Uncertainty in the Cognitive Processing of a Legal Scenario: A Process Study of Student Translators

Abstract

This article describes a process oriented case study of student translators’ translation of a legal text from Danish into English. Generally, when students are asked to translate a complex legal text their reaction to some degree demonstrates lack of confi dence in their ability to perform successfully both as students and after graduation. On the basis of a think-aloud experiment involving four groups of students we focus on how they handle uncertainty in the translation process, and explore whether it is possible to point to factors that are likely to make students go about the task of legal translation with more confidence. Two parameters are focused on: the students’ access to tentative translation equivalents both at the syntactic and lexical levels and the nature of reflection or argumentation performed to support their final choices. The ultimate purpose of this study is pedagogical in that we hope to be able to point to focusing points that will help students in their learning process.