Unit6: assess:

-          What to assess: accuracy, naturalness, clarity, consistency

-          How to assess:

1.       Comparing with the source text(retrospective assessment)

Aim: to measure meaning equivalence-> make sure: no omissions (bỏ sót, no additions, no changes of meaning.

Procedures: a drafts of translation (with double spacing and wide margin) and the source text.

2.       Back – translation into the source text

Aim: to measure meaning equivalence, to look for differences in meaning between the source text and the translation.

Procedure:

-          Who is the back-translator: a person with good command in both languages and trained as a back- translator.

-          This person makes the back-translation without having read the source text.

-          In translating: natural and clear forms , in back-translating: literal forms but normal form of the eg

Note: back-translation maybe a poor of a good translation and vice versa-> choosing a qualified back translator is important

3.       Measuring comprehension

Aim: find out what the translation communicates to its intended audience.

Procedures:

-          Tester: the translator or some other person trained to do the task

-          Respondents: ordinary people who can represent the intended readership of the text.

4.       Comparing with non-translated parallel text.

Aim: checking translation against expectancy norms

Procedures: compare with parallel texts ( text with the same thematic content but not translation)

5.       Measuring naturalness

Aim: to see if the translation has a natural form and an appropriate style.

Procedures:

-          Reviewers (with skill in the TL, the awareness of the naturalness in the language and training for the task)

-          Read the translation and make suggestions for improvements in the naturalness and style of the translation.   

6.       Measuring the readability

Aim: to identify possible problem of information load; to see whether the text has a good style; a text is easy to read because it has a good style, a pleasing rhythm, and moves a long at an acceptable pace.

Procedures: someone read the translation aloud.

7.       Measuring consistency

Aim: to ensure the consistency in terms of content; to ensure the consistency the technical details of the presentation

Procedure: careful proof reading done by the translator or some other person