A Comparison Between Paper-Based And Computer-Based Translation Quality Assessment

Translation assignments and examinations used to be conducted on paper.Nowadays,with the development of technology,most translation assignments and examinations are submitted online and graded on the computer.For example,in November 2019,China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters(CATTI)test center introduced computer-based testing in its examinations.Under such circumstances,it is imperative to compare the two modes of grading in terms of reliability and validity.Research in Writing Studies has shown that compared with computer-based grading,raters tend to give higher marks in paper-based grading.In Translation Studies,to date,there has been very few studies comparing the two modes of grading.This study compares computer-based and paper-based gradings,investigates the influence of handwriting quality on the grading,and evaluates the reliability of computer-based translation assessment.Twenty-seven participants marked 29 translations of a text in two modes:computer-based grading of typed translations and paper-based grading of handwritten translations.Results show that both paper-based grading and computer-based grading are reliable,and raters produce relatively consistent scores in the two rating modes.Paired sample t-tests indicate that there are significant differences in scores of assignments with better handwriting quality,and these assignments receive higher scores when graded on paper.In terms of time spent on grading,the paper-based mode requires less time than the computer-based mode.The post-grading questionnaire indicates that raters prefer paper-based rating for it is more convenient and causes less eyestrain.The findings of the study suggest that both computer-based and paper-based gradings are reliable and can be used in translation quality assessment.