BLIND TRANSLATOR EXPERIMENT: PER ASPERA AD QUALITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2522-4077-2024-210-38Keywords:
translation studies methodology, experimental translation studies, translation studies research model, industrial translation quality, translation quality evaluation, translation quality assessmentAbstract
The article presents a critical view of descriptive-quantitative and some paradigmatic approaches in translation studies research. It describes and justifies a new methodological approach to conducting research – the blind translator experiment. The method aims to objectively evaluate the industrial translation quality without translation service providers knowing that their work will be analyzed through a translation studies lens rather than a client or consumer perspective. The proposed experimental-empirical research model, crafted to yield applicable prescriptive conclusions, comprises four phases: design, collection, evaluation, and completion. Each phase is described in detail, focusing on key operations and their features. The entire research process involves 15 operations. The authors emphasize the importance of non-linear thinking and avoiding over-algorithmization in certain stages. An innovative aspect of the research is its focus on collective translation service providers, particularly agencies whose work (e.g., non-public texts, especially highly specialized texts) often remains outside the scope of academic research. Moreover, individual translation service providers and additional performers (translation teachers, students, and bilingual domain experts) can participate in the experiment. The composition of experiment participants (collective/individual), their number and characteristics, as well as the translation order depend on the researcher's heuristic hypotheses. Conducting a blind translator experiment and publishing its results, including providing public access to the empirical base, requires consideration of ethical issues related to all experiment participants and other involved individuals. The methodological approach will contribute to identifying translation universals and problematic phenomena in translator training, thus enabling the improvement of practical translation activities. The authors believe that this approach has the potential to bridge the gap between the rear (theory) and the front (practice).
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