What lies behind good and poor translation from the perspective of translator trainees?

Abstract

Success and failure are like the two sides of the same coin, and as humans, we tend to find reasons for our successes and failures in life. Doing translations undoubtedly presents a professional environment in which it is quite natural to experience both success and failure. However, how we perceive success and failure, and how we approach them makes this process more meaningful. Therefore, this study dwells upon the students' perceptions regarding the causes of success and failure in performing translation. Preparatory class and first year students in translator training program in Turkey constituted the participants in this study. Data were collected through two types of attribution questionnaire. The first type was open-ended and qualitative in nature. The second type, developed from the students' own responses in the first type of the questionnaire, measured the degree of importance of their attributions quantitatively. Thus, the study used a mixed methods design. The qualitative data were subjected to content analysis, and the quantitative data were analysed via Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The study revealed university students' perceived reasons for both favourable and unfavourable translation, providing insights for all stakeholders in translation, to help make the work more constructive, conscious and fruitful.