Papers by Boguslawa Whyatt
Benjamins translation library, Jun 17, 2017
Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 2016
The paper reports on the first pilot study planned within a broader interdisciplinary research pr... more The paper reports on the first pilot study planned within a broader interdisciplinary research project on translator's personality profile viewed from the psychological and cognitive perspectives. The study aims to test the assumption that there is a link between personality features and translation performance. It is our initial attempt to incorporate translation process research and product evaluation into the investigation of personality factors involved in translation. Two major directions of analysis have been selected: personality traits as related to the quality of the translation product, and cognitive functions as related to the process of translation. The tentative conclusions confirm the idea that personality characteristics are important building blocks for further development of translation competence and expertise.
Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, 1995
Routledge eBooks, Jan 20, 2023
Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 2016
Translation & Interpreting, Jul 29, 2022
Lexical selection is a key process in any language-based communicative event, but in translation ... more Lexical selection is a key process in any language-based communicative event, but in translation it occurs in the semantic network activated by two languages. The question asked in this article is how the direction in which translation proceeds affects the process and outcome of lexical selection by experienced bidirectional translators. The prediction from the available empirical evidence that lexical selection when translating into the translator's L2 (learned language) is more cognitively demanding than when working into L1 (native language) is tested in an experimental study with translators who regularly translate into their L1 (Polish) and L2 (English). The participants performed verbal fluency tasks and translated two texts (a product description text and a film review) into their L1 and L2 (four texts in total). The entire process was recorded by key-logging, eye-tracking and screen capture programs. The results confirm that lexical selection is more demanding and less successful in L1"L2 translation, thus confirming the L2 cognitive disadvantage. Equipping translation students with effective error-preventing strategies and encouraging collaboration between translators and proofreaders could optimise lexical selection in L1"L2 translation.
Ksiązka powstala z myślą o studentach specjalizacji tlumaczeniowych, ktorzy poznają specyfike zaw... more Ksiązka powstala z myślą o studentach specjalizacji tlumaczeniowych, ktorzy poznają specyfike zawodu tlumacza. W dziesieciu rozdzialach autorzy odpowiadają na pytania, ktore najcześciej zadają studenci. Jakie zasady wspolpracy z klientem obowiązują na rynku profesjonalnych uslug tlumaczeniowych? Czy bycie freelancerem to dobry pomysl na kariere zawodową tlumacza? Jak przygotowac sie do tlumaczenia tekstow specjalistycznych, sprostac wyzwaniom i zarządzac terminologią? Czy tlumaczenie ustne wymaga szczegolnych kompetencji? Jak nalezy przygotowac sie do zlecenia? Jak funkcjonowac tlumacząc w szczegolnie wrazliwych kontekstach? Czy tlumaczenie maszynowe zastąpi tlumacza, czy raczej wyreczy go w pewnych czynnościach? Na czym polega audiodeskrypcja i dlaczego w Polsce jest nadal nowością? Glowne przeslanie ksiązki to przekonanie czytelnika, ze tlumaczenie jest zlozonym procesem i zawodem, ktory wymaga szeregu umiejetności i odpowiedniej postawy etycznej. Jakośc uslug na rynku tlumaczen w...
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2021
Effective information behaviour is crucial in all translation competence models but our understan... more Effective information behaviour is crucial in all translation competence models but our understanding of how information skills develop and how translators interact with information found in online resources is still limited. In this article we focus on information behaviour (needs and use) of bidirectional translators who frequently translate into their native (L1) and their non-native language (L2). The theoretical underpinnings come from information studies: (1) information is needed when cognitive uncertainty arises and -when found -it allows the translator to make an informed decision; (2) translators are driven by economy of effort and will minimise the cost of searching for information. The empirical evidence comes from a study of 30 professional bidirectional translators who translated two texts into their native language of low diffusion (Polish) and into their non-native major language (English). A close analysis of their information behaviour included data obtained by keylogging, eye-tracking and screen recording, and showed that using online resources adds more cognitive effort when translators work into their L2. We use the results to draft a model of information behaviour which shows how the use of online resources is affected by the translation direction.
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2019
ABSTRACT In recent years translators have experienced a new variation imposed by market dynamics ... more ABSTRACT In recent years translators have experienced a new variation imposed by market dynamics and new technologies with many translation-like activities (e.g., transediting, post-editing, intralingual work, etc.). The question which arises is whether these new practices require the translator’s skill set to be redesigned. In this article, we argue that the modern translator’s skill set can accommodate the variation in new translation tasks because of its robust design. The translator’s skill set has a range of skills from simple to complex which can potentially be transferred to other translation-like activities. We focus on the higher-order metacognitive skills: planning, self-monitoring and self-revision, and we hypothesize that they are the locus of the skill set robust design because they are generic and transferable. First, we review the approaches to the modern translator’s skill set and the conditions under which skills become transferable. Next, we present the results of an experimental study which tested whether professional translators and trainees transfer their planning, self-monitoring and self-revision skills to a task of intralingual paraphrasing. We conclude that the translator’s skill set does have a robust design but its robustness is demonstrated only once a certain threshold level in the development of expertise has been achieved.
The Handbook of Translation and Cognition, 2017
Аннотация. В статье представлены результаты сопоставительного анализа внутриязыкового перевода ор... more Аннотация. В статье представлены результаты сопоставительного анализа внутриязыкового перевода оригинального англоязычного текста романа А. Кристи «Десять негритят» в его британском и американском изданиях, оценена степень адекватности переводов, показаны особенность внутриязыкового перевода, его влияние на изменения авторского текста, рассмотрены факты нарушения поликультурности. Цель работы-выявить особенности внутриязыкового перевода текста в рамках двух лингвокультур, британской и американской, принимая во внимание синхронический и диахронический аспекты.
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2011
Studia Anglica Posnaniensia International Review of English Studies, 2003
ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to look at foreign language text comprehension from a tra... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to look at foreign language text comprehension from a translator's perspective. Contrary to traditional translation theory interpreting the meaning of the text to be translated is not taken for granted but attention is being drawn to the fact that many problems which occur in the process of translation stem from insufficient or incorrect understanding of the source text. In order to retrace the complex task of information processing that is carried out by a translator the research data was collected in the form of Think Aloud Protocols and on the basis of a translation task-based questionnaire. Having such a complementary set of data allows to look at reading for the purpose of translation as a challenging information processing activity which requires a text analysis on a macro and micro level. Tentative conclusions that can be drawn show that the process of foreign language text comprehension is only superficially highly focused on detailed meaning interpretation prior to the onset of meaning transfer. It allows the translator to gain a general insight and sketch out an approximated vision of the target text while many comprehension problems will become apparent only when they hinder the transfer of meaning. 1. Introduction Traditional translation theory did not display much interest in comprehension processes and took successful and sufficient understanding of a source language (hence SL) text for granted. It is in the descriptive approach to translation that the process of comprehension responsible for interpreting the SL text meaning received more attention. Studies conducted by Dancette (1992), House (1986) Krings (1986), Lorscher (1986, 1991, 1997), Thelen (1992) and Tirkkonnen-Condit (1992) show that successful comprehension is a necessary prerequisite for adequate translation and point out that interpreting the meaning of the SL text is not a problem-free process even for professional translators. Thus, it is possible to put forward a hypothesis that many transfer problems in translation from a foreign language into a native language which put the translator in the position of a decision maker do not have their roots in the semantic/lexical differences between languages but are due to difficulties in the interpretation of meaning conveyed by the source language text. Consequently many mistranslations are likely to be misinterpretations of the SL text meaning. To test the above hypothesis it is necessary to take a closer look at the actual process of foriegn language (here English) text comprehension for the purpose of translating it into the translator's native language (here Polish). In this article I intend to share the results of my own research (see Whyatt 2000) in which I investigated the process of the SL text comprehension by student-translators in the hope that the conclusions I arrived at will contribute to our understanding of the complex process of text comprehension (cf. Honig 1991). 2. Some assumptions about the interpretation of meaning in translation According to the model adopted from Larson (1984:17) the first step in the process of translation lies in 'discovering' the meaning of the SL text as intended by the original author. The term 'discover' already suggests that the meaning is not directly and objectively available to the reader-translator. Meaning is not statically contained in the text "but is rather a function of the interactive process of negotiation into which it has to be reconverted (...) from the only evidence he (the translator) has got: the linguistic tokens and their distinctive arrangement" (House, 1986:181-182). In this sense a text is a frame (Fillmore's 1977) which refers to a given scene or in other words a text is an object that needs to be interpreted (Pym 1993) as showing a 'picture of reality' (Lev,) 1967) even if this reality is fictional or imaginary. Since meaning is not directly given by signs but has to be derived from signs, the translator's cognitive effort aimed at comprehending the meaning encoded in a foreign language text involves complex mental operations that are set off by reading and the ensuing processing of linguistic forms and information they carry. …
Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 2016
As some scholars view inter-and intra-lingual translation as a parallel activity, it is vital to ... more As some scholars view inter-and intra-lingual translation as a parallel activity, it is vital to establish to what extent the products of these processes are alike, and whether the processes themselves differ. This paper investigates stylistic simplification, a frequently hypothesised translation universal which involves, among others, breaking up long sentences in the process of translation (
Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 2016
Although Jakobson’s (1959) seminal classification of translation into three kinds: interlingual, ... more Although Jakobson’s (1959) seminal classification of translation into three kinds: interlingual, intralingual and intersemiotic has been widely accepted in Translation Studies, so far most research interest has focused on interlingual translation, defined as “translation proper”. Intralingual translation, more often understood as rewording, paraphrasing or reformulation within the same language, is a less prototypical kind of translation, yet we believe that the underlying mental operations needed to perform both tasks include similar processing stages. Bearing in mind the lack of research comparing inter-and intralingual translation we designed the ParaTrans project in which we investigate how translators make decisions in both tasks. In this article we present the results of a comparative analysis of processing effort and cognitive rhythm demonstrated by professional translators who were asked to translate and paraphrase similar texts. Having collected three streams of translation...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to look at foreign language text comprehension from a tra... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to look at foreign language text comprehension from a translator's perspective. Contrary to traditional translation theory interpreting the meaning of the text to be translated is not taken for granted but attention is being drawn to the fact that many problems which occur in the process of translation stem from insufficient or incorrect understanding of the source text. In order to retrace the complex task of information processing that is carried out by a translator the research data was collected in the form of Think Aloud Protocols and on the basis of a translation task-based questionnaire. Having such a complementary set of data allows to look at reading for the purpose of translation as a challenging information processing activity which requires a text analysis on a macro and micro level. Tentative conclusions that can be drawn show that the process of foreign language text comprehension is only superficially highly focused on detailed meaning interpretation prior to the onset of meaning transfer. It allows the translator to gain a general insight and sketch out an approximated vision of the target text while many comprehension problems will become apparent only when they hinder the transfer of meaning. 1. Introduction Traditional translation theory did not display much interest in comprehension processes and took successful and sufficient understanding of a source language (hence SL) text for granted. It is in the descriptive approach to translation that the process of comprehension responsible for interpreting the SL text meaning received more attention. Studies conducted by Dancette (1992), House (1986) Krings (1986), Lorscher (1986, 1991, 1997), Thelen (1992) and Tirkkonnen-Condit (1992) show that successful comprehension is a necessary prerequisite for adequate translation and point out that interpreting the meaning of the SL text is not a problem-free process even for professional translators. Thus, it is possible to put forward a hypothesis that many transfer problems in translation from a foreign language into a native language which put the translator in the position of a decision maker do not have their roots in the semantic/lexical differences between languages but are due to difficulties in the interpretation of meaning conveyed by the source language text. Consequently many mistranslations are likely to be misinterpretations of the SL text meaning. To test the above hypothesis it is necessary to take a closer look at the actual process of foriegn language (here English) text comprehension for the purpose of translating it into the translator's native language (here Polish). In this article I intend to share the results of my own research (see Whyatt 2000) in which I investigated the process of the SL text comprehension by student-translators in the hope that the conclusions I arrived at will contribute to our understanding of the complex process of text comprehension (cf. Honig 1991). 2. Some assumptions about the interpretation of meaning in translation According to the model adopted from Larson (1984:17) the first step in the process of translation lies in 'discovering' the meaning of the SL text as intended by the original author. The term 'discover' already suggests that the meaning is not directly and objectively available to the reader-translator. Meaning is not statically contained in the text "but is rather a function of the interactive process of negotiation into which it has to be reconverted (...) from the only evidence he (the translator) has got: the linguistic tokens and their distinctive arrangement" (House, 1986:181-182). In this sense a text is a frame (Fillmore's 1977) which refers to a given scene or in other words a text is an object that needs to be interpreted (Pym 1993) as showing a 'picture of reality' (Lev,) 1967) even if this reality is fictional or imaginary. Since meaning is not directly given by signs but has to be derived from signs, the translator's cognitive effort aimed at comprehending the meaning encoded in a foreign language text involves complex mental operations that are set off by reading and the ensuing processing of linguistic forms and information they carry. …
Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 2007
In this paper I report on the preliminary results of a longitudinal one-year study of students' p... more In this paper I report on the preliminary results of a longitudinal one-year study of students' progression from a low level of language awareness manifested in their superficial/intuitive use of language/languages to a higher level of language self-awareness manifested in their more controlled use of language. The data gathered for this study include four sources: a language awareness questionnaire, think aloud protocols, error analysis and post error analysis in-class discussions. The results of this study are intended to be further explored in a larger research project.
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Papers by Boguslawa Whyatt
Książka „Tłumacz – praktyczne aspekty zawodu" jest zbiorem dziesięciu rozdziałów napisanych przez wykładowców specjalizacji tłumaczeniowych na Wydziale Anglistyki UAM z myślą o studentach i początkujących tłumaczach. Każdy rozdział omawia wybrane praktyczne aspekty związane z funkcjonowaniem na rynku tłumaczeń, zasadami wykonywania tłumaczeń specjalistycznych, zarządzaniem terminologią, zakresem kompetencji tłumacza ustnego i nieustannym samorozwojem, narzędziami wspomagającymi tłumaczenie i szczególnym przypadkiem pracy tłumacza jako audiodeskryptora. Główne przesłanie książki to przekonanie czytelnika, że tłumaczenie jest złożonym procesem i zawodem, który wymaga szeregu umiejętności i odpowiedniej postawy etycznej. Jakość usług na rynku tłumaczeń w Polsce może ulec poprawie tylko poprzez kształcenie dobrze przygotowanych do tej szczególnej pracy tłumaczy, którzy są świadomi, że jakość ich pracy wpływa na relacje pomiędzy jednostkami, firmami i narodami.