How Users Read Translated Web Pages: Occupational and Purpose-Based Differences
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES Yoonji Choi ADVERTIMENT. L'accés als continguts d'aquesta tesi doctoral i la seva utilització ha de respectar els drets de la persona autora. Pot ser utilitzada per a consulta o estudi personal, així com en activitats o materials d'investigació i docència en els termes establerts a l'art. 32 del Text Refós de la Llei de Propietat Intel·lectual (RDL 1/1996). Per altres utilitzacions es requereix l'autorització prèvia i expressa de la persona autora. En qualsevol cas, en la utilització dels seus continguts caldrà indicar de forma clara el nom i cognoms de la persona autora i el títol de la tesi doctoral. No s'autoritza la seva reproducció o altres formes d'explotació efectuades amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva comunicació pública des d'un lloc aliè al servei TDX. Tampoc s'autoritza la presentació del seu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX (framing). Aquesta reserva de drets afecta tant als continguts de la tesi com als seus resums i índexs. ADVERTENCIA. El acceso a los contenidos de esta tesis doctoral y su utilización debe respetar los derechos de la persona autora. Puede ser utilizada para consulta o estudio personal, así como en actividades o materiales de investigación y docencia en los términos establecidos en el art. 32 del Texto Refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual (RDL 1/1996). Para otros usos se requiere la autorización previa y expresa de la persona autora. En cualquier caso, en la utilización de sus contenidos se deberá indicar de forma clara el nombre y apellidos de la persona autora y el título de la tesis doctoral. No se autoriza su reproducción u otras formas de explotación efectuadas con fines lucrativos ni su comunicación pública desde un sitio ajeno al servicio TDR. Tampoco se autoriza la presentación de su contenido en una ventana o marco ajeno a TDR (framing). Esta reserva de derechos afecta tanto al contenido de la tesis como a sus resúmenes e índices. WARNING. Access to the contents of this doctoral thesis and its use must respect the rights of the author. It can be used for reference or private study, as well as research and learning activities or materials in the terms established by the 32nd article of the Spanish Consolidated Copyright Act (RDL 1/1996). Express and previous authorization of the author is required for any other uses. In any case, when using its content, full name of the author and title of the thesis must be clearly indicated. Reproduction or other forms of for profit use or public communication from outside TDX service is not allowed. Presentation of its content in a window or frame external to TDX (framing) is not authorized either. These rights affect both the content of the thesis and its abstracts and indexes. UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI YOONJI CHOI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES DOCTORAL THESIS UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI Tarragona 2016 UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI YOONJI CHOI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES DOCTORAL THESIS Supervised by Dr. Anthony Pym Intercultural Studies Group UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI Tarragona 2015 UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI Abstract We know from previous research that translators read differently from ordinary readers. And we know that users rarely read the linguistic text in web pages - only when readers have to perform a certain task and a usability error happens do they read text. Even so, readers focus on only parts or specific text that will help them resolve issues. Previous research is thus basically on non-reading, as opposed to the way translations are actually read on some occasions. There has been increasing research on how to improve usability and bring excitement to web sites in terms of web design. However, there has not been much research on how readers read translated web pages, or indeed on how translators read translated web pages. My research thus examines reading-pattern differences between translators and non-translators, and also between those groups when reading with different purposes. In order to compare occupational differences, the research used two reading groups: a “heavy-reading” group, whose participants are reading professionals such as translators, editors and proofreaders in Korean, and a “light-reading” group, whose professions do not involve intensive reading, such as chefs, engineers, and military personnel. Each group had ten participants, male and female, aged from 27 to 47. The participants in the heavy-reading group held a minimum of a Master’s degree in translation, and they were proficient in both English and Korean, as their professions require. The participants in the light-reading group were proficient in Korean only. The research studies how different reading purposes affect reading patterns. The participants in both groups completed four different tasks that were designed to provoke four different reading purposes: 1) reading without a specific task, 2) reading for studying subject matter, 3) reading for retrieving information, and 4) reading for sharing information. In order to learn more about how readers perceive translation errors and to test the relations between the reading patterns and the reading purposes, five different types of translation errors were planted in a web page. The errors were based on the categories in the LISA evaluation form: Mistranslation, County Standard, Style, Language and Consistency. A web page from Apple was used for the test. The source text was about new features of iOS 7in English, and the officially translated and published version of the web page was used for the test, with some translation errors planted. The participants’ i UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI How users read translated web pages screen activity was recorded by screen-recording software, and TAPs were used for their verbal reports. Analysis of the recording and TAP produced abundant data. In-depth analysis of the results suggests that occupations and reading purposes have statistically meaningful impacts on the reading patterns of the translated web page. In particular, translation errors are perceived differently by readers when the reading purposes and occupations vary. The heavy-reading group showed very strict bottom-up approaches, with linear and thorough reading, whereas the light-reading group showed relaxed top-down approaches, with circular and not-thorough reading. The heavy group showed much higher error detection rates, with highly critical attitudes in most cases, while the light-reading group showed extremely low error detection rates, with relaxed attitudes. Mistranslation and Country Standard errors were considered the most serious by both groups. Surprisingly, the tolerance level of translation errors was much higher in the heavy-reading group, and the frustration level of incomprehension was much higher in the light-reading group. The authority of the company producing the site also heavily influenced the trust level of the light-reading group. The current tendency of the localization industry is to concentrate on avoiding errors rather than seeking high usability in translation. The results here suggest that this approach can dramatically increase the frustration level among ordinary users. This frustration leads readers to stop reading, and can ultimately damage the authority that set in place the readers’ initial presumptions. This can be even more critical for those companies whose names are not well-known, as ordinary readers’ top-down reading pattern, combined with the influence of authority, can easily develop a negative image. The research further asks whether exceptional reading skills are necessary to do translation. If a translator has low reading skills such as were found in the light-reading group, are the translators bound to produce low-quality translation? If the answer is yes, wouldn’t it be only the heavy-reading group that would notice the problem anyway? If the answer is no, what would be the point at which the readers decide the translation is so bad that they lose trust in the web page and eventually develop a negative perception of the brand name? Determining that point may help companies decide where and how to invest their resources in localizing web pages and potentially other products. Finding answers to the questions will also lead to many interesting questions on the correlations between reading skills and translation techniques, and the relations between brand image and the threshold in reading frustration. ii UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI DEPARTAMENT D’ESTUDIS ANGLESOS I ALEMANYS Professor Anthony Pym URV. Avda. Catalunya 35 43002 Tarragona, Spain Tel. 977 559 755 [email protected] November 17, 2015 I hereby certify that the present study How users read translated web pages: Occupational and purpose-based differences, presented by Yoonji Choi for the award of the degree of Doctor, has been carried out under my supervision at the Department of English and Germanic Studies of Rovira and Virgili University. Professor Anthony Pym President Intercultural Studies Group European Society for Translation Studies Universitat Rovira i Virgili UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI HOW USERS READ TRANSLATED WEB PAGES: OCCUPATIONAL AND PURPOSE-BASED DIFFERENCES YOONJI CHOI Acknowledgements Completing the doctoral thesis has been a long journey.