The Relationship between Imagination and Translation Ability of Iranian Translation Students

Abstract

This research was conducted in order to determine whether there was a relationship between Iranian translation students’ translation quality and their level of imagination. To this end, a production test of translation (a nontechnical text of around 200 words selected from a sample TOEFL reading section) and a standardized imagination questionnaire (translated into Farsi for easier comprehension) were administered to 310 students of English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch. Out of this total, 205 completed both tests and were thus included in this study: 145 BA students and 60 MA students. The study followed an ex post facto design with no treatment. The subsequent data analysis following the administration of both tests showed a significant correlation between the participants’ translation quality and their level of imagination; furthermore, a linear regression analysis revealed that imagination was a significant predictor of Iranian translation students’ translation ability.