A Study On Professional Translators' Translation Quality Self

Based on the eight specific quality requirements stipulated in ISO17100:2015,the author of this thesis conducted an exploratory study,under the framework of translation process research,on professional translators' translation quality self-evaluation behavior with regard to the definition of such behavior,its relationship with the translation process,standards followed,object evaluated,resources needed,and its decision mechanism,in order to enhance awareness of such behavior within the academic circle,and highlight the importance of research on translation quality evaluation made by translators during the translation process.The study is divided into two stages.In the first stage,following a conceptual analysis and a literature review,the study proproses an operational definition for translation quality,translation quality evaluation,professional translator,and professional translators' translation quality self-evaluation.The thesis suggests that professional translators' translation quality self-evaluation be defined as judging or determining the extent to which the characteristics of the meaning hypothesis,provisional target text segement,partial results obtained in relation to the intended target text,first draft,and the final draft put forward by the translator as well as the version in use by the clients,meet clients' requirements.The second stage of the study starts with an investigation into the object,criteria,resources,and decision mechanism of translation quality self-evaluation made by professional translators through a questionnaire designed on the basis of the eight specific requirements stipulated in ISO 17100:2015.To confirm the data obtained through the above survey,an observation is made,with the facilitation of a screen recording software,on the translation self-evaluation behavior during the translation process of 13 professional translators selected to translate a passage obtained from the actual translation tasks received by a well-known translation company.To complement the data elicited from the above methods,an analysis is made of the cued retrospective reports given by those translators upon finishing their translation while watching the screen recording video of their translation processes.Cross referencing the data drawn from the questionnaire,the observatory study,and the analysis of the restrospective reports,the research results of the experimental study are appropriately triangulated.Through triangulation,the study concludes that the professional translators'translation self-evaluation behavior can be observed throughout the whole translation process starting from the evaluation of meaning hypothesis,provisional target text segement,partial results obtained in relation to the intended target text,first draft,and the final draft,ending with the evaluation of the version in use by the clients;that the object of evaluation mainly includes:meaning hypothesis,provisional target text segments,grammar,spelling,punctuations,symbols,expressions,terms,style,meaning,function,and formatting;that the evaluation criteria mainly include:accurate expression of the source language message,professional use of terms,logical arrangement of contents in the target text,conformity to the habitual use of the target language,fluency of the target text,consistency in the use of terms,standard in manuscript form,correct grammar and spelling,easy to understand,meeting the clients requirements,faithful to the source text in style,respecting the reading habit of the target language readers,feasible,compliance with the style guide,stardard use of language and expressions,functionally adequate;that professional translators give priority to the stated or implicit requirements of the clients while making a choice among contradictory applicable criteria for quality evaluation;that the external resources used to aid quality evaluation mainly include:search engines,online encyclopedia,online dictionaries,online translation tools,online interactive platforms,online scholarly data base;that the internal resources used to aid quality evaluation mainly include:bilingual competence,translation knowledge,instrumental competence,and extra-linguistic competence.