Thai Students’ Experiences with and Strategies for Direct and Inverse Translations
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Abstract
Understanding translation competence (TC) is vital, as it directly influences the quality of translations and the teaching of translation. However, there is limited exploration of how TC develops among Thai students. Therefore, using PACTE’s TC model as its theoretical framework, this study explores the experiences of 31 Thai undergraduate translators in direct and inverse translations through retrospective semi-structured interviews administered after translation task. Specifically, we focus on understanding their translation processes, resource utilizations, encountered challenges, and perceived directionality difficulty. Results show that most students followed a three-stage translation process, involving orientation, development, and revision. However, some students exhibited unique behaviors, such as relying heavily on machine translation and skipping critical stages. Google Translate and online grammar checkers emerged as the most valuable resources, particularly in inverse translation. Primary challenges included linguistic difficulties, such as selecting appropriate word choices and structuring sentences, with inverse translation deemed as being more complex than direct translation. The study concludes that while students demonstrated a developing strategic and instrumental competence, further training is needed to enhance their translation competence, particularly in inverse translation, to better prepare them for professional practice.
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