The advance of corpus-based methodology in translation studies has greatly enhanced our understanding of the nature of translational language. While most research efforts have focused on identifying the unique features of translations carried out by professionals, comparatively fewer studies have investigated the linguistic features of student translations. In this corpus-based study, we examined if learner translations carried out by Hong Kong students exhibited lexical simplification features vis-à-vis comparable written texts. The study was based on two comparable corpora, i.e., the International Corpus of English in Hong Kong (ICE-HK) and the Parallel Learner Translation Corpus (PLTC) compiled at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Following Laviosa (1998), we compared four main lexical features (lexical density, type-token ratio, core vocabulary and list head coverage) to investigate if student translations showed a simplification trend. The results demonstrated that Chinese-to-English translation was not lexically simpler than ESL writing. Furthermore, it was lexically denser than ESL writing. Our study aims to provide new insights into learner translation as a form of constrained communication.
Lexical simplification in learner translation: A corpus-based approach
Sara LAVIOSA
Membro del Collaboration Group
;
2023-01-01
Abstract
The advance of corpus-based methodology in translation studies has greatly enhanced our understanding of the nature of translational language. While most research efforts have focused on identifying the unique features of translations carried out by professionals, comparatively fewer studies have investigated the linguistic features of student translations. In this corpus-based study, we examined if learner translations carried out by Hong Kong students exhibited lexical simplification features vis-à-vis comparable written texts. The study was based on two comparable corpora, i.e., the International Corpus of English in Hong Kong (ICE-HK) and the Parallel Learner Translation Corpus (PLTC) compiled at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Following Laviosa (1998), we compared four main lexical features (lexical density, type-token ratio, core vocabulary and list head coverage) to investigate if student translations showed a simplification trend. The results demonstrated that Chinese-to-English translation was not lexically simpler than ESL writing. Furthermore, it was lexically denser than ESL writing. Our study aims to provide new insights into learner translation as a form of constrained communication.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
