Tradition and Trends in Translation Quality Assessment

Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) is a delicate issue. Bowker (2000, 183) states that "evaluation is one of the most problematic areas of translation" and quotes Bassnett-McGuire, Mahn, Malmkjaer, and Snell-Hornby who described it as "a great stumbling block," "a complex challenge," "a most wretched question," and " a thorny problem," respectively. The paper maps the relationship between traditional (Reiss 1971; 2000; Newmark 1988; House 1977; 1997; Levy 1963; Popovic 1971; 1975) and current approaches to translation quality evaluation in terms of terminology and assessment methods and procedures. It states what problems have been traditionally associated with this area of translation studies (subjectivity of evaluation, vagueness of assessment criteria, lack of a standardized terminology and of attention from both researchers and practitioners) and how contemporary authors address these issues. It presents the thesis that problems related to translation evaluation can be reduced by researching evaluation processes and by developing assessment procedures appropriate for specific situations and purposes of evaluation. Based on a survey of traditional approaches, the study seeks to explore the current terminology of the discipline and develops a three-level model of TQA and TQA terminology.