Xiaodong Liu
School of Foreign Studies, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi 417000, China
This paper investigates recent developments in translation process research (TPR) as an emerging sub-discipline of descriptive translation studies by surveying articles published from 2005–2019 in special issues of eight major translation/linguistic journals. The overall trend in the field is first presented, followed by a systematic analysis of the articles in terms of authorship, regional distribution, themes, and methodology. To perform the thematic analysis, a three-layer classification system was developed, which includes the type of translation tasks, the type of study (theoretical/review or data-based research articles), and specific topics addressed in each article. This article presents distribution within each category and sub-category, followed by a discussion of trends and future research directions. The major findings are: 1) 61.36% of the articles in the database were single authored while UK and Spain had the highest number of authored publications; 2) 77.27% of the articles focused on written translation tasks, and 34.09% of the research articles were dedicated to new topics in TPR; 3) 59.38% of the publications employed more than one research method. The outcomes of this study allow future researchers investigating translation processes, such as the specific and in-depth analysis of theoretical models and the combined use of experimental and naturalistic methods, to expand the research landscape and pursue new methodological innovations.
Alves, F. (2003). Triangulating translation. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Alves, F., & Magalhães, C. (2004). Using small corpora to tap and map the process-product interface in translation. Tradterm, 10, 179. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-9511.tradterm.2004.47162
Balling, L. W., Hvelplund, K. T., & Sjørup, A. C. (2014). Evidence of Parallel Processing During Translation. Meta, 59(2), 234–259. https://doi.org/10.7202/1027474ar
Barbara, A., Eliza, K., Christoph, K., & Wolfgang, R. (2015). fMRI for exploring simultaneous interpreting. In: Gilr D, Hansen G, Pokorn NK (editors). Why translation studies matters. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. pp. 237-248.
Bernardini, S. (2001). Think-aloud protocols in translation research. Target, 13(2), 241–263. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.13.2.03ber
Brysbaert, M., & Duyck, W. (2010). Is it time to leave behind the Revised Hierarchical Model of bilingual language processing after fifteen years of service? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 13(3), 359–371. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1366728909990344
Carl, M. (2013). A Computational Cognitive Model of Human Translation Processes. Emerging Applications of Natural Language Processing, 110–128. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-2169-5.ch005
Chmiel, A. (2016). Directionality and context effects in word translation tasks performed by conference interpreters. Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 52(2). https://doi.org/10.1515/psicl-2016-0010
Cho, S. E. (2006). Translator’s Creativity found in the Process of Japanese-Korean Translation*. Meta, 51(2), 378–388. https://doi.org/10.7202/013263ar
de Groot, A. M. B. (2011). Language and Cognition in Bilinguals and Multilinguals. Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203841228
Ehrensberger-Dow, M., & Perrin, D. (2013). Applying a newswriting research approach to translation. Target, 25(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.25.1.07ehr
Gambier, Y., & van Doorslaer, L. (2016). Disciplinary tialogues with translation studies. Border Crossings, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.126.01gam
García, A. M. (2014). The interpreter advantage hypothesis. Translation and Interpreting Studies, 9(2), 219–238. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.9.2.04gar
Grbić, N., & Pöllabauer, S. (2008). Counting what counts. Target, 20(2), 297–332. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.20.2.06grb
Halverson, S. L. (2010). Cognitive translation studies. Translation and Cognition, 349–369. https://doi.org/10.1075/ata.xv.18hal
Holmes, J. S. (1972). The name and nature of translation studies. Reprinted in The Translation Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge.
House, J. (2013). Towards a new linguistic-cognitive orientation in translation studies. Target, 25(1), 46–60. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.25.1.05hou
Hubscher-Davidson, S. (2013). The role of intuition in the translation process. Translation and Interpreting Studies, 8(2), 211–232. https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.8.2.05hub
Hubscher-Davidson, S. (2017). Translation and Emotion. A psychological perspective. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315720388
Jakobsen, A. L. (2014). The development and current state of translation process research. The Known Unknowns of Translation Studies, 65–88. https://doi.org/10.1075/bct.69.05jak
Kosma, A. (2007). The specific functioning of working memory in translation (French). Meta, 52(1), 22–28. https://doi.org/10.7202/014716ar
Kruger, J. L. (2020). Translation, multimodality and cognition. In: The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Cognition. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315178127-28
Lacruz, I., & Jääskeläinen, R. (2018). Innovation and Expansion in Translation Process Research. Amsterdam - Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/ata.xviii
Li, D. (2017). Cognitive processes of translation: Developments and methodologies. Foreign Languages in China, 14(4), 11–13.
Li, D., Victoria, L., & He, Y. (2019). Researching Cognitive Processes of Translation. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1984-6
Lin, X., Lei, V. L. C., & Li, D. (2018). Which is more costly in Chinese to English simultaneous interpreting, “pairing” or “transphrasing”? Evidence from an fNIRS neuroimaging study. Neurophotonics, 5(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.nph.5.2.025010
Liu, X. (2021). Cognitive Processing Routes in Consecutive Interpreting. In: New Frontiers in Translation Studies. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4335-4
Liu, X., & Li, D. (2022). Cognitive processing routes in translation: An empirical study based on the self-built Chinese-English parallel corpus. Journal of Foreign Languages, 45(2), 117–125.
Liu, X., Li, D., Li, L., & He, Y. (2021). Research on cognitive processing routes in translation. Foreign Language Education, 42(4), 83-87.
Liu, X., & Zhou, X. (2021). Review of researching cognitive processes of translation. Across Languages and Cultures, 22(1), 129–133. https://doi.org/10.1556/084.2021.00009
Lu, F., & Yuan, Z. (2019). Explore brain activity during translation and interpreting using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. In: Li D, Victoria L, He Y(editors). Researching cognitive processes of translation. Singapore: Springer. pp. 15–48.
Muñoz Martín, R. (2016). Reembedding translation process research. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Munday, J. (2013). The role of archival and manuscript research in the investigation of translator decision-making. Target, 25(1), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.25.1.10mun
Paradis, M. (1994). Toward a neurolinguistic theory of simultaneous translation: The framework. International Journal of Psycholinguistics, 10(3), 319-335.
Pochhacker, F., & Shlesinger, M. (2002). The interpreting studies reader. London/New York: Routledge.
Schwieter, J. W., & Ferreira, A. (2017). The Handbook of Translation and Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119241485
Sickinger, P. (2017). Aiming for Cognitive Equivalence – Mental Models as a Tertium Comparationis for Translation and Empirical Semantics. Research in Language, 15(2), 213–236. https://doi.org/10.1515/rela-2017-0013
Sun, S., & Xiao, K. (2019). Chinese scholarship in Cognitive Translation Studies. Translation, Cognition and Behavior, 2(1), 125–146. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.00024.sun
Venuti, L., & Venuti, L. (2021). The Translation Studies Reader, 4th ed. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429280641
Yan, J. X., Pan, J., Wu, H., et al. (2013). Mapping interpreting studies: The state of the field based on a database of nine major translation and interpreting journals (2000–2010). Perspectives, 21(3), 446–473. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676x.2012.746379
Copyright © 2024 Xiaodong Liu
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
