korean women with eating disorders (EDs). Sixty-three women with EDs participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group where they received six sessions of CBM-I training (n=31) in addition to treatment-as-usual or were put on a waiting list (n=32). Participants' interpretation and attention biases, emotion regulation, affect, and ED psychopathology were assessed at baseline, end-of-intervention (4weeks), and follow-up (8weeks). Participants who completed the CBM-I training displayed greater reductions in negative interpretation bias (Δη2 =0.107) and emotion dysregulation (Δη2=0.085) with medium to large effect sizes compared to the control group, which were maintained from baseline to follow-up. Disengagement from negative faces and a focus on positive faces was found in the intervention group with a moderate effect size at the end-of-intervention (Δη2=0.090). Both intervention and control groups showed improvements in ED psychopathology. Baseline neuroticism was positively correlated with CBM-I effect. The results suggest that modifying interpretation bias towards ambiguous social stimuli might be an effective adjuvant treatment to reduce negative expectations of social situations and improve emotion regulation in women with bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.

Anxiety-provoking factors in consecutive interpreting: a qualitative study of Iranian student interpreter trainees

Given the inherent association of interpreting with feelings of anxiousness, the subject of interpreting poses a formidable challenge for students in this field. A large number of prospective interpreters assert that they are unable to complete the assignment to a satisfactory level because they are unable to get past their fear. The harmful effect of anxiety on the interpreting performance of student trainees could result in failure and fully inhibit their accomplishment. Despite the growing recognition of anxiety as a significant challenge in interpreting education, there is a lack of comprehensive studies investigating the specific factors contributing to anxiety in consecutive interpreting and effective strategies for its reduction. To address this issue and in order to identify the factors contributing to trainees’ anxiety and those that might help to reduce consecutive interpreting (CI) anxiety, thirty students were chosen to participate in semi-structured interviews. Different factors exerting an effect on the anxiety levels of Iranian CI pupils were identified through qualitative research. These factors were categorized into six groups, i.e., individual, input (language-related factors, speaker-related factors), note- taking (inappropriate note-taking skill, lack of creativity in taking notes), environmental (noise and distraction, peer-related factors), output (meaning transfer, delivery), and teacher-related (testing, teachers’ behavior). Moreover, the study found that factors to reduce anxiety in consecutive interpreting could be classified as teacher-related and trainee-related factors each with additional sub-factors.