Márta Lesznyák: A longitudinal investigation of translation trainees’ translation and post-editing competence development I
›
4 Summary and conclusions
›
4.3 Limitations of the study

4.3 Limitations of the study

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

The study presented in this paper has certain limitations that should be acknowledged and considered when interpreting the findings.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

A main weakness of the study is the relatively small sample size, which prevents us from generalising the results. Nevertheless, it should be highlighted that sample sizes in translation research are constrained by the relatively small size of the population (i.e., translators). In addition, hardly any longitudinal studies were carried out on translation competence and to our knowledge, no longitudinal study has been conducted on post-editing competence development to date. Other characteristic features of the sample limit the generalisability of the findings, too. The fact that the research was completed in one specific country (Hungary), in one institution and in one specific language pair contributes to this problem.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

It is unfortunate that the study did not include control groups, that is, MA students in English language programs with comparable English language proficiency. Their inclusion would have helped discern spontaneous development from development brought about by training. However, the inclusion of additional subjects was not feasible in a study of this complexity, mostly because resources were limited.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

A major limitation of the study is that there were only two data collection waves. Obviously, data from three or more points in time would provide more detailed information about the development of translation and post-editing competence. However, both translation and post-editing are extremely complex competencies, the development of which is expected to happen slowly, over several years. Considering this, it would have been a waste of resources to introduce a data collection wave in the middle of the training. At the same time, it would be useful to follow our graduates and ask them to participate in a third wave 2 or 3 years after they have finished training.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Another weakness of the study is related to the rapid pace of change in the language industry. When the research was planned in 2019, MT was only beginning to be adopted in language pairs including Hungarian. At that time, the research questions appeared highly relevant, particularly the longitudinal study of post-editing. Since then, however, human translation has become increasingly marginal in many professional contexts. The findings related to it are now relevant only for translator training, where it serves the purposes of fostering students’ critical thinking and decision-making skills.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

In contrast, the results concerning post-editing remain more timely as post-editing is still an everyday activity for language professionals and is likely to persist in the near future. Nevertheless, the fact that the MT output was generated in 2020 is a constraint, as the output no longer reflects current MT or AI performance. Nevertheless, because of research methodological considerations and the requirements of longitudinal research design, it was not possible to change the MT output once longitudinal data collection began.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Finally, some key variables were not measured in the research. These variables include A language (Hungarian) competence, motivation and other affective and cognitive factors. Consequently, it is impossible to provide a comprehensive overview of the functioning of translation and post-editing competence as significant components remained unexplored.
chevron_left
chevron_right
Tartalomjegyzék navigate_next
Keresés a kiadványban navigate_next
A kereséshez, kérjük, lépj be!
Könyvjelzőim navigate_next
A könyvjelzők használatához
be kell jelentkezned.
Jegyzeteim navigate_next
Jegyzetek létrehozásához
be kell jelentkezned.
    Kiemeléseim navigate_next
    Mutasd a szövegben:
    Szűrés:
    Kiemelések létrehozásához
    MeRSZ+ előfizetés szükséges.
      Útmutató elindítása
      delete
      Kivonat
      fullscreenclose
      printsave