An Investigation on Translation Strategies Based on Think-aloud Protocols

Abstract

The main concern of this paper is to explore the translation strategies employed by Chinese participants when they fulfill both E-C and C-E translation tasks. The major findings are as follows: Eighteen strategies of Kiraly's strategies (1997) have been more or less employed by the participants. In addition, six other strategies are identified in this study. Among the twenty-four strategies, the participants employ "Monitor for TL accuracy"; "Self-correction" more in E-C translation tasks than in C-E translation tasks. On the other hand, they employ "Accept interim solution"; "Identify problem"; "SL-TL dictionary search"; "Make intuitive acceptability judgment"; and "Rephrase ST Segment" more frequent in C-E translation tasks than in E-C translation tasks. The number of the strategies employed by the participants increases by the development of their bilingual proficiency and the experiences gained in translation training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]