The Impact of Translators’ Academic Experience on Their Translation Quality

Abstract

Translators differ from each other in many ways in terms of their knowledge and professional conditions that may directly influence their translation. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of translators' academic experience on their translation quality. Following a causal-comparative study, a sample of 100 male and female professional translators, working in official or non-official translation offices or as freelance translators, were selected using purposive sampling method. The participants were divided into two groups each containing 50 individuals with and without a degree in translation, respectively. The participants were asked to translate a paragraph including 232 words, from Orwell's 1984 novel, to assess their translation quality. To do this, Waddington's model D (2001) was used as the marking system. For data analysis, inferential statistical procedures including independent sample t-test was used in order to investigate the research hypothesis. Results showed that translators' academic experience in translation significantly affects their translation quality. The results also clearly depicted that the translation quality of translators with academic experience was significantly better than that of those without academic experience.