Translation Performance

Translation performance is determined by the effectivness of the translator. There are different nonlinguistic factors that have an impact on performance, such as the time of delivery of a translation, familiarity with the subject, sociocultural aspects, writing and reading skills, etc. A translator that lacks a cultural knowledge, subject understanding or has limited skills, may provide an unreliable translation.

Also, a translator should have analytical and research skills as well as a good use of translation tools such as dictionaries, glossaries, online aids, computers, etc., so he can check if the chosen term is the appropiated one. Such specialized skills are obtained through practice and training.

The complexity of a translation increases with the complexity of the Source Text, and at the same time, a translator's performance range will depend on his previous knowledge, skills and translation tools used.

An individual's translation performance level depends on [1]:

1. Command of two languages


2. Ability to excercise congruity judgement and apply a translation methodology.


3. Familiarity with the cultural context in both languages.


4. Knowledge of terminology in specialized fields.


5. Ability to finalize the product within time constraints and according to specifications

Reference:

[1] ILR. (2006). ILR Skill Level Descriptions for Translation Performance. Retrieved on March, 12th, 2010 from: http://www.govtilr.org/skills/AdoptedILRTranslationGuidelines.htm