Retrospection in interpreting and translation: explaining the process?

Abstract

Retrospection is one of the few research methods equally suitable for studying the processes involved in both translation and interpreting. At the first workshop on research methods in process-oriented research (Graz 2009), we presented the results of a pilot study of retrospection as a research method, published as Englund Dimitrova & Tiselius (2009). The study involved data from two groups (15 years of professional experience vs. no professional experience), each with 3+3 subjects (interpreter subjects vs. translator subjects, all with Swedish as their L1). The source text was a 10-minute plenary speech in English from the European Parliament, interpreted simultaneously into Swedish. For the translation data, the translator subjects translated the original European Parliament transcript of the speech, 1,093 words, using Translog. After the task, subjects did immediate retrospection. The first analysis of the data indicated that a challenge when using retrospection is that subjects tend to report having forgotten about some of their processes.In this paper we report an analysis of the process data in relation to the retrospective protocols. Our focus is on reported problems and the occurrences of problem indicators in the process. It was found that most reported problems are confirmed by the presence of problem indicators in the process. However, the majority of problem indicators found in the process do not correspond to any reported problem. Hence, the subjects' problem reports can only explain a limited number of the potential problems http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2014.ne1.5 Birgitta Englund Dimitrova & Elisabet TiseliusMonTI Special Issue -Minding Translation (2014: 177-200). ISSN 1889-4178 in the process. The need for further research into retrospection as a research method in Translation Studies is pointed out. ResumenLa retrospección es uno de los pocos métodos de investigación igualmente adecuados para estudiar los procesos de traducción y de interpretación. En el primer taller sobre métodos de investigación de procesos (Graz 2009), se presentaron los resultados de un estudio piloto sobre la retrospección como método de investigación, publicado como Englund Dimitrova & Tiselius ( 2009) . El estudio incluía datos de dos grupos (15 años de experiencia profesional frente a inexperiencia profesional), cada uno con 3+3 sujetos (intérpretes y traductores, todos con sueco como L1). El texto original era un discurso de 10 minutos en inglés del Parlamento Europeo, interpretado simultá-neamente al sueco. Para la traducción, los sujetos traductores usaron la transcripción original del discurso, de 1.093 palabras, usando Translog. Tras la tarea, los sujetos efectuaron retrospección inmediata. El primer análisis de los datos indicó que un reto al usar la retrospección es que los sujetos tienden a informar que han olvidado algunos de sus procesos.Este trabajo presenta un análisis de los datos del proceso en relación con los protocolos retrospectivos. Nuestra atención se ha centrado en contrastar los proble...

Making the Most of Retrospective Process Tracing in Dialogue Interpreting Research

“…One parameter that tends to vary from study to study is the timing of the post-task session/retrospection. While the majority of scholars report carrying out retrospection immediately after task completion (e.g., Ivanova, 2000aIvanova, , 2000bMead, 2002;Bartlomiejczyk, 2006;Gumul, 2006;Chang and Schallert, 2007;Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2009;Tiselius and Jenset, 2011;Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2014;Hild, 2015;Shamy and de Pedro Ricoy, 2017;Herring, 2018;Tiselius, 2018b), some scholars report carrying out post-task interviews as many as a few days or even weeks after task completion (e.g., Monacelli, 2000;Vik-Tuovinen, 2002;G.C. Major, 2013;G.…”

“…• read a SL transcript and recall everything they can (Ivanova, 2000a(Ivanova, , 2000bEnglund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2009;Tiselius and Jenset, 2011;Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2014;Hild, 2015), with the researcher present/observing but providing no or minimal prompts/interaction; sometimes followed by a debriefing interview.…”

“…Throughout the session, researchers should (re)act as little as possible, taking a passive role. As previously stated, the aim of retrospective process tracing is to tap into the participant's thoughts/actions during the actual event, with as little interference as possible, rather than to lead the participant to (re)create or (re)construct what might have happened (Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2014). Thus, the researcher's interventions should be kept to a minimum.…”

“…As has been discussed in the literature, the cognitive processes involved in interpreting are difficult to observe and study, inasmuch as, on the one hand, they are not directly observable, and, on the other, interpreters may not be conscious of said processes (Shlesinger, 2000;Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2009;Alvstad, Hild, and Tiselius, 2011;Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius, 2014). Researchers studying the processes involved in interpreting must use methods that tap into the interpreter's brain at work.…”

Tecnologías de interpretación asistida por ordenador y cognición de intérpretes: una perspectiva orientada hacia el producto y el proceso.

“…Whereas process research that focuses on translator behavior can be automated to some extent using keystroke logging, eye-tracking or screen recording technologies, interpreting process research requires a different approach to understand interpreter cognition. Englund Dimitrova and Tiselius (2009Tiselius ( , 2014, for instance, employ retrospective verbalizations to prompt participants to reflect on their work after it has been completed.…”