A case study of translation strategies among three Turkish students using think aloud protocols

Abstract

ABSTRACT Title: A Case Study of Translation Strategies Among Three Turkish Students Using Think-Aloud Protocols Author : Gonca Unsalan Thesis Chairperson: Ms. Bena Gul Peker, Bilkent University,- MA TEFL Program Thesis Committee Members: Dr. Susan D. Bosher, Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program Prof. Theodore S. Rodgers, Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program This study examined the cognitive processes and translation strategies of three Turkish students who were good translators using think-aloud protocols. In think-aloud procedure, subjects verbalize their thoughts during the solution of a task. The reason for using think-aloud protocols in this study was to bring out the unconscious (cognitive) processes of translation, as well as determine the translation strategies of the subjects. The subjects were chosen from among translation students at the upper-intermediate level of language proficiency who volunteered for the study. Immediately after the protocols the researcher interviewed the subjects. Both the protocols and the interviews were audio-recorded and these recordings were transcribed verbatim and translated into English. In order to analyze the collected data from the think-aloud protocols, the researcher developed a taxonomy based on the translation strategies of the three subjects. The researcher developed another taxonomy to analyze the interviews based on the research questions and comments made by the subjects during the think- aloud protocols. The results of this study indicate that thesethree translators used individual translation strategies, as well as universal cognitive processes. Although the three subjects used the same translation strategies, how these strategies were implemented varied among them. Another finding of this study was that the use and choice of translation strategies were related to the experience and training of the translator. M, the most experienced translator, used global strategies related to the whole text, whereas Fl and F2, the less experienced translators, used strategies which stayed close to the surface features of the text. M also showed the greatest variety in his choice of translation strategies. Subjects' choice of translation strategies also effected the quality of the translation. M' s translation was evaluated as the best translation of the three. Moreover, interviews with the subjects revealed that the three translators felt strongly about the benefits of translation on their second language proficiency. They also revealed their preferences in terms of texts to be translated, and whether they preferred working individually or in groups, preferences which should be taken into consideration when developing appropriate pedagogy for translation courses for professionals as well as for foreign language learners.