Undergraduate Translation Students Research Articles

The Role of Elements of Text Analysis in Consecutive Interpreting Performance: A Mixed-Methods Study

Despite the theoretical importance of text analysis in translation process, there is a paucity of experimental research into the role that the elements of the text can play in enhancing interpreting performance. The present study, adopting a mixed-methods design, aimed to investigate whether knowledge of text elements enhances consecutive interpreting performance. In so doing, a sample of 36 homogeneous undergraduate translation students participated in this study based on convenience sampling, and a pool of six students participated in the qualitative phase of the study based on purposive sampling, following the data saturation method. Following Nord’s guidelines for text analysis, the experimental group was exposed to the elements of text during the intervention. A validated assessment rubric was utilized to measure students’ interpreting performance, taking the inter-rater reliability of the scores also into consideration. The results of one-way ANOVA confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference between the control group and the experimental group; the experimental group outperformed the control group. Having calculated the inter-coder reliability of the responses emerged from the interviews, the number of common factors included six themes, namely unique, new information, message analysis, motivating, general lexis, and semiotics. In the end, some practical implications are offered for interpreting students and teachers.

Translating Ulyssei@s: Work in progress between general and specialised translation in light of NMT

It is common knowledge that the publication of translation projects carried out by students is a very motivating factor for training. Since the second semester of 2015-2016, undergraduate translation students of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto have participated in the development of the French and English versions of the digital encyclopaedia Ulyssei@s, created by the Institute for Comparative Literature Margarida Losa (ILCML) in the early 2010s. Besides motivating students, this translation project published on the Internet allows us to develop translation skills, foster teamwork, consolidate the three-phase methodology proposed by Gouadec (2002, 2007), and experiment with several essential tasks in language services: collaborative glossary-making, translation, revision of human translation and post-editing neural machine translation (NMT). Some of the challenges posed by the translation of Ulyssei@s are common to all types of translation, while others are specific to the translation of entries of this sui generis encyclopaedia, such as a variety of textual genres (biography, literary criticism, prose, poetry, theatre, essay) in hybrid texts and the need to find the original or the official translation of the works cited. This paper focuses on the data collected in the spring semester of 2022 and is based on the results of a survey submitted to students at the end of the project. It aims to share the experience of developing an inevitably unfinished project and adapting training and learning to the latest advances in Human Language Technology, since NMT has become a valuable tool for human translators, and Ulyssei@s is a digital encyclopaedia regularly enriched by ILCML collaborators with new entries.

DIGITAL REFLECTIVE JOURNAL IN THE TRANSLATION CLASSROOM: DOES THE FORMAT CHANGE THE GAME?

Reflection is considered an integral part of modern translation classrooms, particularly within the framework of the social constructivist paradigm. To enhance its effectiveness, students' reflective activities should be supported with appropriate tools. This paper aims to compare the effectiveness of two formats of digital reflective journals. A mixed-methods research was conducted involving 34 third-year undergraduate translation students, who were divided into two sample groups (SG). They were instructed to accompany their translation submissions with reflective journal entries, either in a MS Word document (SG1) or in a digital reflective journal application (SG2). The research results indicated a statistically significant difference in the translation proficiency levels of students in the two SGs. Reflective journaling using a specific application resulted in better translation performance and higher quality journal entries over the term. This study highlights alternative approaches to reflective journal writing in translation classrooms. Future research could explore the evaluation of journal entries using digital tools.

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.

Examining the Acquisition of Translation Competence: Dynamicity and Translation Quality as Indicators

The purpose of the study was to examine translation competence acquisition using dynamicity and translation quality as indicators. The researcher adopted a mixed methods research design using a closed-item questionnaire, translation tasks, and semi-structured interviews to collect data from undergraduate translation students, translation instructors, and employers of translators. One hundred fifty-eight undergraduate translation students completed the questionnaire, and 50 undergraduate translation students completed the translation tasks. The researcher interviewed four translation instructors and four employers of translators. Statistical and qualitative analyses revealed that the undergraduate translation students sampled in the study have not acquired translation competence successfully as shown by the absence of statistically significant differences in the dynamic/static views of translation knowledge among them in addition to the nondiscriminating translation performance of the students on the translation tasks as well as the feedback obtained from the instructors and employers in the interviews. Due to their significance to translator training, the findings of the study may contribute to the design and development of translation programs and curricula—in pedagogical settings—and professional development and on-the-job training programs—in professional settings.

Personality-based intercultural awareness in undergraduate translation students via postcrossing

Personality-based intercultural awareness in undergraduate translation students via postcrossing

EUROPEAN UNION LAW IN TRANSLATION: CORE PRINCIPLES AND USEFUL TOOLS FOR UNDERGRADUATE TRANSLATION COURSES

The translation of European Union (EU) law can be seen as a specific case of international law translation and thus relevant only to legal translators. The author argues that concepts related to EU law and tools developed by the EU to support translators should be taught as early as possible to all undergraduate students of translation. This is due to two specificities of European law: it covers a great range of different areas, many of them of a technical nature, thus being useful to many (if not all) translators outside the legal field; and it is mentioned in many non-legal texts, from catalogues to journalistic texts. Therefore, professional translators are bound to find references to EU law throughout their careers and should know how to deal with them and how to avoid common pitfalls. Furthermore, tools created by the European Union — terminology tools, publicly available translation memories, and provision of legislation in multilingual format — are very useful to any translator and knowing how to use them is a skill essential to translation professionals. This study will make suggestions for teaching principles, tools and common sources of translation errors related to EU law to students who do not have any form of legal training. Keywords: EU law, legal translation, European translation, translation teaching

Developing Translation Competence of Undergraduate Translation Students under Computer-aided Translation Technology

College students who major in translation often face psychological and physiological challenges that affect their learning experience. They have a particular interest in learning translation, but their level is not high; their enthusiasm for translation learning is not high, and they lack confidence. This paper divided them into control and experimental groups comprising 50 students. Before introducing computer-aided translation (CAT), students in both groups were given the same basic training, including language, translation theory, and professional knowledge, thus ensuring that both groups had similar essential competencies. The experimental group introduced CAT and provided them with the necessary training and guidance to ensure their complete understanding and familiarity with CAT technology. Regular translation tests were conducted on two groups of students, mainly examining their performance in vocabulary translation, grammar translation, and discourse cohesion. Meanwhile, feedback and discussion with the experimental group of students can help them improve the quality of their translations. Before the introduction of CAT technology, 25% of vocabulary omissions occurred, while after the introduction of CAT technology, 7% of vocabulary omissions occurred. This article contributed to the cultivation of translation competencies of undergraduate translation students.

Cooperative Training of Undergraduate Translation Students: Trainee Perceptions and Job Market Alignment

The study examined the cooperative training course at an undergraduate English translation program at a public university in Saudi Arabia with the aim of tapping into the perceptions of a sample of undergraduate translation students regarding their cooperative training experience. The study also aimed to identify the extent to which the students’ university training is aligned with job market needs. To achieve these aims, a qualitative study was conducted, and 87 undergraduate students were surveyed using a questionnaire designed for the purpose of the study. The findings indicated that the students generally had positive perceptions towards cooperative training. The findings also indicated that the students’ undergraduate training is aligned with job market requirements in some respects while there is room for improvement in others

Undergraduate Translation Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aim. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges at all levels of education. Higher education institutions across the globe had to move traditional campus-based learning online as it was the only available option to continue academic activities. Students’ perceptions of online learning during the Covid-19 crisis have been investigated in many fields of study, however, little known research has been conducted in the field of Translation studies. To fill in the gap, small-scale research was carried out at a University in Lithuania. It aimed to examine undergraduate translation students’ perceptions of learning online during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods. To carry out the research, qualitative methodology was used. The data was drawn from 23 translation students’ essays and analysed using inductive content analysis. Results. The study resulted in the identification and description of two major categories and five subcategories that revealed the students’ experience of online learning during the pandemic and their perceptions of its positive and negative impacts. Conclusion. The results demonstrate that all study participants perceived online learning both as a positive and negative experience with the number of the student-reported negative impacts being slightly bigger than that of the positive ones. The findings of this research are important; yet they do not allow for wide scale generalisations as the study was conducted on a small sample. Originality. The present study contributes to the research in the field by providing new insights into the impacts of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic as seen from the students’ perspective.

Audiovisual mediation through English intralingual and interlingual subtitling

Abstract This paper reports on a case study implemented at the University of Salento and, partially, at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, concerning the use of subtitles as a didactic tool to develop intercultural communication skills. This study examines the intralingual and interlingual translations of the reportage Fortress Italia: Capsized in Lampedusa, about migrant arrivals in Italy and Europe. Although the video is of interest to international viewers, the lack of proper subtitling may undermine its accessibility to non-native English speakers. On the one hand, subtitles do not appear when Standard English is used, so the comprehension of those utterances depends on the receivers’ listening skills; on the other hand, the official retextualizations are characterized by formal register and editorial additions that may affect their readability. For these reasons, an alternative rendering was commissioned to a number of undergraduate and postgraduate students of Translation and Interpreting, in order to enquire into new areas of adoption of English as an International Language and as a Lingua Franca. The analysis of the selected corpus of extracts will pinpoint the strategies of lexical and structural simplification and condensation, along with the selection of specific verb tenses and aspects, which are expected to enhance the envisaged recipients’ understanding of the video’s message. Since these features of English are actively selected, by the subjects that were involved in this research, so as to foster cross-cultural communication between the authors and viewers of the news report, this study contends that specific lingua-franca uses can be activated when subtitling multimodal texts. Hence, the notion of ‘audiovisual mediation’ will be introduced in order to label an approach to audiovisual translation aiming to: (i) make the illocutionary force accessible and acceptable to the envisaged, international audience; and (ii) overcome the conventional associations between dubbing and domestication, and subtitling and foreignization.

Assessing the English Speaking Self-Efficacy of Translation-Major Undergraduates: A Current Perspective

Self-efficacy is a vital determinant of students’ future accomplishments or setbacks and has been recognized as a significant influencer of their motivation to learn, intimately linked with academic achievement. Nonetheless, English learners often grapple with a lack of self-efficacy in their speaking skills. In order to investigate the current state of undergraduate translation students’ English speaking self-efficacy, a quantitative research design, coupled with a survey strategy, was employed. This investigation involved data gathered from 163 undergraduate translation students across three universities located in Guangxi, China. The findings reveal that translation-major undergraduates possess a moderate level of English speaking self-efficacy. Intriguingly, there were no noticeable differences in speaking self-efficacy and its three dimensions based on the academic year, indicating consistency in speaking self-efficacy across different academic levels. The gender-based comparison also yielded interesting results. There was no significant disparity in English speaking self-efficacy between male and female students. However, when it came to self-regulated self-efficacy—a crucial aspect of autonomous learning—female students significantly outperformed their male counterparts. Drawing from these research outcomes, this paper proposes targeted recommendations to enhance English speaking self-efficacy among undergraduate translation students.

Cooperative Training of Undergraduate Translation Students: Trainee Perceptions and Job Market Alignment

Cooperative Training of Undergraduate Translation Students: Trainee Perceptions and Job Market Alignment

The use of MT by undergraduate translation students for different learning tasks

This study investigates the use of MT by first-, second-and third-year translation students for different learning tasks. The results of a self-report survey suggest that most students make regular use of MT, although the frequency of use decreases as they progress through their studies, particularly for reading tasks. Our results highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to the development of MT knowledge and PE skills among undergraduate students, using the concept of MT literacy as a stepping stone.

Machine vs human translation: a new reality or a threat to professional Arabic–English translators

PurposeHow closely does the translation match the meaning of the reference has always been a key aspect of any machine translation (MT) service. Therefore, the primary goal of this research is to assess and compare translation adequacy in machine vs human translation (HT) from Arabic to English. The study looks into whether the MT product is adequate and more reliable than the HT. It also seeks to determine whether MT poses a real threat to professional Arabic–English translators.Design/methodology/approachSix different texts were chosen and translated from Arabic to English by two nonexpert undergraduate translation students as well as MT services, including Google Translate and Babylon Translation. The first system is free, whereas the second system is a fee-based service. Additionally, two expert translators developed a reference translation (RT) against which human and machine translations were compared and analyzed. Furthermore, the Sketch Engine software was utilized to examine the translations to determine if there is a significant difference between human and machine translations against the RT.FindingsThe findings indicated that when compared to the RT, there was no statistically significant difference between human and machine translations and that MTs were adequate translations. The human–machine relationship is mutually beneficial. However, MT will never be able to completely automated; rather, it will benefit rather than endanger humans. A translator who knows how to use MT will have an opportunity over those who are unfamiliar with the most up-to-date translation technology. As MTs improve, human translators may no longer be accurate translators, but rather editors and editing materials previously translated by machines.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide valuable and practical implications for research in the field of MTs and for anyone interested in conducting MT research.Originality/valueIn general, this study is significant as it is a serious attempt at getting a better understanding of the efficiency of MT vs HT in translating the Arabic–English texts, and it will be beneficial for translators, students, educators as well as scholars in the field of translation.

Translation students’ peer feedback for learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Findings from a case study in Lithuania

Aim. The use of feedback (including peer-generated feedback) for learning has been widely investigated across many fields of study, however, no research into its use in Translation studies has been conducted yet. To fill in this gap, the present small-scale study was carried out at a university in Lithuania. It investigated undergraduate translation students’ feedback on their peers’ ESP oral performance by addressing the main research question: what areas are identified as those that need further work on?
 Methods. The present research was conducted with the participation of 42 undergraduate students who were majors in Translation studies. To carry out the research, qualitative methodology was chosen. The data were drawn from the study participants’ feedback sheets and investigated using inductive content analysis.
 Results. The study resulted in the identification and detailed description of four major categories and ten subcategories that reflect the areas that call for further work on, including the study participants’ presentation content, the use of language, presentation delivery mode, and the use of slides.
 Conclusion. The findings lead to the conclusion that peer feedback, as used in this study, can be viewed as a tool providing its receivers with an opportunity for learning as it supports and directs them toward further improvement.

Self-Efficacy in the Prediction of GPA and Academic Computer Use in Undergraduate Translation Students at a Saudi University.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, academic institutions have faced the challenge of understanding the social-psychological features that produce better academic performance among translation students in an online learning environment. Although self-efficacy is widely studied in a variety of teaching and learning models, few studies have examined self-efficacy in regard to translation students. This empirical study aims to examine the roles of general self-efficacy and computer self-efficacy in terms of the academic achievement and computer use of translation students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants included 83 undergraduate translation students at the English Language Department of Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. They completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale and Computer Self-Efficacy Scale questionnaires. The results found self-efficacy scores were a significant predictor of overall GPA scores, highly predictive of computer self-efficacy, and also predicted an increased typing frequency and computer usage. This study suggests that translation students with greater levels of self-efficacy will be more likely to possess social-psychological features that align with the independent, self-directed nature of online learning environments.

Creation of an audio guide of the faculty of arts at the UPV/EHU: satisfaction of translation and interpreting students

ABSTRACT This paper presents the perceived satisfaction of undergraduate students of translation and interpreting who have taken part in the creation of a multilingual, accessible and inclusive audio guide for the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). A selection of students carried out the translation and proofreading of texts describing architectural spaces of the building, while others provided the recording in one of the languages of the audio guide (Spanish, Basque or English). Data on their satisfaction were collected through a questionnaire circulated in 2020. Results show that students involved in the project differed in their knowledge on accessibility and audio guides, but completed the project generally satisfied with the process and product. In addition, participants were aware of the benefits of such participation for their professional careers, for the institution as well as for the blind and people with low vision that may have need of this audio guide. The questionnaire served as the culmination of the students’ learning process and helped them reflect on the experience, which serves as an example of a learning process aiming to serve the community and easily exportable to other scenarios.

The relationship between total mi score and consecutive interpreting performance in iranian male and female trainee interpreters

This empirical descriptive study aimed at finding a relationship between Iranian trainee interpreters' total MI (Multiple Intelligences) scores and their consecutive interpreting performance. It also tried to determine if there is any relationship between the trainee interpreters' gender and their performance in consecutive interpreting. The researcher has always encountered female trainees' superiority in consecutive interpreting classes and wanted to find out if there is any relationship between the trainees' gender and their consecutive interpreting performance. At first, a standard English proficiency test (IELTS, 2007) was administered to homogenize the trainees. One hundred thirteen participants who were all undergraduate students of English Translation took part in the study. At last, 109 of the participants were chosen for the study. Pearson's Product-moment correlation coefficient showed a significant correlation between total MI score in female interpreter trainees and consecutive interpreting performance.

Comparative Effects of Different Situated-Learning Translation Training Practices on Students' Legal Translation Quality, Critical Thinking, and Problem-solving Strategies

Situated-learning translation training approach has been proven to be an efficacious translation training approach in cultivating translators' long-life learning, translation competence as well as translator competence. However, previous studies have mainly delved into the effect of simply one single trend of this modern translation training model on student translators' competencies and sub-competencies and have not compared the effects of different situated-learning trends. To fill this gap, this mixed-methods study was set out to explore the comparative effects of cognitive-apprenticeship (CA), simulated project-based (SPB), and integrative (I) training methods on students' legal translation quality (TQ), their critical thinking ability (CTA), as well as employed problem-solving strategies (PSS). To this end, 71 undergraduate translation students were assigned to three experimental groups of CA, SPB, and I. The quantitative phase involved a quasi-experimental, pretest-treatment-posttest design and the qualitative phase was established on the grounded theory method. Data analysis results indicated that CA and I groups outperformed their counterparts in most subscales of TQ and CTA. The results of the thematic analysis of TAP data also showed that the largest variety of linguistic and non-linguistic PSS was respectively used by G3 and G2.