Measuring translation revision competence and post-editing competence in translation trainees: methodological issues

Abstract

Translation proper is rarely the sole activity of professional translators, who regularly function also as revisers and/or post-editors. Various models of and studies into translation competence (TC), translation revision competence (TRC) and post-editing competence (PEC) exist. However, a fundamental question remains unanswered: how similaror differentare TC, TRC and PEC? Before this question can be answered, a methodological issue must be addressed: how do we measure TRC and PEC? Using existing literature, we propose seven instruments to measure TRC and PEC. Our aim is to determine whether the instruments are exchangeable, that is, result in similar measures of the underlying variable. We conducted a small-scale study with translation trainees, who performed L1 Dutch-L2 French TR and PE tasks. The measuring instruments generated TRC scores that were significantly different and therefore not exchangeable. In contrast, PEC scores were not always significantly different. In conclusion, with measuring instruments for TRC and PEC being generally not exchangeable, it is imperative that researchers not only report on measuring instruments thoroughly in research in general, but also use measuring instruments designed according to the same principles when they investigate differences and similarities between TRC, PEC, and even TC.

Comparing L2 translation, translation revision, and post-editing competences in translation trainees

“…Before reporting the results, it is important that we underline that different evaluation methods often lead to statistically significantly different results, as shown in a previous methodological study related to the present research (Robert et al 2022). Therefore, it is vital that we report thoroughly on the evaluation methods and compare scores calculated using the same method.…”

The Effect of Critical Thinking on Translation Technology Competence Among College Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy and Cultural Intelligence

“…[59][60][61] As a result, the growing demand for language services has led to translation agencies relying more heavily on post-edited machine translation systems, 62 which requires translators to take on the role of post-editors. 63,64 Information Literacy Practitioners, educators, and researchers have generally accepted information literacy as a crucial component of translation competence. 65 The ability to find and utilize information is acknowledged as an essential competence in a variety of translation models, such as the PACTE Model or EMT translation competence framework.…”

Analysis of Source and Target Texts in the Structure of Translator Training

“…At the syntactic level, the analysis reveals that the translation typically follows the structure of the source text in sentences with simpler constructs, while complex sentences . ; Carrasco Piecychna, 2023Robert, Schrijver, & Ureel, 2024Bartscht, 1987Lee, 2013Olk, 2013 Next Generation EU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia -03-V01-00148. ,…”