Research based on translation expertise, which is also sometimes referred to as translation competence, has been a growing area of investigation in translation studies. These studies have not only focused on how translation expertise may be conceptualised and defined, but also on how this expertise is acquired and developed by translators. One of the key observations that arise from an overview of current research in the field of translation expertise is the prevalence of process-oriented methodologies in the field, with product-oriented methodologies used comparatively infrequently. This study is based on the assumption that product-oriented methodologies, and specifically the corpus-based approach, may provide new insights into translation expertise. The study therefore sets out to address the lack of comprehensive and systematic corpus-based analyses of translation expertise. One of the foremost concerns of corpus-based translation studies has been the investigation of what is known as the features of translated language which are often categorised as: explicitation, simplification, normalisation and levelling-out. The main objective of this study is to investigate the hypothesis that the features of translated language can be taken as an index of translation expertise. The hypothesis is founded on the premise that if the features of translated language are considered to be the textual traces of translation strategies, then the different translation strategies associated with different levels of translation expertise will be reflected in different frequencies and distributions of these features of translated language in the work of experienced and inexperienced translators. The study therefore aimed to determine if there are significant differences in the frequency and distribution of the features of translated language in the work of experienced and inexperienced translators. As background to this main research question, the study also investigated a secondary hypothesis in which translated language demonstrates unique features that are the consequence of various aspects of the translation process. A custom-built comparable English corpus was used for the study, comprising three subcorpora: translations by experienced translators, translations by inexperienced translators, and non-translations. A selection of linguistic operationalization’s was chosen for each of the four features of translated language. The differences in the frequency and distribution of these linguistic operationalization’s in the three sub corpora were analysed by means of parametric or non-parametric ANOVA. The findings of the study provide some support for both hypotheses. In terms of the translation expertise hypothesis, some of the features of translated language demonstrate significantly different frequencies in the work of experienced translators compared to the work of inexperienced translators. It was found that experienced translators are less explicit in terms of: formal completeness, simplify less frequently because they use a more varied vocabulary, use longer sentences and have a lower readability index score on their translations, and use contractions more frequently, which signals that they normalise less than inexperienced translators. However, experienced translators also use neologisms and loanwords less frequently than inexperienced translators, which is suggestive of normalisation occurring more often in the work of experienced translators when it comes to lexical creativity. These linguistic differences are taken as indicative of the different translation strategies used by the two groups of translators. It is believed that the differences are primarily caused by variations in experienced and inexperienced translators‟ sensitivity to translation norms, their awareness of written language conventions, their language competence (which involves syntactic, morphological and vocabulary knowledge), and their sensitivity to register. Furthermore, it was also found that there are indeed significant differences between translated and non-translated language, which also provides support for the second hypothesis investigated in this study. Translators explicitate more frequently than non-translators in terms of formal completeness, tend to have a less extensive vocabulary, tend to raise the overall formality of their translations, and produce texts that are less creative and more conformist than non-translators‟ texts. However, statistical support is lacking for the hypothesis that translators explicitate more at the propositional level than original text producers do, as well as for the hypothesis that translators are inclined to use a more neutral middle register. / MA (Language Practice), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

This thesis argues that website translations can be taken as a form of social control striving to achieve certain political or economic ends by the website owners from a self-representation perspective. Studying the Chinese-to-English translations of the destination sections in four tourism websites, this study aims to derive interpretations as to how the act of translating formulates multiple self-representations, which may be seen as ideological attempts to influence the perceptions of target-text audiences. This thesis has two main parts. The first, Chapters 1 and 2, outlines the research objectives, background information and the conceptualisation of the four cases, and a two-stage comparative method working within an integrated theoretical framework. The second part, Chapters 3 to 5, comprises the empirical findings, discussing how features of discourses hypothetically prominent in a particular dimension of the website context may come to manifest different identities of the website owners. The translation strategies for these features are examined to identify the aspects of these identities changed in the self-representation contexts. Chapter 3 hypothesizes that the common context of the websites is dominated by tourism discourse and other associated discourses. The translation strategies for discourse features expressing a set of shared identities of the website owners suggest that the concepts of consumerism and commodity advertising are re-formulated in the translations. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss further identities of the owners manifested in the diverging sub-contexts of the websites, and underline aspects of these identities foregrounded in the translations. Chapter 4 highlights the diverging organisational identities of the official and corporate websites. The translation strategies for certain organisational features show that different organisational stances, different beneficiaries and different business rivals of the two categories of websites are emphasised in the translations. Studying the identity of being ‘Chinese people’ formulated by certain re-presented features of local discourse, Chapter 5 points to the differences between the national images re-presented by the China websites and the regional images foregrounded by the HK websites in their translations. Finally, the conclusions summarize various notions relating to the multiple identities re-formulated in the self-representation context, as well as their economic and political implications.

The concept of [hebrew characters] (tsedeqah) is a cardinal feature of the prophetic teaching. A study of the prophetic literature in the Old Testament reveals that the Hebrew word [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] and cognates appear about one hundred and sixty times. This frequent usage emphasizes the significant place the concept of [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] had in the thinking and preaching of the prophets. The impact of the prophets delcarations is greatly dimished for many readers, however, by the wide range of diversity in the Greek and English translations of [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] and its cognate words.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

This research is located within the framework of descriptive translation studies and corpus-based contrastive discourse analysis. Modern Translation Studies has growingly taken into account the complexities of culture-specific expressions in literary translation. Conference interpreting setting has paradoxically not been touched upon. Through an empirical case study of the interpretation of Chinese culture-specific expressions in ten Chinese Premier’s Press Conferences, this thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of interpreting culture-specific expressions in a conference interpreting setting. Methodologically, this thesis integrates the linguistic approach with the culture-oriented approach, empiricism with interpretivism and quantitative with qualitative research. It began with a detailed transcription of ten unrevised press conference video recordings downloaded from Internet. With such transcription, the specialized corpora constituted by the Chinese culture-specific expressions and their interpretations were built and coded innovatively using the four translation strategies converted from the six kernel theories within the theoretical framework of this thesis. Contrastive discourse analysis of the specialized corpora was carried out against such extra-textual resources as the media coverage of the press conference, the lectures given by the government interpreters and so on. Translation norms that reflect the regularities of how the four translation strategies are used were derived from such large-scale case studies and tested against more cases before being qualitatively analyzed to explain why they exist and how they were manifested in the selection of translation strategies in the specialized corpora. This thesis claims contribution to existing literature in terms of theory and methodology. Theoretically, it proposed six translation norms of the use of four translation strategies for the five categories of the Chinese culture-specific expressions in the Chinese Premier’s Press Conferences with a core argument that the interpreters’ selection of translation strategies is subject more to contexts than to their subjectivity, which empirically confirms for the first time Eco-translatology Theory’s central claim that an interpreter selects translation strategies by adapting to contexts. In addition, as a pioneering study on cultural expressions under conference interpreting context, this research increases the explanatory power of relevant translation theories because it spans literary translation and conference interpreting. Methodologically, translation strategies were converted from relevant translation theories and used as descriptive categories for corpus-based contrastive analysis, which constitutes an originality in contrast to previous research that teem with researcher-named strategies and confuse translation strategies with translation methods. Furthermore, this research improves transcription coding and corpus building tactics, making data analysis not only more systematic but also more accessible to readers who do not know both languages.

This thesis deals with the question of how vulgarisms are translated in the context of a literary text. First we sum up the theories of expressivity used in both common and literary communication. We point out the main typological differences between Czech and French as well as the key cultural differences in the perception of expressivity. We define the term 'vulgarism' and try to outline the use of substandard language in both Czech and French literature. In the following chapter Michel Houellebecq, his work and the fundamental traits of his writing style are presented. We also look at the reception of the Czech translation of Houellebecq's novel Les Particules élémentaires. Then we analyse the translation, focusing on the transfer of vulgarisms in order to trace and evaluate the translation method used to convey the vulgar elements of the original work.

The thesis is concerned with the little explored phenomenon of subtitling of live theatre broadcasts. Its aim is to describe the subtitling practice and the outer process of the translation, to determine the translation norms applied in this domain and to monitor reception of the final product. The descriptive thesis explores the translation practice of the NT Live series, which is one of a kind in the Czech Republic. Several case studies help to explore the reception and translation norms. The research makes use of both qualitative methods, such as semi- structured interview and comparative translation analysis, and quantitative methods, such as standardized questionnaire. The results are interpreted with regard to theoretical findings of translation studies in areas related to the subtitling of live theatre broadcasts. The thesis concludes that the client's requirements are minimal and the norms are gradually established by the subtitlers themselves, or adopted from television subtitling practice. Although the live cuing of the subtitles is an inseparable part of the translation process, there is little cooperation between the subtitlers and those who cue subtitles during the broadcast. Concerning reception, the audience is rather satisfied with the subtitles, but it could be advisable to revise...

The topic of this thesis is Play Strindberg (1969), a play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, which is an adaptation of Strindberg's drama The Dance of Death (1901). The thesis first discusses the context of the play's origin and the reactions to its first showing. It then goes on to analyze nine Czech theatrical productions of Play Strindberg and also one made by the Czech television. The main part of the thesis presents a detailed criticism of two of the drama's translations (1969 and 1989) based on Katharina Reiß' translation analysis model. Both translations meet the requirements for a functional translation. Curriculum vitas of translators Bohumil Černík (*1924) and Jiří Stach (*1930) are also enclosed.

The aim of this Master's thesis is to present the renowned Spanish author Francisco Ayala as a translator and translation theorist. The core of the thesis is then the analysis of Ayala's main writings concerning translation. Moreover, we outline the history of translation and translation studies in Spain and Hispanic America to put Ayala's work into a broader context. We also inquire into other areas of Ayala's interest closely related to translation − publishing, lexicography and professional proofreading. To conclude the thesis, we discuss the general situation of the exiled Spanish translators who worked in Hispanic America during the Franco's regime.

Student Number : 9613926H - MA research report - School of Translators and Interpreters - Faculty of Humanities / This dissertation attempts to offer a contribution to the field of translation by applying the practices of descriptive translation studies to a corpus of Chemistry terms in English and translated into Sepedi in order to establish whether the translation strategies opted for prove successful in promoting Sepedi to be a language for special purposes (LSP). The theoretical framework which is used in this project is the model of Baker (1992) of translation strategies of Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS). DTS is one of the three main branches of Translation Theory (Holmes, 1972). It differs from the other approaches in that it does not offer a set of guidelines which dictate how a translation should be done. Attention was also paid to theories of translation, such as those of Lawrence Venuti (2000) and his concepts of domesticating and foreignising translation in order to establish whether the translators have domesticated or foreignised the text and to what extent? Both strategies are evident in the corpus. This project also focused on the issue of the mother tongue education in the South African context with the emphasis on the perceptions and attitudes of learners and educators towards translated materials. Learners and their educators show some resistance to the use of local African languages, specifically Sepedi as medium of instruction in high schools. Reasons for their resistance against mother tongue education are economic and political. African languages are regarded as “low languages”, languages of inferior status as compared to English and Afrikaans.