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Research on Dictionary Use by Trainee Translators
https://www.proz.com/translation-articles/articles/227/1/Research-on-Dictionary-Use-by-Trainee-Translators
Author: Maria del Mar Sanchez
Mar�a del Mar S�nchez Ramos obtained her degree in English Philology from the University of Granada (Spain) and received her Ph.D. in Translation Studies from the Universitat Jaume I (Castellon, Spain). Her research interests are translator training, pedagogical lexicography, and e-learning and translation, among others. She has published several articles related to these lines of research. Currently, she is an active member of different research projects, such as ADELEX (Assessing and Developing Lexical Competence through the Internet). By Maria del Mar Sanchez
Published on 06/7/2005 |
t is a generally held belief that using dictionaries efficiently can provide valuable benefits to trainee translators. However, as some authors have stated (Roberts, 1992; Mackintosh, 1998; Corpas et al., 2001), there has not been enough empirical research to establish the profile of trainee translators as dictionary users. In this paper, we outline the results we obtained from an empirical research carried out among students of Translation Studies at University Jaume I (Castellon, Spain) in order to understand the situation of our students. In the first part of this paper, we briefly discuss questions related to offline dictionaries (type of dictionary, frequency of use, reasons for looking up words, difficulties when using dictionaries, etc.). In the second part, we look at to what point our students are familiar with electronic reference tools, mainly dictionaries in CD-ROM format and online dictionaries.
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Fig. 1
3.3. Analysis of results
The analysis of data provided valuable information related to dictionary use by our students. In the following, we present a brief description of some of the results we obtained4.
- Type of dictionary . First, one of our aims was to know the type of dictionary students mostly used. Table 1 shows that 87.8% of our students used a bilingual dictionary, followed by an English monolingual dictionary (10.2%) and only 2% selected a Spanish monolingual dictionary. We have to point out that the use of an English monolingual dictionary increases in advanced courses (table 2). This fact, that is, the increasing number of students using monolingual dictionaries in L1 and L2, has been highlighted by other scholars (Battengburg, 1984; Corpas et al. 2001, 246).
- Use of appendices and introductions . We exposed our subjects to a list of options including the most common information appendices shown in the different dictionaries. As other studies focused on learners of languages have mentioned (Hartman, 1999; Bejoint, 1981), above all the options offered, trainee translators generally used the list of abbreviations, list of irregular verbs and grammatical information.
- Frequency of use . Generally, our students used the bilingual dictionary every day and the English and Spanish monolingual dictionaries once a week. As table 4 shows, the more advanced the level, the less the frequency of use. It is also important to point out the percentage of students that used dictionaries less than once a week. This fact reflects the autonomy that students begin to experience and, probably, the use of other strategies (i.e. use of context) to solve translation problems.
- Aim of use . Translation students employed the bilingual dictionary mainly for direct translation (44.9%) and reading comprehension (33.7%). Percentages for writing, speaking and reverse translation were very low. Results for the English monolingual dictionary were similar. And, finally, the Spanish monolingual dictionary was used for productive purposes (38.8%), direct translation (27.6%), and reading comprehension (25.5%).
- Reasons for looking up words . We offered several options which students had to rank in terms of priority. It should be noted that our final results are similar to those obtained by Mackintosh (1998) or Corpas et al. (2001). Thus, our students used the bilingual dictionary to look for equivalent terms (80.6%), spelling (25.5%), and examples (18.4%). Concerning the English monolingual dictionary, we observed that trainee translators looked for definitions (74.5%) and spelling (22.4%). And, finally, the Spanish monolingual dictionary was used to look for definitions (60.2%), spelling (30.6%), and usage labels (33.7%).
- Difficulties of use when looking up words . Our questionnaire also explored the difficulties students experienced when looking up words. The first problem they mentioned was that they did not find words they looked for (31.6%). Secondly, students complained that it was extremely difficult to find the specific information they were looking for (32.7%). And, finally, trainee translators were unable to understand definitions (26.5%).
- Reasons for difficulties . It is worth noting that students attributed the bulk of their difficulties to the dictionary itself. In fact, our students believed that these problems were mainly due to their own dictionary (45.9%) and very few considered these problems related to other reasons such as their lack of familiarity with the dictionary (25.5%), lack of dictionary skills (10.3%) or unclear layout of the dictionary (12.2%).
- Instructions in dictionary use . Closely related to the previous questions was the one concerning explicit training or instruction in how to use a dictionary. When commenting on instruction in dictionary use, it turned out that most students had not been taught how to use dictionaries (45.9%) and among those answering "yes" only 2% had received exhaustive instruction.
- Electronic reference tools . We wanted to know if our students were familiar with electronic dictionaries, one of the tools we believe essential as supporting material for professional and trainee translators. In general terms, students were not aware of any electronic dictionaries on CD-ROM: bilingual dictionary (70.4%), English monolingual dictionary (78.6%) and Spanish monolingual dictionary (60.2%). In contrast, trainee translators were familiar with on-line electronic reference tools. Most students (61.2%) knew online bilingual dictionaries (Cambridge dictionaries online, Babylon, Vox). This fact could also be applied to English monolingual dictionaries (41.8%)�Oxford, Merriam-Webster, Wordmisht, American Heritage Dictionary�and the Spanish monolingual ones (64.3%)�Spanish Royal Academy dictionary and Vox. Nevertheless, these results were not so encouraging if we take into account that our students did not consider themselves "good dictionary users" (only 4.1% defined themselves as good users).
- Advantages and disadvantages of electronic dictionaries . In terms of advantages and disadvantages of electronic dictionaries, trainee translators highlighted quick access, accessibility, and usefulness as the main advantages and they mentioned lack of skills in using online dictionaries as the main disadvantage.
| Most used type of dictionary | |
| Bilingual dictionary | 87.8% |
| English monolingual dictionary | 10.2% |
| Spanish monolingual dictionary | 2% |
Table 1
| Most used type of dictionary | Translation | Translation (intermediate level) |
| Bilingual dictionary | 91.8% | 83.7% |
| English monolingual dictionary | 8.2% | 12.2% |
| Spanish monolingual dictionary | ��� | 4.1% |
Table 2
We also asked students about the specific types of dictionaries they used (table 3). Regarding bilingual dictionaries, students selected the Oxford bilingual dictionary (62.2%) and the Collins bilingual dictionary (58.2%). Other reference tools such as Cambridge, Vox, Sopena, Langenscheit, Harrap or Longman obtained very low percentages. Concerning English monolingual dictionaries, students again showed preferences for one published by Oxford (64.3%) and Collins (29.6%). Finally, in the case of the Spanish monolingual dictionaries, there was no doubt about their favourite: the Spanish dictionary edited by the Royal Spanish Academy of Language (68.4%).
| Appendices and introductions | List of abbreviations | List of irregular verbs | Grammatical information |
| Bilingual dictionary | 31.6% | 28.6% | 30.6% |
| English monolingual dictionary | 28.6% | 30.6% | 30.6% |
| Spanish monolingual dictionary | 38.8% | ��- | 37.8% |
Table 3
It is also interesting to note that information about usage guide occupied one of the last positions. This suggests that our students hardly take advantage of these guides, which is not a very encouraging result if we take into account that they provide some useful information (organization of information, pronunciation guide, etc.). Familiarity with usage guides could produce an immediate effect in both understanding and time reduction of the looking-up process.
| Bilingual dictionary | Translation for beginners | Translation (intermediate level) |
| Every day | 70.8% | 59.2% |
| Twice/three times a day | 16.7% | 6.1% |
| Once a week | 12.5% | 28.6% |
| Less than once a week | ��- | 6.1% |
Table 4
| English monolingual dictionary | Translation for beginners | Translation (intermediate level) |
| Every day | 26.5% | 20.4% |
| Twice/three times a day | 8.2% | 6.1% |
| Once a week | 51% | 49% |
| Less than once a week | 14.3% | 24.5% |
Table 5
| Spanish monolingual dictionary | Translation for beginners | Translation (intermediate level) |
| Everyday | 40.8% | 36.7% |
| Twice/three times a day | 4.1% | 4.1% |
| Once a week | 42.9% | 44.9% |
| Less than once a week | 12.2% | 14.3% |
Table 6
| Bilingual dictionary | % |
| Writing | 17.3 |
| Reading comprehension | 33.7 |
| Listening | 1 |
| Translation into the mother tongue | 44.9 |
| Translation into the foreign language | 3.1 |
Table 7
| English monolingual dictionary | % |
| Writing | 26.5 |
| Speaking | 1 |
| Reading comprehension | 28.6 |
| Translation into the mother tongue | 41.8 |
| Translation into the foreign language | 2 |
Table 8
| Spanish monolingual dictionary | % |
| Writing | 38.8 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Reading comprehension | 25.5 |
| Translation into the mother tongue | 2 |
| Translation into the foreign language | 27.6 |
Table 9
The second part of the questionnaire aimed to ascertain if our students used other types of reference material, specifically electronic tools. In the following paragraphs, we will describe some of the results we obtained.
4. Conclusions
In this paper we have given an account of the study we carried out with 98 trainee translators to discover their profile as dictionary users. It was our main objective to highlight the relationship between dictionaries and trainee translators due to the fact that we are aware of the importance of using dictionaries efficiently during the translation process. On the whole, our results confirm the general and theoretical assumptions obtained by other scholars about dictionary use and trainee translators (Mackintosh, 1998; Roberts, 1990; Varantola, 1998; Corpas et al., 2001), which enhance the view that our students need more training and, therefore, instruction in dictionary use. Up to this point, we have to comment that this research is a sample of what happened with our students, that is, these results cannot be extended to all students of translation. Nevertheless, in our opinion, we believe these results can contribute to our knowledge about trainee translators as dictionary users. To summarize the results of this questionnaire, we can point out two general ideas and conclude that:
- Our students need instruction in dictionary skills
- Our students need to become familiar with electronic dictionaries and other reference material
Bearing these conclusions in mind, we hope to eventually move to further research by administering similar questionnaires to a more representative sample of trainee translators in order to gain knowledge of the general profile of students of translation and reflect on the pedagogical implications of developing dictionary skills among our students.
Notes
1 This article is part of a research project (Ref: BFF2003-02561) entitled "Evaluaci�n y Desarrollo de la Competencia L�xica a trav�s de Internet en la Titulaci�n de Filolog�a Inglesa". This project is financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.
2 Nesi (2000) describes in detail the main research work carried out about dictionary use and learners of languages. This quantity of academic work proves that this type of research is a well-developed area of study in this field.
3 Despite the fact that we should treat the use of questionnaires to elicit information with caution (Hatherall, 1994), we believe that they are adequate tools for providing preliminary data of a concrete research.
4 The complete questionnaire can be obtained from S�nchez Ramos (2004)
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Maria's web page can be found at: http://www.ugr.es/~msramos/