1 / 28

Research trends, process and questions

Research trends, process and questions. Some trends in TS research Introduction to the research process Focus on research questions Getting ideas Refining initial idea Formulating questions Questions vs. hypotheses. Research trends. Trends in humanities and TS research.

judson
Télécharger la présentation

Research trends, process and questions

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Research trends, process and questions • Some trends in TS research • Introduction to the research process • Focus on research questions • Getting ideas • Refining initial idea • Formulating questions • Questions vs. hypotheses

  2. Research trends

  3. Trends in humanities and TS research • Interest in impact of phenomena on human life • Tendency towards self-reflexivity • Recognition of the role of subjectivity in scientific research • Legitimation of scientific research as form of political action • Concern with methodology, esp. need to balance subjectivity and objectivity • Rejection of neat categories and idealised constructs; recognition of complexity • Stress on inter/multidisciplinarity Baker 2001

  4. Implications for research • Questioning of normative approaches; increased attention to human agency • Increased interest in questions of ideology and ethics • Increased interest in and respect for qualitative (as opposed to quantitative) methods of research Baker 2001

  5. The future of translation studies research? Tymoczko (2005) • Suggests 6 areas of translation research for the future Tymoczko 2005

  6. 1. Attempts to define translation (1) • Encompasses examinations of linguistic, literary and cultural facets of translation • Approach may focus on translation product (e.g. corpus-based studies, descriptive historical studies) or on translation process (e.g. TAP analysis, studies of translators) Tymoczko 2005

  7. 1. Attempts to define translation (2) • Predicted that these approaches retain usefulness: we continue to learn new things about translation through these studies • In studying processes and products of translation in different places, times and cultures, we can test prescriptive or normative statements about translation • Beyond defining, we want to know more about the concept of translation and its fuzzy boundaries (cf. Halverson 1999); translation as a cluster concept Tymoczko 2005: 1084-5

  8. 2. Internationalisation of translation • Evident in conferences, publications and organisations (e.g. IATIS) • Some non-Western approaches have very different concepts of translation and different associations • From research perspective, we need to move beyond and challenge Western assumptions about translation • More non-Eurocentric studies of translation required (e.g. Cheung 2005) Tymoczko 2005

  9. 3. TS responding to technology and globalisation • Technological advances result in changes in conceptualisation of translation (e.g. Cronin 2003) • Changes in translation modes, e.g. shift from individual translators to team translation via electronic networks • some non-Western models foreground teamwork aspect of translation • English as lingua franca (e.g. Baumgarten, House and Probst 2004) • Importance of multimedia brings greater focus on intersemiotic translation Tymoczko 2005

  10. 4. New perspectives from other disciplines • Historically, TS adapts frames from other disciplines • e.g. linguistics, systems theories, discourse theory, cultural studies, sociology etc. • also smaller frames, e.g. rewriting, representation • Predicted to continue and become more self-reflexive Tymoczko 2005

  11. 5. Relationship of TS to cognitive science • Study of perception, expert systems, etc. • implications: more self-reflexivity in translator training • Predicted growth area due to large body of research in cognitive science Tymoczko 2005

  12. 6. Relationship of TS to neurophysiology • Studying the brain • monolingual vs. bilingual • brain activity during translation • MRI and PET scans • Predicted growth area as the technology becomes more commonplace; shift from focus on individuals to groups Tymoczko 2005

  13. Common features of trends • Increased interdisciplinarity • beyond linguistics and cultural studies, to social sciences and life sciences • Move away from narrow Western perspectives • Translation as cluster concept and open field, becoming ever more diverse • need for greater sophistication as regards research structures, methods • more overt discussion of methodology • more flexible, less prescriptive translation pedagogy Tymoczko 2005

  14. The research process

  15. What does research achieve? • Provides new data • Proposes a new idea • Suggests an answer to a specific question • Tests or refines an existing hypothesis • Proposes and justifies a new hypothesis • Proposes a new methodology • Proposes a new theory Williams and Chesterman 2002: 6-47

  16. Research process: social science perspective • Problem • Hypothesis • Research design • Measurement • Data collection • Data analysis • Generalisation Frankfort-Nachmias and Nachmias 1996: 20)

  17. Research process: translation studies perspective • Identify issue of interest • Formulate research question(s) or hypotheses • Identify relevant theoretical framework or concepts, possible data and methods of analysis • Collect data • Analyse data • Process results, draw conclusions, answer research questions

  18. Formulating research questions

  19. Getting ideas for research • Identify area of own interest • Explore current state of research in the area • resources: human, library/IT and professional • Find out if it’s feasible to work in that area • scope • resources • time Williams and Chesterman 2002: 6-47

  20. Refining the initial idea • Contextualising the idea • To what general area does the topic belong? • What are the different parts of the topic? • How are they related? • What is the history of the topic? • What are the main categories of the topic? • What are the main concepts for the topic? • Name it – be able to answer what, how and why questions, e.g. • I am working on X because I want to find out why/what/how… in order to understand why/how/whether… Williams and Chesterman 2002: 6-47

  21. Research questions • Formulate questions which our research will answer • often one overarching question and several subquestions • they relate specifically to our study • it must be possible to answer those questions by the end of the project • questions may need to be refined as we proceed • Use research questions when we are not explicitly predicting the outcome • Questions are useful when we wish to explore and describe data • Use hypothesis if we can formulate specific answer or expectation

  22. Hypotheses • Hypothesis = tentative answer to a research problem, expressed in terms of relations between variables • independent variable= variable you might try to control; variable which causes change in the dependent one; starting point in a comparison • dependent variable = variable which depends on the independent variable • Hypotheses help us to generalise • We propose and test a hypothesis, then • hypothesis is supported; accept into body of knowledge OR • hypothesis is rejected; new hypothesis can be proposed, tested…

  23. How are hypotheses and questions derived? • Deductively, from theories, from literature • Inductively, from direct observations • By intuition • By a combination of these

  24. Testing hypotheses – ACID Test A = Added value, i.e. does the hypothesis add to our understanding of the phenomenon? C = Comparative value, i.e. in what respects is it better than competing hypotheses? I = Internal value, i.e. is it logical, plausible, with no unnecessary assumptions? D = Data, i.e. does it cover a wider variety of data than competing hypotheses; does it correspond better to the empirical evidence? Williams and Chesterman 2002

  25. For reflection • Identify your area(s) of interest in translation or interpreting studies • Identify some topic(s) of interest within your chosen area • Try to make these topics more precise, e.g. by identifying specific parts of the topics which are of most interest • Think about questions on these topics which you would like to explore further

  26. Reading and at least one of the following publications by Chesterman: Chesterman, Andrew (2001) ‘Empirical Research Methods in Translation Studies’, Erikoiskielet ja käännösteoria (VAKKI-symposiumi XX) 27, 9-22. -------- (2000a) ‘A Causal Model for Translation Studies, in Maeve Olohan (ed.) Intercultural Faultlines. Research models in translation studies I: Textual and cognitive aspects. Manchester: St. Jerome, pp.15-27. -------- (2000b) ‘What Constitutes “Progress” in Translation Studies?’, in Birgitta Englund Dimitrova (ed.), Översättning och tolkning. Rapport från ASLA:s höstsymposium, Stockholm, 5-6 november 1998. Uppsala: ASLA, pp. 33-49. -------- (1998) ‘Causes, Translations, Effects’, Target 10(2): 201-230. Tymoczko, Maria (2005) ‘Trajectories of Research in Translation Studies’, Meta 50(4): 1082-1097. Williams, Jenny and Andrew Chesterman (2002) The Map: A beginner’s guide to doing research in translation studies, Manchester: St. Jerome.

  27. Other references Baker, Mona (2001) ‘The Pragmatics of Cross-cultural Contact and Some False Dichotomies in Translation Studies’, CTIS Occasional Papers 1: 7-20. Baumgarten, Nicole, Juliane House and Julia Probst (2004) ‘English as Lingua Franca in Covert Translation Processes’, The Translator 10(1): 83-108. Cheung, Martha P.Y. (2005) ‘‘To Translate’ Means ‘to Exchange’? A new interpretation of the earliest Chinese attempts to define translation’, Target 17(1): 27-48 Cronin, Michael (2003) Translation and Globalisation, London and New York: Routledge. Frankfort-Nachmias, Chava and David Nachmias (1996) Research Methods in the Social Sciences, London: Arnold. Halverson, Sandra (1999) ‘Conceptual Work and the “Translation” Concept, Target 11(1): 1-31. -------- (2004) ‘Assumed Translation: Reconciling Komissarov and Toury and moving a step forward’, Target 16(2): 341-354. Tymoczko, Maria (2002) ‘Connecting the Two Infinite Orders: Research Methods in Translation Studies’, in Theo Hermans (ed.) Crosscultural Transgressions. Research Models in Translation Studies II: Historical and Ideological Issues, Manchester: St. Jerome, pp. 9-25.

  28. Next: Data, theoretical frameworks, methods of analysis

More Related