Translation evaluation on the surface of texts: a preliminary analysis

Abstract

The article introduces the relationship between translation evaluation and certain features on the surface of texts. The process and results from the evaluation of 48 texts by 88 subjects were analysed to explore the following aspects: emphasised words, actions on emphasised words, text length, resemblance to original format, lexical density and readability. Analyses were conducted to examine whether these aspects may have led to an increase in evaluators' attention levels. Data were taken from a previous study and completed with new analyses, some of which were carried out with Wordsmith Tools software. Two content-independent features emerged as significant in the translation evaluation: consistency in the decisions taken and, more especially, productivity, measured by the successful translation of as much of the text as possible. Although the results should be considered preliminary, they may inspire other studies involving control groups and enhanced experimental conditions. Much still remains to be explored in the fields of attention and translation evaluation.