Introducing Translation Studies

Theories and Applications

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Chapter 4

Studying Translation Product and Process

Abstract

This chapter traces key developments in the analysis of translation shifts and translator behavior from the 1950s to the present. It begins with early taxonomies by Vinay and Darbelnet and Catford, which aimed to classify linguistic changes between source and target texts. While influential, these models are limited by their static nature and Eurocentric focus. Alternative approaches, such as Loh’s work on Chinese, expanded the scope to non-European languages. The chapter also highlights the rise of stylistic analysis in former Czechoslovakia, culminating in translatorial stylistics, which links translation choices to the translator’s identity and ideology. These developments were supported by corpus-based methods that reveal patterns in translation behaviour. Additionally, the chapter explores the emergence of cognitive approaches, from the Paris School to recent socio-cognitive models, using methods like think-aloud protocols and eye-tracking. Ultimately, it argues that only a mixed-methods approach can fully account for the complexity of the translation process.

Video Introduction

Flashcards

Test your understanding of the foundational concepts within the chapter by using these flashcards.

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Quiz

Test your understanding of this chapter with our multiple choice questions.

Research Questions

  1. Where possible, compare the DVD subtitles and dubbed versions of an extract of the same film. List and categorize the different translation procedures using one of the models presented in this chapter. How do the two modes of audiovisual translation differ? Compare also with fansubs of the same or similar text, where they exist.
  2. Look at the work that has been done on translation style (see Further Reading) and note the differences between the various definitions and approaches. Think of ways in which it might be possible to differentiate the translator’s ‘linguistic fingerprint’ from that of the source author.
  3. Examine more closely the interpretive model of translation (Lederer 1994/2003). In what ways does the model differ from Nida’s three-phase model studied in Chapter 3? Which do you feel is more suited for explaining the translation process?
  4. Read up on some of the early corpus studies noted in the chapter. Design a study to investigate the dictionary translations of a problematic term between English and your languages. For instance, investigate the use of the near-synonyms ‘attached’, ‘fond’ and ‘devoted’, and their equivalents in another language.
  5. Read up details of the implementation of think-aloud protocols (e.g. Tirkkonen-Condit and Jääskeläinen 2000, see Further Reading) and make a summary of the findings. Then test out the method:
    1. Write a detailed methodology for your experiment;
    2. Carry out the experiment on another student/translator (with the subject’s permission and following ethical approval procedures!);
    3. Describe your findings;
    4. What advantages and limitations of this kind of research do you note?; 5) How far do your findings correspond to those in Tirkkonen-Condit and Jääskeläinen?; 6) What changes would you make to any follow-up experiment?

Video Summary

Further Reading

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