An unorthodox view on instruction-oriented translation comparison, assessment and classification.
What is it about?
The suggested Token Equivalence Method (TEM) is a manual analogue of the quantitative approach used in computer linguistics. The method measures the distance between the source text (ST) and its translation(s) in terms of the quantity of the source tokens preserved in a target text, thus providing a basis for translation quality assessment. The obtained quantitative results ensure quality deliberation by arranging the translations under discussion into three groups according to the chosen translation strategies: metonymic or ST-reVerent (minimum deviations aimed at preserving the original), metaphoric or ST-reFerent (multiple deviations according to the delineated strategies), and the in-between group of mediocre or ST-reLevant (multiple deviations with no clear strategy).
Why is it important?
The Token Equivalence Method has proved to be of practical value, especially in translation class instruction with its page-long texts. In literary translation assessment, the method is explicated by the figures obtained on the twenty-three English translations (35 stanzas or 10 %) of Pushkin’s classical novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”. The same database has been used to compare the TEM results with both traditional critical translation assessments (Tarvi 2004: 189-200) and computer-linguistic ones (Ahrenberg & Tarvi, 2014).