The Effects of Translation Training on Handling English into Persian Translation Traps

Abstract

The present study addresses the role of translation training in handling English into Persian translation pitfalls by comparing the quality of translations carried out by non-trained and trained translators in terms of naturalness and closeness. Participants in the study included 15 English teachers who were competent in English but who had not received any translation training (Group1) and 15 BA and MA students of English Translation (Group2). A translation test comprising 15 items which embedded a total of 20 translation traps was developed and the subjects were assigned to take it. Translations were collected and scored in terms of naturalness and closeness. The results obtained from the two groups were indicative of some interesting and meaningful differences. The mean score of the subjects in group 2 (trained translators) turned out to be considerably higher than that of the subjects in group 1 (non-trained translators) implying the effect of training on the quality of translation. The coefficient of correlation between the subjects' being trained or non-trained in translation and their scores on the translation test (worked out through applying the Point Biserial Correlation formula) turned out to be 0.86 indicating the significance of the correlation. Furthermore, an item-to-item analysis of the renderings was carried out which proved that trained translators outperformed non-trained ones in rendering all the items (to a varying degree depending on the nature of the item in hand).