Abstracts
Abstract
Mainly structured around issues revealed in a questionnaire survey among 25 eminent translation process researchers worldwide, this paper deals with methodological issues in think-aloud-based translation process research from two perspectives: theoretical and practical. It argues that there is no strong evidence suggesting that TAP significantly changes or influences the translation process, though TAP’s validity and completeness in a specific study might depend more or less on several variables. TAP and such recording methods as keystroke logging and eye tracking serve different specific research purposes, so they can be combined in a multimethod study to answer more complex research questions. Several research designs are available for a multimethod study, and researchers are encouraged to try designs other than one-shot case studies or convergence design. As for the research procedure, this paper touches upon how to transcribe and analyze the protocols. Many stereotypes in this field have been problematized. For example, this paper suggests that researchers transcribe as much as necessary rather than doing a “complete” transcription, or they can even skip the step of transcribing; in choosing test materials, researchers do not have to choose whole passages; they can use a group of sentences.
Keywords:
- think-aloud protocols (TAP),
- translation process,
- cognition,
- methodology
Résumé
Le présent article traite, sous les angles théorique et pratique, de problèmes méthodologiques qui surviennent dans le cadre de recherches sur le processus de traduction se fondant sur les protocoles de verbalisation (PV). Il se fonde sur des questions qui ont été soulevées à partir d’une enquête menée internationalement auprès de 25 chercheurs éminents du domaine. Il est proposé qu’il n’y a pas de données probantes suggérant que les PV changent ou influencent de manière significative le processus de traduction, bien que la validité et la complétude des PV, dans une étude particulière, puissent dépendre de plusieurs variables. Les PV, ainsi que d’autres méthodes comme l’enregistrement de la frappe et l’oculométrie, répondent à des objectifs de recherche différents, et ils peuvent donc être associés dans le cadre d’une étude faisant appel à des méthodes multiples. Plusieurs plans expérimentaux sont alors possibles, ce qui rend possibles des travaux plus approfondis que les études de cas uniques ou les mesures de convergence. Par ailleurs, les méthodes de transcription et d’analyse sont évoquées. Plusieurs idées reçues à ce sujet sont discutées. Ainsi, il est suggéré que les chercheurs ne transcrivent que ce qui est nécessaire, plutôt que de faire une transcription complète, ou ils peuvent même sauter l’étape de transcription ; s’ils choisissent leur matériel expérimental, ils n’ont pas à retenir des passages complets, ils peuvent utiliser des groupes de phrases.
Mots-clés :
- protocoles de verbalisation (PV),
- processus de traduction,
- cognition,
- méthodologie
Appendices
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