Technical Translation Research Articles

ТЕОРЕТИЧНІ АСПЕКТИ ПЕРЕКЛАДУ НАУКОВО-ТЕХНІЧНИХ ТЕКСТІВ

The article outlines the main theoretical differences when translating the scientific and technical texts. Differences during the translation of texts of this type are summarized. Various styles of language functioning are presented and structural features of the scientific and technical style are revealed. The authors' attention is focused on the importance of using the scientific and technical style. Scientific and technical style refers to the book type of language, which serves both written and oral speech. The bases of the language functioning of scientific and technical texts are standardization, syntactic completeness of the statement, the presence of analytical constructions, the frequent use of clichéd structures, (mainly the nominal nature of the morphological components of the sentence), an extensive system of connecting elements, etc. Not only does translation of technical documents require essential knowledge on translation but it also takes into account the national nature of the instruction texts in the original language. The translator is bound to develop a certain style, while adapting the instruction to the standards of the recipient and trying to remain unique in the industrial market. This aspect is especially relevant when translating the instructions from English to Ukrainian. An important focus is made on certain quality rules of scientific and technical texts translation. There are three types of stylistic errors that deprive the text clarity: incorrect logical emphasis in a sentence, amorphousness of sentences, formation of poor connections between words. By overcoming these shortcomings, the translator is likely to achieve clarity in translation.

Is individual competition in translator training compatible with collaborative learning? The case of the MTIE Translation Award

Abstract In past years, translation education has shifted from a “transmissionist approach” to the unchallenged use of collaborative learning, with extensive recourse to teamwork and Project-based Learning. Students are encouraged to develop their translation and interpersonal skills in collaborative environments, focusing on translation as a process. Throughout this process, mistakes are valued as learning opportunities, and no translated text is seen as an authoritative version to which all others are unfavourably compared. This approach is somewhat at odds with an increasingly competitive job market, in which translators must be capable of autonomous and individual work, and translation is mainly viewed and evaluated as a final product. Although translation workflows involve a growing amount of group effort, translators still need to work alone and take responsibility for their own versions and translation choices. In order to prepare students to become professional translators, the annual Technical and Scientific Translation Award aims not only to give winners visibility before potential employers but also to work as an opportunity for young translation students and graduates to put their skills to the test. This paper focuses on the translation competences activated by the contest, as defined by the Competence Framework produced by the European Masters in Translation Network. It also discusses the potential of this initiative as a motivational tool for translation students and graduates, concluding that individual contests counterbalance the predominance of collaborative activities in the classroom and are therefore a relevant complement to academic training.

The Challenges of Teaching and Assessing Technical Translation in an Era of Neural Machine Translation

Teaching translation in higher education has undeniably been impacted by the innovations brought about by machine translation (MT), more particularly neural machine translation (NMT). This influence has become significantly more noticeable in recent years, as NMT technology progresses hand in hand with artificial intelligence. A case study supported by a questionnaire conducted among translation students (bachelor’s and master’s programmes at ISCAP) probed the degree of student satisfaction with CAT tools and revealed that they favour the use of MT in their translation practices, focusing their work on post-editing tasks rather than exploring other translation strategies and complementary resources. Although MT cannot be disregarded in translation programmes, as machine-generated translations make up an increasingly larger amount of a professional translator’s output, the widespread use of MT by students poses new challenges to translators’ training, since it becomes more difficult to assess students’ level of proficiency. Translation teachers must not only adapt their classroom strategies to accommodate these current translation strategies (NMT) but also, as intended by this study, find new, adequate methods of training and assessing students that go beyond regular translation assignments while still ensuring that students acquire the proper translation competence. Thus, as the use of NMT makes it considerably more challenging to assess a student’s level of translation competence, it is necessary to introduce other activities that not only allow students to acquire and develop their translation competence as defined in the EMT (European Masters in Translation) framework but also enable teachers to assess students more objectively. Hence, this article foregrounds a set of activities usually regarded as “indirect tasks” for technical translation courses that hopefully results in the development of student translation skills and competence, as well as provides more insights for teachers on how to more objectively assess students. It is possible, then, to conclude that these activities, such as different types of paraphrasing and error-detection tasks, may have the potential to encourage creative thinking and problem-solving strategies, giving teachers more resources to assess students’ level of translation competence.

At the Crossroads of Legal and Technical Translation: The Case of Personal Data

In this paper, the researcher will examine the specific features of Decisions and Directives concerning personal data and their translation into Greek and from Greek. Privacy is protected in the European Union and in the national legislation of each member state. Since the texts in each source language depict not only issues concerning personal data but also national legislation and socio-political issues, the translator is called to share successful notions linked directly to privacy issues and information technology but also to transfer the social and economic conditions. Through this study, the specific traits of personal data texts will become evident. Through specific examples, we examine the special translation issues of these texts mainly through the coexistence of information technology, and scientific, and legal terms. We concentrate on institutions, administrative procedures, and legal notions that must be understood and rendered in the translation to the target language. Despite several similarities in the legal framework, legal texts concerning personal data depict social structures. Data protection is a relatively new sector encompassing various approaches, and special attention should be paid in order to render specific shades of meaning.

The role of online learning in enhancing the performance of introverted female Saudi students in translation

PurposeThe purpose of the current study was to examine the role of distance learning in enhancing introverted students’ lack of communication and social interaction to improve their performance in translation class. Cain (2013) and Kuzeljevich (2017) agreed that identifying “introverted” and “extroverted” students is important for meeting their learning needs. While extroverted students have strong social skills that allow them to interact comfortably in different learning environments, introverted students tend to be more shy, quiet, and silent, thus, requiring more careful planning in classroom settings. Therefore, educators need to support introverted students in reaching their full academic and social potential.Design/methodology/approachThe present case study adopted a qualitative research method to explore the role of online/distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in enhancing introverted students’ performance and communication abilities in translation classes. The researcher of the current study spent a considerable time observing and set herself as part of the group (i.e. translation students of level 6 class) to understand the phenomenon, events and the new situation of having translation students interact in online settings. Data collection was based on this observation, interviews with the participants and archival documents. To enhance the validity and credibility of this research, the researcher employed the method of triangulation.FindingsThe results (see Appendixes A, B and C) revealed the level of students interactions in translation classes and their attitudes toward online learning. Based on the observations made by the instructor, the researcher found that the involvement of the introverted students during online translation learning was remarkable, as they provided their translation outputs in the chat window of Microsoft Teams with no hesitation. Consequently, 65% of the students were providing their translation output through the chat window, which indicates that they are more introverted and preferred not to speak. Comparing this result to face-to-face translation class, the researcher found that 25% of the students provided their translation outputs through oral participation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the field of translation and education. Previous studies have not sufficiently examined the role of distance learning in enhancing the performance and communication of introverted students in translation classes. The current study is also expected to provide insight into the field of technical translation in remote teaching and learning settings.

ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS’ COMMON TRANSLATION MISTAKES AND THEIR SOLUTIONS: VOICES FROM STUDENTS

Along with the translation industry's increasing global growth, Can Tho University (CTU) hopes to train highly skilled translators in order to satisfy the needs of society. At Can Tho University, Translation courses are considered a useful subject not only for translation majors but also for all English- majored students. In the fourth academic year, students participate in some translation courses. For English-majored students in general, the Translation courses are aimed not only at providing intensive training on translation skills but also at reinforcing knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. In addition, they provide translation skills by practicing the translation of documents. Through the course, the researchers have noticed that, in addition to progress in their translation skills, language students also encounter some issues in conveying messages from English to Vietnamese and vice versa. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap when it comes to translation mistakes analysis in Vietnamese-English translation and vice versa. The research investigates typical mistakes made by English-majored students and suggests solutions to improve their translation capabilities. In line with the tendency of using a student-centred model, this study was conducted to identify the translation equivalence problems encountered by 63 students from the two classes of fourth-year English major students at School of Foreign Languages (SFL) at CTU when they studied the subject Technical Translation and to propose solutions. The study explores the perspectives of students to gain insights into the experiences of students when translating, and the strategies recommended by students to help them better understand the language. The research will identify common mistakes to recommend solutions that can be implemented in the classroom. By gathering data from students, this study provides a more holistic understanding of the challenges faced by student translators and how they perceive language, which can help them succeed in real-world translations. In conclusion, the study sheds light on the common mistakes of English-majored students and proposes solutions to improve their translation skills. A baseline survey, questionnaire, and semi-structured interview were the research instruments utilized in the study in order to get the most accurate results. The three basic categories of mistakes in translation covered by this thesis are linguistic mistakes, comprehension mistakes, and translation mistakes. The methodology used to analyse the study's translation mistakes was influenced by Phạm Thu Quỳnh Na (2005). Because it is suitable and practical for Vietnamese learners and includes clear instructions, this type of model was selected as the study's main theoretical framework. The current study makes use of this framework to analyse and evaluate translation errors in a thorough manner. There have been several pedagogical suggestions made for instructors of translation to use in their classrooms to minimize students’ errors during translation practices.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0007/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Understanding Technical and Scientific Translation: A Genre-based Approach

In the recent past, 30 or 40 years ago, the terms technical and scientific were used interchangeably when discussing about communication, texts, terms, vocabulary or writing. Due mainly to this reason, the lines separating technical and scientific translation became increasingly blurred and little or no distinction was made between the two terms; as such, technical and scientific translation was regarded as one type of LSP translation. Using genre knowledge, in this article we show that technical translation and scientific translation can and should be treated separately, as two distinct types of LSP translation, for both educational and research purposes. We present two genre-based models for setting-up the technical and scientific curricula, aimed at familiarising students with these inter-related, yet different types of LSP translation, and which can also be used as starting points for research in these two fields.

Philosophical approach to technical translation

The article deals with technical translation from a philosophical point of view. Different approaches to definitions to the technical translation have been considered. The analysis of the modern philosophy of technical translation shows that its other important task is the formation of a new concept of nature, to which technology is related as a factor that has the greatest impact on it.

Competence Development Strategies after COVID-19: Using PBL in Translation Courses

The 2019 pandemic had a direct impact on all educational stakeholders. While many teachers and trainers regarded the changes with some scepticism, others embraced the opportunity to integrate technology into their teaching-and-learning methods and resources. As translation trainers, it is essential to follow and understand the translation market. Translators require vast competencies, amongst which is the flexibility to adapt. In translation training, project-based learning (PBL) has been established as an essential teaching-and-learning method, as it has proven to foster the development of essential competencies, since it simulates the translator’s work environment. Thus, the need to implement new strategies within a short timeframe reinforced the practice of PBL. PBL reflects the work of a freelance translator, because it places the student at the centre of the learning process. In these situations, student self-regulation becomes essential, as it is necessary to analyse the market/situation/project received and be flexible enough to adapt to the specific context. As of 2018–2019, ISCAP implemented PBL as the main teaching-and-learning method in its Technical Translation courses. At the same time, on these courses, an ongoing qualitative quasi-experimental study on student self-regulated learning (SRL) began. The purpose is to understand student perception of their self-regulation competence and its development, or lack thereof, after using PBL to complete translation assignments. The study presented in this article aims to examine the possible effects an online-PBL approach may have on a student’s SRL during the pandemic. Students enrolled in the translation courses voluntarily answered a survey on SRL two times: at the beginning and then at the end of the course. The purpose was to analyse and compare each student’s responses before and after using PBL strategies, identifying changes in student perception over a six-month period. Additionally, we compare each group’s results over a period of three years, which includes the lockdown. Statistical analysis showed that a higher level of self confidence in autonomous learning was achieved, but a lower level of belief in the importance and usefulness of the course contents was noted. Additionally, the study revealed that, with the exception of time-management, student SRL increased. Results indicate that PBL is a useful simulation of the translation labour market and that it does enhance essential competencies, amongst which is student SRL.

Designing Multilingual Experiences in Technical Communication: Laura Gonzales: [Book Review

In Designing Multilingual Experiences in Technical Communication, Dr. Laura Gonzales proposes a radical rethinking of the motivations, methods, execution, and interpretation of multilingual research in technical communication. Gonzales rejects classical technical communication models, which posit the technical communicator and translator as mere transmitters of information. Perhaps more important, Gonzales rejects current common practices in multilingual research and their dismissive assumptions (whether implicit or explicit) about speakers of languages other than English, typically in communities of color or the Global South.

Visual Translation, Design, and Language Justice: a Case Study from North Central Florida

Purpose: This article presents a case study of how a bilingual technical communicator and a bilingual visual designer collaborated to visualize stories of language access in North Central Florida. Method: We combined participatory methods used in technical communication (Agboka, 2013; Rose and Cardinal, 2018) with interviews and design methods (Gonzalez Viveros et al., 2020) from both technical communication and visual design. The goal of the study was to document the languages spoken by immigrant community members in North Central Florida, to interview immigrant community members about their languages, and to transform interview data into visual designs that could inspire conversation about language justice in our community. Results: By transforming interview data into visual designs (i. e., collages), we were able to understand the complexity that language plays in the lives of multilingual communities, gaining insights into both the challenges and the advantages of speaking multiple languages as immigrants in North Central Florida. Conclusion: We encourage other technical communication and design researchers to implement visual data approaches in their work, particularly when working with participants whose language histories span beyond white American Englishes. As technical communication continues expanding into more global contexts and as language diversity continues to be a reality in contemporary technical communication work, interdisciplinary collaborations among technical communicators, translators, and designers, will continue to gain importance and impact, particularly in community- driven projects.

TRANSLATION ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TERMS IN SCHAUM'S OUTLINES OF THEORY AND PROBLEMS OF HEAT TRANSFER

Translation frequently conveys information about culture, knowledge, and other social interactions. It is also considered from the perspective of intercultural communication access to developments in the humanities, sciences, and technologies. It is the fastest, most effective, and most efficient approach to transmitting knowledge and technology. Therefore, it is necessary to apply translation methodologies and techniques to ascertain the translator's translation ideology. The research method used in this research is the qualitative research design. This research took samples of the translation of mechanical engineering terms in Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Heat Transfer to look for techniques, methods, and ideologies used by translators to translate these terms from English into Indonesian. The data obtained were 175, with the discovery of 109 single translation techniques, 50 double translation techniques, and six triplet translation techniques. Three translation methods are applied: the literal translation method, the faithful translation method, and the semantic translation method. From the technical data and translation methods, the researcher concludes that the ideology applied by the translator is the ideology of foreignization.

Анализ тематик выпускных квалификационных работ студентов переводческих специальностей и их корреляции с потребностями рынка труда

Problem Statement. This study contains a statistical analysis of the translation market by translation type and domain and the distribution of translation student graduation project subjects. The purpose of this study is to improve the translation teaching quality through a better match between the graduation project subjects and the translation market demand. Materials and Methods. The authors reviewed the demand statistics for the Russian, EU, and US translation markets. We also collected a large database of translation graduation projects defended in Russian universities in 2018–2020. The series contains 245 projects. It covers 8 % of the relevant universities, which makes it representative with a 20 % confidence interval and 85 % confidence probability. The subjects of the graduation projects were divided into the following domains: audiovisual translation; theoretical linguistics; game and software localization; medical translation; research and technical translation; political journalism; advertising; interpretation; fiction; legal translation. Results and Discussion. It was found that the university-level translator training does not match the actual market demand. The maximum discrepancies were found in the following categories: “fiction” (21.66 % excess), “research and technical translation” (20.08 % deficiency), and “political journalism” (16.32 % excess). In addition, we analyzed the subjects of 138 graduation papers submitted to the Translator Creativity and Education International Contest in 2022. The lack of positive dynamics was found: the share of fiction reached 34.06% while the research and technical translation category reduced to just 11.59 %. Conclusions. The following corrective measures are proposed: harmonization of the graduation paper subjects with the market demand, engaging practicing translators as instructors, internships with LSPs, personalized learning paths, and interdepartmental projects.

Дидактика технического перевода с использованием отраслевого словаря-тезауруса

The paper is about the didactics of technical translation based on the thesaurus-type dictionaries on particular industries. The paper outlines the problems that arise in the process of translating scientific and technical terminology from French into Russian. The main focus is on modern methods of translation of foreign technical terminology on the basis of the thesaurus. In this regard, the authors present a technology for translating French automotive terms into Russian using a French-Russian automotive thesaurus. The methodological algorithm for technical translation includes didactic operations that provide the following: searching for a French technical term in the alphabetical index to the thesaurus in order to determine the addresses of semantic fields; sequential access to the semantic fields of the French technical term at the specified addresses in the thesaurus; the final choice of the Russian equivalent of a foreign technical term as a result of the analysis of its semantic fields taking into account the current context. Thesaurus technology used in the process of teaching special technical translation in the professional training of linguist-translators best contributes not only to the development of knowledge, skills, and translation experience that make up the professional competence of a linguist-translator, but to their effective application in the future professional activities. The main objective of this work is to increase the efficiency of training future translators through the development of their professional competence based on the thesaurus approach as a linguo-didactic tool. The thesaurus approach to the translation of technical texts is considered as a linguo-didactic tool for the formation of a translator’s professional competence.

At the Crossroads of Legal and Technical Translation: The Case of Personal Data

At the Crossroads of Legal and Technical Translation: The Case of Personal Data

К ПРОБЛЕМЕ ПЕРЕВОДА НАУЧНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКИХ ТЕКСТОВ В УСЛОВИЯХ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ДОЛГОСРОЧНЫХ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ПРОЕКТОВ

The article examines the specifics of translation activity in the context of globalization, rapid development of information and communication technologies, economic, cultural and professional contacts. Much attention is paid to the special issues of scientific and technical texts translation based on project documentation, which seems relevant due to its widespread use by international companies operating in Russia and, especially, in the Far East. The author identifies the major difficulties of translating technical specifications, addresses the translation techniques that a translator can use in cases where there is no dictionary correspondence, or it cannot be used according to the context conditions.

Tо the issues of technical instructions adequate translation

Tо the issues of technical instructions adequate translation

Practical training of future translators in Germany

The article deals with the practical aspects of training future translators in German higher education institutions. It is established that the practical training of these specialists is carried out in various ways: integration of practical tasks and works into translation course modules, internships in translation agencies and companies, internships, and a semester abroad. It has been found that universities with a large number of students have their own practical training centres, which makes it easier to find a practice site and get an internship. Practical training is aimed at the comprehensive development of skills and abilities of future translators, covering basic requirements, specialised knowledge, linguistic competence, professional-specific knowledge, translation competence and mastery of information technology. In translation classes, students complete various exercises. Translation exercises are divided into general translation exercises and then specialised translation exercises. In general translation classes, the level of difficulty is even lower, so that students can establish themselves as a beginner translator at the initial stage. Technical translation exercises deal with texts from specific subject areas, such as economics, technology or medicine. In addition to doing own translation or interpreting, discussing the results in a group is extremely important. Students learn from each other, critique each other and receive valuable feedback. Students can develop their linguistic, translation and intercultural competences during study abroad placements. This can be done in the form of an internship or as part of a study programme in one or more of more countries. The so-called foreign semester is quite common, which involves a student studying a similar programme abroad. There, students improve their foreign language skills, acquire the ability to communicate with foreign-speaking people, and sensitise themselves to cultural differences. The structure of the programmes for translators includes compulsory subjects, mandatory subjects and free choice subjects. The students are required to study a practical course in the chosen foreign language, translation, internships (including foreign ones), and write and defend a qualification paper.

Трудности перевода текстов отрасли телекоммуникаций

The article is devoted to the study of the difficulties of technical translation of the telecommunications industry in the training of highly qualified personnel. The purpose of the work is to form a strategy for transmitting adequate content of the English text from the point of view of finding equivalents of practical terms. The teacher creates and transfers mechanisms for comparing similar linguistic and didactic compositions in order to determine the semantic equivalents of another language. The student tries to convey the content of a foreign language text coherently, that results in word by word translation. The configurations of language variation provide for positive interactions permitting the content transfer of semantic sequences. The result of the interaction of language structures can be a logically consistent and adequate translation.

The Impact of Using Memsource Termbase System on Developing Terminological Competence for Saudi Freelance Technical Translators

The Impact of Using Memsource Termbase System on Developing Terminological Competence for Saudi Freelance Technical Translators