Teaching Specialised Translation Through Corpus Linguistics: Translation Quality Assessment and Methodology Evaluation and Enhancement by Experimental Approach

Abstract

In the current context of rapid and constant evolution of global communication and specialised discourses, the need for devising methods for ensuring both high quality levels of specialised translation and successful translation training is becoming a true challenge. Steady renewal in knowledge paradigms leads to an increase in term coinage, modifications in lexical and phraseological patterns, and accommodations in discourse conventions. This situation requires teachers in specialised translation to train future translators to develop the skills meant to help them adapt rapidly to change. The tools brought by corpus linguistics offer access to the language-in-the-making and continuously emerging knowledge fields. However, methods for their efficient exploitation in translation classes can still be improved. In the current study, we present the translation-teaching framework devised specifically for such contexts. It is based on corpus linguistics, terminology management, collaboration with experts, and the quantitative analysis of the quality of finished translations, which can then, in turn, be used to improve the overall framework and to provide research material on specialised translation problems.

Recurrence, emotion and appropriateness in English and Spanish. The language of tourism on promotional websites

“…From a specialised translation perspective, identifying and reproducing the recurring and prototypically positive items on websites is, therefore, important to achieve genuine sense and pragmatic effects in final versions, since they are involved in the speakers' expectations in terms of genre recognition (Rogers, 2015;Scarpa, 2020;Swales, 1990). In the teaching of translation, identifying trends and preferences for each language under analysis is especially important in order that training can be based on specific purposes and real language in use (Adab, 2008;García Álvarez, 2007;Kübler et al, 2018;Sánchez-Gijón, 2009;Schäfner & Adab, 2000).…”

“…Translation is a complex cognitive area with several factors that need to be taken into consideration before deciding the best strategies to ensure the meaning of each segment, as well as global meaning, to be transmitted (Babych et al, 2012;Bowker & Benninson, 2003;Castagnoli et al, 2011;Kübler et al, 2018). Specialised discourse is particularly -although not exclusively-related to communicative translation, as it includes purpose-built and recipient-oriented speech.…”

“…In Newmark's words (1981: 39), '[…] communicative translation attempts to produce on its readers an effect as close as possible to that obtained on the readers of the original'. Therefore, identifying the ways it is possible to achieve this in different languages is vital to reach similar effects, and in this respect, corpus analysis can be of particular help (Kübler et al, 2018).…”

“…In addition, teaching techniques in translation should be preferentially based on a process-analytical approach, since the decision-taking progress can be better shown and followed on the basis of real evidence obtained with corpus analysis. This results in consistent translation strategies, proper segments and a natural, global effect (Kelly, 2000;Kübler et al, 2018;Lörscher, 1992). When reason and cognitive operations converging in a translation of a specific area are clarified step by step, it makes clearer why some strategies are more appropriate and why accommodations under each language convention are needed (Kübler et al, 2018: 807).…”

“…This study mainly attempts to analyse a representative, comparable, bilingual corpus of tourism language on English and Spanish promotional websites as prototypical sources so that recurring nouns can be identified and examined in context along with their emotional charge. This is particularly helpful to determine how ideal -and therefore how appropriate-certain decisions may be for a translated text to result in a genuine version after conscious and purpose-based processing (Kübler et al, 2018;Silis, 2014). From this perspective, testing 1 appropriateness through frequency measurement and emotion assessment may offer new insight into teaching approaches for the future training of translation professionals.…”