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Chapter 4. Translation, post-editing and directionality

A study of effort in the Chinese-Portuguese language pair
  • Igor A. Lourenço da Silva , Fabio Alves , Márcia Schmaltz , Adriana Pagano , Derek Wong , Lidia Chao , Ana Luísa V. Leal , Paulo Quaresma , Caio Garcia and Gabriel Eduardo da Silva
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Translation in Transition
This chapter is in the book Translation in Transition

Abstract

Translation process research has focused on alphabetic scripts in post-editing and translation tasks from the second language (L2) into the mother tongue (L1). This chapter approaches translation and post-editing tasks involving Chinese, which has a logographic script, in combination with Portuguese. The aim is to compare task type (translation and post-editing) and directionality (L2-L1 and L1-L2) focusing on cognitive and temporal measures of effort. Eye-tracking and key-logging data were collected from 18 Chinese professional translators in four consecutive translation/post-editing sessions. The results point to a significant impact of directionality and task type on virtually all cognitive measures investigated by means of a linear mixed-effect regression model. However, directionality and task type had no significant impact on total task time.

Abstract

Translation process research has focused on alphabetic scripts in post-editing and translation tasks from the second language (L2) into the mother tongue (L1). This chapter approaches translation and post-editing tasks involving Chinese, which has a logographic script, in combination with Portuguese. The aim is to compare task type (translation and post-editing) and directionality (L2-L1 and L1-L2) focusing on cognitive and temporal measures of effort. Eye-tracking and key-logging data were collected from 18 Chinese professional translators in four consecutive translation/post-editing sessions. The results point to a significant impact of directionality and task type on virtually all cognitive measures investigated by means of a linear mixed-effect regression model. However, directionality and task type had no significant impact on total task time.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Cognitive processes in reading during translation
  5. Chapter 1. Reading for translation 17
  6. Chapter 2. Four fundamental types of reading during translation 55
  7. Part II. Literality, directionality and intralingual translation processes
  8. Chapter 3. Measuring translation literality 81
  9. Chapter 4. Translation, post-editing and directionality 107
  10. Chapter 5. Intralingual and interlingual translation 135
  11. Part III. Computing and assessing translation effort, performance, and quality
  12. Chapter 6. From process to product 161
  13. Chapter 7. Quality is in the eyes of the reviewer 187
  14. Chapter 8. Translation technology and learner performance 207
  15. Notes on contributors 235
  16. Index 241
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.133.04lou

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Cognitive processes in reading during translation
  5. Chapter 1. Reading for translation 17
  6. Chapter 2. Four fundamental types of reading during translation 55
  7. Part II. Literality, directionality and intralingual translation processes
  8. Chapter 3. Measuring translation literality 81
  9. Chapter 4. Translation, post-editing and directionality 107
  10. Chapter 5. Intralingual and interlingual translation 135
  11. Part III. Computing and assessing translation effort, performance, and quality
  12. Chapter 6. From process to product 161
  13. Chapter 7. Quality is in the eyes of the reviewer 187
  14. Chapter 8. Translation technology and learner performance 207
  15. Notes on contributors 235
  16. Index 241
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