v UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DEL CARMEN

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EDUCATIVAS

THE SUITABLE KIND OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE FOR TRANSLATION STUDENTS

By

DANIELA FORMOSO ZAVALA

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements For the degree of Bachelor of Lengua Inglesa

Facultad de Ciencias Educativas At Universidad Autónoma del Carmen

Thesis Advisor’s

MTRO. RAFAEL FERRER MENDEZ

Cd. Del Carmen, Campeche a 30 de Agosto de 2012

ABSTRACT

This research is about Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and its relationship

with translation students at UNACAR. The main question to solve in this project

was which of the eight types is the most suitable for them; that is which one of

them gathers the necessary skills to render an accurate translation and the general

purpose was to determine if the translation result of a student with the Linguistic

Intelligence fulfills the requirements of an effective translation. To obtain

information regarding the student’s abilities, checklists and tests were used based

on the results of a translation exercise. To draw the final conclusion, the inductive-

deductive model of the scientific method was followed.

The results showed that it is the Linguistic Intelligence the one that gathers

most, if not all, of the skills any translator student should master prior to any

attempt to translate and which will finally warrantee the achievement of an effective

translation.

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DEDICATIONS

To my parents for the love and support before and after completing my

degree.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank:

My thesis advisor, Mtro. Rafael Ferrer Mendez not only for guiding me

through all this research process since its first stages, but also for being patient

and believing in my abilities; for correcting my mistakes, making suggestions and

contributing with his experience to this work.

The Facultad de Ciencas Educativas at Universidad Autónoma del Carmen

for giving me access to its facilities where I found the resources that made possible

this investigation

My colleague and friends who I shared this challenge with and contributed to

this investigation with valuable feedback and suggestions.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page Dedications iii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v List of Figures vii List of Tables viii List of Abbreviations ix Glossary x

1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1 1.1 Research Topic 2 1.2 Objective 3 1.3 Research Questions 3 1.4 Background 4 1.5 Contextualization 4 1.6 Delimitation 5 1.7 Study Limitations 5

2 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Early Studies About Intelligence 8 2.2. Definition of Intelligence 11 2.3 Measurement of Intelligence 12 2.4 The Theory of Multiple Intelligences 15 2.5 The Eight Intelligences 18

2.5.1 The Verbal Linguistic Intelligence 20

2.5.2 The Logical Mathematical Intelligence 22

2.5.3 The Visual-Spatial Intelligence 22

2.5.4 The Musical Rhythmic Intelligence 23

2.5.5 The Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 23

2.5.6 The Interpersonal Intelligence 24

2.5.7 The Intrapersonal Intelligence 24

2.5.8 The Naturalist Intelligence 25

2.6 What is Translation? 25

2.7 Types of Translation 27

2.8 Communicative and Semantic Translation 30

2.9 The Translation Process 31

2.10 Translation Methods 34

2.11 Equivalence in Translation 36

2.12 Meaning 37

2.13 Meaning in Translation 38

2.14 Quality 39

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2.15 Good and Effective Translation 40

2.16 The Translator and Its Role 42

2.17 Translation as a Profession 46

3 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY 50

3.1 Research Type 51

3.2 StudyType 51

3.3 The Research Process 52

3.4 The Methods 53

3.5 The Techniques 54

3.6 The Instruments 55

3.7 The Subjects 57

3.8 The Objects 57

4 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 59

4.1 Report of the Results 60

4.1.1 The MI Inventory 60

4.1.2 The Checklist 63

4.1.3 The Translation Grades 71

4.2 Analysis and Preliminary Conclusion 72

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 82 Conclusion 83 Suggestions for Further Research 86 List of References 89 Appendixes 91 Appendix A 92

Appendix B 94

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

2.1 Concept Lens 33 4.1 Standards Achieved In The Translations 66 4.2 Subjects With Interpersonal Intelligence 78

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LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

2.1 Oblique translation procedures 28 4.1 Number of statements ticked by the subjects from each category 61 4.2 Subject’s type of MI. 62 4.3 Most popular intelligence among subjects. 63 4.4 Checklist results of translation exercise 64 4.5 Number of standards fulfilled 70 4.6 Grade of translation exercise 71 4.7 Translation's final grade 72

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

IQ: Intelligence Quotient

L1: Another way to call Source Language

L2: Another way to call Target Language

LO: It stands for Lengua Origen (Original Language) in Spanish

LT: It stands for Lengua Terminal (Target Language) in Spanish

SL: Source Language

TL: Target Language

ST: Source Text

TT: Target Text

MI: Multiple Intelligence

UNACAR: Universidad Autónoma del Carmen

PEMEX: Petróleos Mexicanos

ESIT: Ecole Supérieure d’ Interprètes et Traducteurs de la Sorbonne LDRC: Learning Disabilities Resource Community

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GLOSSARY

Colloquialism: Ordinary, relaxed, informal speech (Trask: 1999).

Grammar: The rules for constructing words and sentences in a particular

language, or the branch of linguistics studying this (Trask: 1999).

Idioms: An expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the meanings

of its constituent words (Trask: 1999).

Linguistics: The scientific study of language (Trask:1999).

Multiple intelligence: Concept proposed by Howard Gardner who claims that a

standardized instrument to evaluate human beings’ IQ doesn’t measure the many

talents and intelligences of humans beings (Klingler: 2000) .

Semantics: The study of the meaning is encoded in language, as distinct from

what speakers mean to say when they use that language (Kramsch: 1998).

Source text: Source text or language will refer to the language which the material

first appears in (Chriss 2002).

Syntax: Sentence structure, or the branch of linguistics which studies this

(Trask:1999).

Target language: Target text and language refer to the language that the material

is translated into (Chriss 2002).

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

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1.1 RESEARCH TOPIC

Multiple Intelligences (MI) applied to translation students at Universidad Autónoma

del Carmen (UNACAR).

This research topic arises from the necessity of knowing why some students

encounter more difficulties when translating than others despite all of them have

been given the same lessons on theory and practice of translation at UNACAR.

Also why some of them produce more effective translation than others? Is the

student’s level of intelligence a critical factor in this achievement? Are some of

these students more intelligent than the others?

In the attempt to answer the previous questions, the first thing that comes to our

mind is that we know for a fact that people are not equal, we all do not think the

same way, therefore we do not act or respond the same way. Since translation is

an activity that requires not only the knowledge of two languages and some

training with linguistics and semantics, but it requires the ability to solve problems

(translators make choices during the whole translating process, choosing which

technique to use, what terms fit best etc.), the person undertaking it must be,

without a doubt, an intelligent person. But, what is it to be intelligent? Is there only

one way to be intelligent? According to Howard Gardner (1983) human beings

have at least eight ways to be intelligent, or in better words, there are different

levels of each kind of intelligence that create a unique combination which makes a

person different from others. It is usually the most prevalent type the one that

defines the type of intelligence.

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Intelligence and more specifically, types of intelligences are a key concept in

studying the problem of this research. They are a variable factor, however

independent. Such independency results from the notion that students possess

different and unique types of intelligence. Each one of them has a different way to

deal with a text in a foreign language for example, or how to render it in their

mother tongue, and it is exactly there where the success of their translations lies as

the translation examples made by students with different types of intelligence show

in this research. To achieve optimal quality in their final result depends on their

abilities and how they use their intelligence. Hence, ensuring an effective

translation would be a dependent variable that relies upon the translator’s

intelligence.

The importance of the study lies on the fact that if students are not good at

translating in school, it does not only affects the grades, but the whole training as

translators and, by consequence, their future careers as professionals.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

This research examined the translations produced by the Licenciatura en

Lengua Inglesa students at UNACAR from 7th semester in 2008, and compared

the results within the context of MI. The objectives of this study are the following:

-To determine if a particular MI provides a translator student with the most

appropriate abilities to produce effective translations, and

- If this intelligence represents an advantage over other students with different

types of MI.

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1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

By examining the work made by the students this research seeks to explore

how having different types of intelligence influence the quality of their final

translations while using the following questions as guides for this study:

- What is an effective translation?

- What are the desired skills and abilities in a translator?

- Are any of these abilities gathered in a specific type of MI?

- Can the predominant type of MI guarantee an effective translation?

- How can MI help translation students?

1.4 BACKGROUND

The concept of MI is the theory proposed by Howard Gardener in 1983. This

theory suggests that there is more to a person’s intelligence than one single ability

or skill. Gardener put forward eight different types of intelligences originally and

then added a couple more.

On the other hand, Effective Translation is a term defined by Ali Darwish in

2004 referring to translations fulfilling seven standards. Fulfilling these standards,

according to his point of view, guarantee a high reliable result which is also

referred to as the desired effect. The desired effect in this case means translations

that comply with functionality, acceptability and usability acquired through optimal

approximation.

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The concepts mentioned above were the core of this investigation. The ideas

proposed in this work are mostly based on such definitions and also took part in

the preparation of the instruments.

1.5 CONTEXTUALIZATION

The Universidad Autónoma del Carmen is based in Cd. del Carmen, a city in the

South of the Mexican state of Campeche. Cd. del Carmen was once a fishing

village which was transformed in the mid-1970s when the Mexican oil company,

PEMEX, discovered a wealthy supply of petroleum just off the Yucatan coast.

Mexico's richest industry pumped a new class of services, well-stocked stores and

big buildings into the city as well as foreign companies and personnel. Due to this

new industry and the mix of languages, it was evident the need of bilingual

personnel to work onshore and offshore. Translators and interpreters are in high

demand by the oil industry.

The Universidad Autónoma del Carmen, also known as UNACAR, is an

autonomous public institution of higher education that is located in Ciudad del

Carmen. Currently the university offers several graduate levels in the areas of

natural sciences, social and administrative, education and humanities and

engineering. The Facultad de Ciencias Educativas is one of the departments that

belong to the UNACAR and currently offers two degrees: Licenciatura en Lengua

Inglesa and Licenciatura en Educación. The group involved in this research is the

7th Semester of the Translation Area of Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa,

corresponding to the 2008-2009 term.

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1.6 DELIMITATION

The focus of this research is the study of the translation level of the 7th grade

group of the Lengua Inglesa degree in the area of Translation from the Facultad de

Ciencias Educativas at the Universidad Autónoma del Carmen. The group consists

of 11 students. The aspect to be analyzed is the type of intelligence they have as

well as their translation skills. The study was carried out from August 2008 to

August 2009.

1.7 STUDY LIMITATIONS

Some of the limitations of this research and which may influence the results are

the fact that nobody possesses only one single kind of intelligence. Everybody has

all of the eight intelligences in different grades; thus, it is impossible to state, for

example, that a student is only verbal linguistic or musical intelligent and not logical

mathematical just because one is the most developed intelligence; and that he or

she is not able to perform any mathematical operation. For the same reason, this

research does not aim to say that a student with intelligence other than the

linguistic one is not capable to render a translation, that is, the results of the

research cannot be generalized to all students. There is also the case in which a

person may have more than one kind of intelligence as predominant, for example

some of the tests actually showed students with strong abilities in two or three

areas.

Another factor that could interfere is that the students are aware of what they

are doing; that is, they know that the purpose of the quiz is to recognize the

strongest intelligence in each one of them as they are familiar with the multiple

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intelligence term as such and this may lead to false results. For example, as an

acting student wants to hear he or she has got the skills to make it in the film

industry, a translation student would like his or her results of a MI test to be Verbal

Linguistic, especially when there is only one semester to graduate. On the other

hand, students with little interest in participating or practicing their translation skills

with an exercise that will not count for their real grades may cause some of them

not to give their best effort.

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CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

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2.1 EARLY STUDIES ABOUT INTELLIGENCE

The investigation of intelligence is undoubtedly a very controversial area of

psychology yet the one that has fascinated scholars the most over the centuries.

The concept was firstly addressed by philosophers as Plato and Aristotle. The

latter, often regarded as the father of psychology, believed that mind was one of

the body’s functions; however, he thought of it as something separable and

impassible, as it can be seen in is following quote, “When intellect is set from its

present conditions, it appears as just what it is and nothing more: it alone is

immortal and eternal… and without it nothing thinks.” (Britannica 1997, cited by

Plucker 2003:7). By using such words, it results obvious that Aristotle regarded the

intelligence as something superior to human body, something almost divine that

even remains after death, and despite this is not true, what is certain is that without

it, nothing works, nothing thinks.

More than 2,000 years later, psychology began to emerge as a discipline apart

from philosophy. Nevertheless, individuals from as diverse fields as biology and

genetics continued to influence psychological discourse and the study of

intelligence. Such was the case of Darwin, who affirmed that the difference

between human and animal intelligence was a matter of degree, not of kind and

that most of an individual qualities were innate (Plucker 2003). He did not believe

education as the main provider of intelligence or training, he thought we were born

with own capacities and our intelligence and performance was inherited through

genes. This theory was supported by his cousin Galton, who was the first to coin

the phrase “nature vs nurture”, a debate which still remains as a classic

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controversy among experts nowadays. The ‘nature’ side of the debate argues for a

hereditary view of the phenomenon of intelligence: that a person maintains his

mental ability solely based on what he is born with genetically. Defending this side

of the debate exclusively would be establishing that a person’s environment plays

no role in determining his mental aptitude. Francis Galton began to study how

genetics influence intelligence and theorized that children inherit their intelligence

from their parents. He believed that genes were responsible for intelligence and

even suggested only the reproduction of gifted people, concept known as

eugenics. According to Seligman (Cited by Plucker, 2003:57), he also established

that "numerous heritable traits, including height and intelligence, exhibited

regression to the mean - meaning that extreme inherited results tended to move

toward average results in the next generation".

Conversely, the nurture camp argues that a person’s environment plays a large

role in his mental aptitude. According to Neil (2005) Supporters of the nurture

theory believe that our behavioral aspects originate mostly from the environmental

factors of our upbringing. Studies on infant and child temperament have revealed

the most crucial evidence for the nurture theory. The nurture camp also took

advantage of the nutrition studies, twin studies, and adoption studies for collecting

evidence for their hypothesis.

The American psychologist John Watson, best known for his controversial

experiments with a young orphan named Albert, demonstrated that the acquisition

of a phobia could be explained by classical conditioning. Watson used an 11

month-old Albert to prove that a person could be conditioned to be afraid of

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something by which he was not previously affected. Albert was put into a room with

no other human and no other distracters present. Watson placed a white rat in the

room. Albert seemed to like the rat; he even showed affection towards it. Sometime

later, Watson would produce a very loud noise every time Albert would reach out to

touch the rat. As a result, the baby became terrified of every white and furry object

in which he came in contact. This important investigation became known as

the Albert experiment. Experiments such as these ones prove that a

person’s environment can have a crucial effect on him and on his manner of

thinking. Watson , a strong proponent of environmental learning, said:

Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified

world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random

and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor,

lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief,

regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and

race of his ancestors. (Watson, 1930: 83).

Through the research that has been conducted, it seems that heredity, as well

as environment plays an important role in humans’ mentality, but these are not

exactly equal in influence. A person’s entire environment seems to be more

effectual in determining his mental ability than heredity is. The most fundamental

way to explain this opinion is that heredity determines one’s potential, but

environment determines how far one will reach that potential during his lifetime

(Plucker, 2003: 96). In other words, every individual has a destined mental

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potential, but how much of that potential the individual will be able to gain solely

depends on the environment that the individual grows in.

2.2 DEFINITION OF INTELLIGENCE

According to Binet (1916, cited by Plucker 2003:19), “… a person may be a

moron or an imbecile if he’s lacking of judgment; but with good judgment he can

never be either” The French psychologist defined intelligence as the totality of

mental processes involved in adapting to the environment. To be intelligent is also

to be able to solve new problems or to deal with difficult situations. “Para Binet, la

inteligencia implicaba tener juicio, sentido práctico, iniciativa y facultad para

adaptarse a las circunstancia del ambiente”(Prieto, 2002: 88)1. In other words, it is

about discovering relationships or being capable of invention. Judgment is what

makes people aware of relationships. Thus, all intelligent action is characterized by

the comprehension of relationships between the given elements and finding out

what has to be done given those relationships, to create new relationships, solve a

difficulty or reach a desired goal. Intelligence is the ability that allows us to gather

information from within and the world around us, in order to issue the best

response to the demands that we face in daily life. According to general agreement

among experts on the subject, like Gardner and Sternberg, intelligence depends

on genetic background and the experiences that we experience throughout life.

Intelligence and intellect are often seen as synonyms, but the difference

between them is that the first one makes a stand on the skills and aptitudes to

1 “To Binet (1857-1911) intelligence means to have judgment, practical sense, initiative and faculty to adapt to circumstances of the environment”.

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handle concrete situations and to obtain benefit from sensorial experience.

Psychologists think that these abilities are necessary in daily life where individuals

have to analyze new mental and sensorial information in order to address their

actions towards specific goals. An intelligent person is characterized by his

knowledge, quick solution to a problem, maturity, creativity, easiness and

willingness to learn, as well as his ability to combine them.

Current trends in intelligence theory and research involve the formation of

more complex multiple intelligence theories and other ways of measuring

intelligence. At the same time, the availability of relatively cheap computers has

promoted advances in statistical analysis, providing new perspectives on the

measurement of intelligence. Although a strong tendency to view intelligence as a

purely intellectual or cognitive function remains, considerable evidence suggests

that intelligence has many facets. Gardner for example, argues that reason,

intelligence, logic and knowledge are not synonymous and states that “intelligence

is the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or

more cultural settings” (1983 cited by Plucker, 2003:29).

2.3 MEASURAMENT OF INTELLIGENCE

The task of trying to quantify a person’s intelligence has been a goal of

psychologists since before the beginning of this century. The Binet-Simon scales

were first proposed in 1905 in Paris, France when Binet was asked by the French

minister of public education to develop a test that could be used to identify children

who would have difficulty in school so they could be given special instruction. The

Stanford-Binet intelligence scale, which is still in use today, was developed in 1916

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when Terman, a psychologist from Stanford University, translated into English and

revised the tasks created by Binet and his collaborator Simon in 1905. “Binet y sus

colaboradores pretendían medir la inteligencia analizando los aumentos de la

capacidad del individuo para resolver tareas relativamente complejas” (Prieto

2002: 88)2. On the other hand, Terman (1915) worked on the Binet’s test in order

to identify and study the individual differences at gifted children and initiated the

first American works about intelligence testing. “Se preocupó por demostrar la

validez del Coeficiente Intelectual para pronosticar el éxito escolar y profesional”3

(Prieto 2002: 89).

However, the British psychologist Spearman (1863-1945) has been considered

one of the greatest theoreticians of human intelligence, and, as stated in

Enciclopedia de Pedagogía “Es el primer psicólogo psicómetra que tuvo una

concepción clara de la teoría clásica del <<test>>”,4(Prieto 2002: 88). According to

Prieto (2002), Spearman proposed in 1904 the existence of a general intelligence

factor <g>. He based this theory on a statistical technique which he invented called

factor analysis. Since its introduction, the factor <g>. has been the cornerstone of

psychometric models of intelligence. Furthermore, Spearman’s <g>. has often

been used by researchers and theoreticians to make the case for the genetic basis

of intelligence and to downplay the importance of environmental influences.

2 “Binet and his collaborators claimed to measure intelligence by analyzing the increase of the individual’s capacity to solve relative complex tasks” 3 “He was concerned to demonstrate the validity of the intelligence quotient in order to forecast the scholar professional success” 4 “He is the first psychometric psychologist who had a clear conception about the classic theory of <<test>>”

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People like Binet (1905), Piaget (1963), and Sternberg (1987) influenced

cognitive science and resulted in the re-thinking of conventional methods of

evaluating individual’s intelligence. As Sternberg insists “real life is where

intelligence operates and not in the classroom… the true measure of success is

not how well one does in school, but how well one does in life” (1996 Cited by

Plucker 2003:89).

Nonetheless, an additional important controversy surrounds the issue of the

validity of IQ tests. That is because such tests measure what they were intended to

measure, namely, human intelligence. Prominent current researchers of human

intelligence such as Sternberg and Gardner argue that IQ test only measure a very

narrow aspect of human intellectual performance. Such researchers also highlight

the importance of considering the cultural context for a proper evaluation of

performance (Plucker, 2003:15).

According to Thurstone (1938), the <<g>> factor formulated by Spearman does

not describe rigorously what intelligence is. In fact, he extracted seven components

of intelligence from his studies. They are: verbal comprehension, verbal fluency,

ability for calculates perceptible speed, spatial representation, memory and

inductive reasoning (Prieto 2002).

After taking into account all the previous points of views, it can be understood

that what they all have in common is the argument that human intelligence is not

unitary, but it rather involves multiple facets.

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2.4 THE THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

One of the theories that have been recently studied more is Gardner’s, who

approaches the study of intelligence from a new perspective of the neurologist and

psychological development. He goes beyond an imposing conception of

intelligence and exposes that cognitive competence is better described as a group

of skills, talents and mental abilities which he calls intelligences. Plucker mentions

that “In contrast to Binet and his initial findings in the field of intelligence, Gardner

fought to prove that intelligence; on one unitary level was not an adequate

measure of a person’s intellect abilities(Plucker, 2003:40). According to Gardner,

intelligence consists of a group of mental abilities which is not manifested in an

independent way, but is located in different areas of the brain.

Gardner developed the theory of MI which suggests that “the traditional

notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing is far too limited. Instead [Gardner]

proposes eight intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in

children and adults” (Armstrong, 1998:2). These intelligences are:

• Verbal Linguistic Intelligence

• Logical Mathematical Intelligence

• Visual Spatial Intelligence

• Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

• Musical Rhythmic Intelligence

• Interpersonal Intelligence

• Intrapersonal Intelligence

• Naturalist Intelligence

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Gardner hypothesizes that everybody has at least eight intelligences which

reflect different ways of interacting with the world, that human beings exist in a

multitude of contexts and that such contexts both demand and support different

varieties and of intelligence. However, the problem, according to him “is that our

education system is not prepared to address the needs of all the intelligences, thus

neglecting to address the development of some of these areas” (Cited by Plucker

2003:39).

The basic assumptions of the MI theory specify on these points:

• Each person possess the eight intelligences

• Most of the people can develop each intelligence until an adequate level of

competence

• The intelligences generally work together in complex ways and

• There are many ways of being intelligent according to each category.

(McGrath& Noble, 1993:56).

On the other hand, the similarities and differences between the MI Theory

and the most traditionalist assumption can be summarized as:

• Gardner (1984), as others psychologists, maintains a plural notion of

intelligence. He considers that it is not permanent since birth, but that it

changes and develops when the individual responds to the experiences of

his environment.

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• Gardner (1984), as other researchers and education psychologist supports

that the intelligences are the result of the constant interactions between

biological and environmental factors and can be educated.

• Contrary, Gardner understands traditional notions of intelligence, which hold

that intelligence is always present in every circumstance and it does not

change, that the intelligence can be replaced in different contexts.

Intelligence never exists isolated from the others, every task, role and

product of our society demands a combination of intelligences, even when

only one stands out. (McGrath& Noble, 1993:57).

All students will come into the classroom with different sets of developed

intelligences. This means that each child will have his own unique set of intellectual

strengths and weaknesses. These sets determine how easy (or difficult) it is for a

student to learn information when it is presented in a particular manner. This is

commonly referred to as a learning style (Brualdy, 1996:3). Many learning styles

can be found within one classroom. Therefore, teachers have to structure learning

activities around in such a way that they develop strategies that will allow learners

to demonstrate multiple ways of understanding and valuing their uniqueness.

Gardner's theory provides a theoretical foundation for recognizing the different

abilities and talents of students. This theory acknowledges that while all students

may not be verbally or mathematically gifted, children may have an expertise in

other areas, such as music, spatial relations, or interpersonal knowledge.

Approaching and assessing learning in this manner allows a wider range of

students to successfully participate in classroom learning. (Brualdy, 1996:4).

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2.5 THE EIGHT INTELLIGENCES

When we hear the word intelligence, the concept of IQ testing may

immediately come to mind. Intelligence is often defined as our intellectual potential;

something we are born with, something that can be measured and a capacity that

is difficult to change (Cornwall, 2012) In recent years, however, other views of

intelligence have emerged. One such conception is the theory of multiple

intelligences (MI) proposed by psychologist and Harvard professor Howard

Gardner.This theory suggests that traditional psychometric views of intelligence are

too limited. Gardner first outlined his theory in his book Frames of Mind: The

Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983), where he theorizes that all people have

different kinds of intelligences. He originally proposed that there are seven types

of intelligences, later on he added one more, being eight in total.

The theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) was the product of surveyed

information Howard Gardner and his colleagues collected from a wide selection of

literature. Information was processed from developmental data, psychometric

findings, and descriptions of special populations. The populations included

prodigies, gifted, brain damaged patients, idiots savants, normal children, normal

adults, experts in different lines of work, and individuals from different cultures

(Gardner, 1983). His goal was to find the best way to describe or define the

domains of cognition and symbolization. Gardner’s preference for concluding his

case was to use evidence from the biological factors of the nervous system found

in readings of neurobiology.

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The conclusion from his research is that intelligence can be found and

isolated. It appears as a single intelligence because of its harmonious nature, but

looking closer with the proper intent, it is possible to visualize discreet intelligences

cooperating in a very organized way.

The research and conclusion allowed Gardner to redefine the term

intelligence from the concept of one intelligence to that of many intelligences.

Intelligence was first thought of as a “single, general capacity that every human

possesses to a greater or lesser extent; and that, however defined, it can be

measured by standardized verbal instruments, such as short answer, paper-and-

pencil tests” (Gardner,1993:86). However, Gardeners’ definition states that

intelligence “is an ability to solve problems or to create products that are valued

within one or more cultural settings” (Gardner & Hatch, 1989:23).

Although the intelligences are anatomically separated from each other,

according to Gardner, he claims that the different intelligences very rarely operate

independently. Rather, the intelligences are used concurrently and typically

complement each other as individuals develop skills or solve problems.

In addition to biology, Gardner (1983) argues that culture also plays a large

role in the development of the intelligences. All societies value different types of

intelligences. The cultural value placed upon the ability to perform certain tasks

provides the motivation to become skilled in those areas. Thus, while particular

intelligences might be highly evolved in many people of one culture, those same

intelligences might not be as developed in the individuals of another. Using

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biological as well as cultural research, he formulated a list of eight intelligences.

This new outlook of intelligence differs greatly from the traditional view which

usually recognizes only two intelligences, verbal and mathematical. The eight

intelligences Gardner defines are described as follows:

2.5.1 THE VERBAL-LINGUISTIC INTELLIGENCE

This type of intelligence is often called ‘word smart’ or ‘book smart and

involves the knowing which comes through the language; through reading, writing,

and speaking. Wessman stated that “It consists of the ability to thinking words and

to use language to express and appreciate complex meanings” (Wessman,

2004:11).

It involves understanding the order and meaning of words in speech, writing

and how to properly use the language. It involves understanding the sociocultural

nuances of a language, including idioms, plays on words, and linguistically-based

humor. People who are strong at this intelligence have highly developed skills for

reading, speaking, and writing and tend to think in words. Some of the abilities

which people with the Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence present are:

• Ability when using syntax, phonetics, semantics, and pragmatic usage of

language.

• Easiness to convince and persuade people or exert influence in others by

using clear ideas.

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• Great condition to communicate clearly ideas and listen to others at the

same time.

• Ability to retain structured information as well as to give and get

explanations. (Wessman, 2004)

2.5.2 THE LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL INTELLIGENCE

In Howard Gardner's words, it entails the ability to detect patterns, reason

deductively and think logically. (Gardner & Hatch, 1989: 18) This is the ability to

reason inductively and deductively and to recognize and use abstract patterns and

relationships. Students with strengths in logical-mathematical intelligence usually

enjoy and may show competency in maths and problem solving and reasoning,

and often ask logical questions. They enjoy ordering objects, categorizing,

calculating, experimenting, stating hypotheses and inferring consequences,

conducting research, finding out facts, analyzing findings and developing logical

arguments. This intelligence is normally tested in multiple choice questions on

standardized tests where our ability to mentally process logical problems and

equations.

2.5.3 THE VISUAL-SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE

This is the ability to create visual representations of the world and

manipulate spatial relationships. According to Wise (2001), it refers to “the

capability to think in images and orient oneself spatially. (Wise, 2001: 15) This

intelligence enables individuals to orient themselves and make their way readily in

an unfamiliar environment. Students with strengths in this ability tend to understand

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new information best if they ca n make a mental picture by visualizing the new

information or by creating a physical picture such as a map, chart or diagram which

helps them to develop their mental images. They usually enjoy mazes and can

design, draw and create things. They also enjoy things presented visually, for

example by video, photographs, pictures and charts. These individuals have a

good visual memory and are able to recognize a shape when it appears in a new

context. They have the ability to orient themselves in a home or outdoors.

2.5.4 THE MUSICAL-RHYTMICAL INTELLIGENCE

Students who remember melodies or notice pitch and rhythm tend to have

strengths in musical intelligence. They are often very aware of sounds around them

and enjoy producing music through playing musical instruments or making sound

effects. This intelligence “involves skill in the performance, composition, and

appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and

compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms” (Smith, 2002). According to

Gardner (19383), musical intelligence runs in an almost structural parallel to

linguistic intelligence. This intelligence allows people to create, communicate, and

understand meanings made out of sounds.

2.5.5 THE BODILY-KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE

This intelligence “promotes the ability to use the body to express emotion, to

play a sport, and to create a new invention” (Wessman, 2004:5). In other words the

Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence is about to using the body to perform, to

communicate ideas and emotions and to solve problems. Students with strengths

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in this intelligence usually like physical activity and prefer active learning by doing,

rather than what they hear or see. Some of the learning capacities of students with

this type of intelligence are the exploration of environment trough touch and

movement and the develop of coordination and a sense of timing. (Wesman,

2004).

2.5.6 THE INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE

This intelligence refers to the ability to understand people and work with and

get along effectively with others. In Gardner’s words is “ability to understand and

interact effectively with others” (Gardner & Hatch, 1989: 20). It involves effective

verbal and nonverbal communication, the ability to note distinctions among others,

sensitivity to the moods and temperaments of others, and the ability to entertain

multiple perspectives (Armstrong, 2004). Students with strengths in this intelligence

learn best in cooperative group work, often show strong leadership and

organizational skills and are skilled at communicating, performing for others,

negotiating and understanding other people's behavior. They often show strong

empathy for other people's feelings. These individuals have the particular ability to

perceive the moods, temperaments, motivations and intentions of others. They

understand and care about individuals, have a lot of friends, like to socialize.

2.5.7 THE INTRAPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE

Intrapersonal intelligence focuses on the self and involves the ability to be

aware of and understand one's own feelings, strengths, weaknesses and overall

behavior (McGrath & Noble 1995). Students with strength in this intelligence tend

to reflect readily on their own learning, their feelings and behaviors. They tend to

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be good at goal setting and enjoy activities which further their understanding of

themselves as individuals. The person with this intelligence has the keen

understanding of oneself. It is their desires, strengths, weaknesses and how to

operate on the self-model. They focus inwards on feelings and dreams. They like

working alone and following their instincts as well as pursuing their own interests

and goals. A strong intrapersonal intelligence can lead to self-esteem, self-

enhancement, and strength of character that can be used to solve internal

problems.

2.5.8 THE NATURALISTIC INTELLIGENCE

These "nature" people learn best through the interactions with the

environment including outdoor activities, field trips, and involvement with plants

and animals. They see the subtle meanings and patterns in nature and the world

around them. They are able to adapt (Lamb: 2004). Today, naturalist intelligence

may be seen in the way we relate to our surroundings and the role that each part of

our surroundings play. People who are sensitive to changes in weather patterns or

are adept at distinguishing nuances between large numbers of similar objects may

be expressing naturalist intelligence abilities. Naturalist intelligence allows people

to distinguish among, classify, and use features of the environment.

2.6 WHAT IS TRANSLATION?

Translation is a millenarian profession which has been presented in political,

commercial and military contact between different towns and civilizations. It has

always existed in human life since first human beings conceived their first ideas

and needed to translate them into a mean of communication through language.

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This idea supports Robinson’s (2003) conception about the translator’s task.

“Translation was almost born with us. Language, being one of the man’s ancient

aptitudes to communicate, is but a translation of our thinking” (Robinson 2003:45).

Sharing this, Paz (1992:154 cited by Bassnett 1999:3) wrote “… language itself, in

its very essence, is already a translation –first from the nonverbal world, and then,

because each sign and each phrase is a translation of another sign, another

phrase”.

However, it is very hard to define the concept of translation since there are

many authors who have a unique conception about this term. Catford for instance,

states that “translation is an operation performed on languages: a process of

substituting a text in one language for a text in another” (1965:7).

On the other hand, others think that translating does not only involve

substituting words, but transferring culture. According to Lefevere, a translation “…

will to all intents and purposes function as that text [the original] in the receptor

culture, certainly for those members of that culture who do not know the language

in which the text was originally written” (1992:1). This author considers a

translation as “a channel opened, often not without certain reluctance, through

which foreign influences can penetrate the native culture, challenge it, and even

contribute to subverting it”. (Lefevere 1992:2)

Translation is sometimes considered a science and an art, and perhaps

because it has always been concerned with the representation of meaning, it has

much to contribute to further discussions. Translation, as a theory, was initiated in

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the 1950’s and 1960’s being Fedorov (1954), Nida (1964), Catford (1965), and

several others pioneers. Nowadays, a lot of research is taking into account three

main aspects of it: theory, history and practice. One of these new conceptions

about its theory is the one conceived by Bassnett for whom translation is:

A highly manipulative activity that involves all kinds of stages in the

process of transfer across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Translation

is not an innocent, transparent activity, bit is highly charged with

significance at every stage; it rarely, if ever, involves a relationship of

equality between texts, authors or systems. (Bassnett, 1999:2)

Taking into account the above definition, it can be understood that

translation is not about rendering words, but ideas. This means that a lot of

different aspects must be taken into account in order to transfer what an original

message represents to one culture and to another. It is also important to be aware

that a perfect translation does not exist as Newmark (1993:35) states: “A

translation is a dynamic process within limits. A translation is never finished

(normally you go on changing it a little every time you reread it) and never perfect”.

2.7 TYPES OF TRANSLATION

There are two main translation strategies, direct and oblique translation,

covering all together seven concrete procedures. Direct and oblique translation in

some degree are correspondent to literal and free translation respectively, one of

the difference for their theory from the theories in ‘pre-linguistics period’ is that

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Vinay and Darbelnet use detailed categories to substitute for macro-level’s literal

and free (Newmark, 1981:4 ).

Vinay and Dalbernet (1995 ) in the book Comparative Stylistics of the English

and French Languages show how translation is applied and make the distinction

between two kinds of translation: direct translation and indirect or oblique

translation. With regard to the first one, it has three procedures:

1) Literal translation: This type of translation occurs when there is an exact

correspondence of structure and meaning and word for word equivalence between

two sentences in different languages. Example: The team is working to finish the

report would be translated as El equipo está trabajando para terminar el informe.

2)Linguistic Transfer: A linguistic transfer is when a simple or a compound

word in the Source Language (SL) is used to mention a new idea or object that

already exists in the Target Language (TL). Example: Snow White, Blanca Nieve.

3) Linguistic Loan: This procedure refers to the phenomenon occurring when a

TL incorporates a new term that belongs to another language. Such loan can

existed in two ways: a) when the translation of a term from SL into TL respects the

rules of TL, which is called lexical loan; example: hamburguer, hamburgesa); and

b) when the term in SL is translated into TL with no change at all. This one is called

pure loan; example: rating,rating.

With regard to the indirect or oblique translation Vinay and Darbelnet propose

four basic procedures (Transposition, Modulation, Equivalence and Adaptation)

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and Vázquez-Ayora (1977) four complementary ones (Expansion, Explicitation,

Ommission and Compensation):

BASIC PROCEDURES COMPLEMENTARY PROCEDURES

Transposition Expansion Modulation Explicitation

Equivalence Omission Adaptation Compensation

Table 2.1 Oblique translation procedures

1) Transposition: “By this procedure we can replace a part of speech of

a text in LO by a different one keeping the same main context in LT. It is

based on the principle that in two different species can exist the same

semantic stress or semantic density” (Vázquez-Ayora, 1977:268).

Carlos sueña con terminar la Universidad Charle’s dream is to finish University

2) Modulation: “It is an idea of comparative stylistics consisting in a

change of the ‘”conceptual base” in a proposition without changing its

meaning. That produces a “modified point of view” or a different

metaphorical base” (Vázquez-Ayora, 1977:291).

¡Tranquilízate! Don’t get so excited!

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3) Equivalence: “This is the most extreme case of the modulation

procedure. That is to say, equivalence is a modulation that can be

lexicalized” (Malblane in Vázquez-Ayora, 1977:314).

¡Qué tipazo! What a hell of a fellow!

4) Adaptation: “It is a procedure of forming content to the particular point

of view of each language. That is to say, a message in L1 is expressed

with another equivalent situation in L2” ( Vázquez-Ayora, 1977:322,324).

Ahora me alegro mucho de no haber ingresado a la escuela secundaria con lengua clásicas hace cinco años. I am now more than glad that I did not pass into more grammar school five years ago.

5) Expansion: “By this procedure, we use more words in LT that the

ones we use in LO to express the same idea” (Malblanc and Vinay and

Darbelnet in Vázquez-Ayora, 1977:337).

¡Acuéstense! Go to bed!

6) Explicitation: “By this procedure we can express in LT all the implicit

information of the context in LO” (Vázquez-Ayora, 1977:349).

¿Qué debe entonces perseguir una amplificación, como recurso

traduccional, para transmitir la idea?

So what should an expansion sep to convey?

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7) Omission: “This is another procedure that lets us do an oblique

translation. It consists of omitting some parts of the sentence in LO that

are unnecessary to the same sentence in LT” (Vázquez-Ayora,

1977:359).

He is a doctor Es doctor

8) Compensation: “The most appropriate balance of the amount of

information can be achieved by this procedure. We must take into

account that there is no exact balance since each language organizes

its experience in a different way. For that reason we cannot find an

exact correspondence between L1 and L2” (Vázquez-Ayora 1977:268-

337).

Pero eres tú quien no me ha dejado hacerlo Only you wouldn’t let me

As seen above, the authors have their own conception about translation and

may differ in the way they classify it. However, many of them agree with the fact

that it should be accurate, natural and communicative even tough, in practice, this

goal may be carried out with differing result by different translation teams.

In this research, the concept defined by Bassnet, “the process of transfer

across linguistic and cultural boundaries” (1992) is the one to be taken into account

at the time of evaluating the translation exercises made by the subjects.

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2.8 COMMUNICATIVE AND SEMANTIC TRANSLATION

One of the ongoing debates about translations revolves around the

question of whether, and in what degree, the translation should reflect the

syntax, or form, of the original language. All translators agree that the

translation should reflect faithfully the message of the original, but not all of

them agree on whether the translation should adhere closely to the

grammatical forms of the original language.

In Approaches to Translation, Newmark (1981) distinguishes two types

of translation: semantic and communicative. He states, “communicative

translation attempts to produce on its readers an effect as close as possible

to that obtained on the readers of the original” (Newmark, 1981:39). Referring

to the first type, he mentions that “semantic translation attempts to render, as

closely as the semantic and syntactic structures of the second language

allow, the exact contextual meaning of the original” (Newmark, 1981:39).

According to this author, semantic translation is not the same as literal

translation taking into account its linguistic approach; it may be inferior than

its original, due to a loss of meaning that is unavoidable during the translation

process. Since its main aim is the original text not the target culture, it is a

translation that can be linguistic and encyclopaedic at the same time.

Semantic translation is applied to philosophic, religious, anthropologist and

political texts. It is considered as an art since it is about one person’s work

and it is related to the thinking process.

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Communicative translation is strictly functional, and it can be better than

its original since it is a creative and questioning work that is orientated to the

receptor. This kind of translation is generally applied to informative texts and

texts that have instructions. It is often considered to be a skill and is generally

a team’s work related to speaking acts (Newmark, 1981).

To Newmark, these two approaches are never applied isolated from

each other during the translation work, but blended and they complement

each other. Newmark considers that a translation can be less semantic and

less communicative.

2.9 THE TRANSLATION PROCESS

According to Darwish (1989:2), translation is “… a complex dichotomous and

cumulative process which involves a host of activities drawing upon other

disciplines related to language, writing, linguistics and culture”. For him, the

translation process involves three great activities that operate jointly, these are:

“1) Transfer of data from the source language to the target language; 2)

Synchroanalysis of text and translation and research of subject- matter; 3)

Continuous self-development and learning” (Darwish, 1989:2).

Darwish (1989:2) also goes further in his analysis of the translation process

and proposes a model of what happens in the translator’s mind at the moment of

translating. He claims that there are two repertories in the translator’s mind; one

of them is the linguistic one (in which all the knowledge of the grammar and

structure of a language lays) and the other is the cultural one (which embraces all

the cultural knowledge of both languages’ culture). In his own words:

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When the translation analysis begins, the two parallel repertoires move

constantly to match and replace lexis, grammar, stylistics, phonology, cultural

and situational equivalents and to give universal concepts language properties. In

the transfer of text from the source language to the target language, all (or nearly

all) the attributes of text/discourse travel from one repertoire to the other through

the concept “lens”, which is also in constant focusing converting concepts

invoked by the flagged attributes in context in the source language repertoire

through the activation of matching attributes in the target language. This binary

action-reflex mechanism results in the translation product. (Darwish, 1989: 3)

This author illustrates his model with the following figure:

Fig. 2.1 Concept Lens (Taken from Darwish,1989:3)

On the other hand, Newmark (1988) in A textbook of Translation begins on

translating procedures with choosing a method of approach. Then, this author

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suggests four levels that according to him, a translator has in mind more or less

consciously. These levels are:

(1) The Textual Level occurs when the original text is read and the

translator automatically translates the lexical units into the ones

he/she thinks are the most appropriate according to the TL.

(2) The referential level is when the translator has to sort out the text

and finds out what it is about and what it is in aid of.

(3) The cohesive level regulates the coherence between the structure

and the moods of the text and adjusts emphasis.

(4) The level of naturalness, aims to fulfill two aspects that are very

important in a translation. The first one is that it makes sense, and

the second one is that it sounds natural. In order to achieve the later,

it is proposed to use common vocabulary, grammar idioms and

words that meet the kind of situation in the text to be translated.

(Newmark , 1988: 22-30)

2.10 TRANSLATION METHODS

There is still no uniformity that indicates a universal approach or explanation

to the phenomenon of entropy, the fatal loss of meaning that occurs whenever we

move from one text to another. Traditionally, to overcome this obstacle, translators

have tried to find that dynamic equivalence by keeping the message and not the

original form. Thus, there is not one single method of translation; all translations

should be somewhat semantic and communicative, social and individual. What

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varies is the emphasis placed on one or the other of these aspects (Newmark

1991).

In semantic translation the emphasis is on the author, on the target

language to surrender the exact contextual meaning of the original. In

communicative translation the emphasis is on the receiver of the text. Either way,

the translation must be to "play in the target language the message of the original

language through the nearest natural equivalent and, firstly regarding to sense and

then regarding style” (Ordudar, 2008).

There are many translation methods that are available today and depending

on what is needed, some are more useful than others. Depending on the use that

will be given to the text, it is more convenient to use a translation method than

another. Some are much easier, but the end result is rather poor, whereas others

lead a more specialized, but the result is much better.

Newmark proposed eight methods which he divides in two types: the first

four make emphasis in the SL, and the others in the TL. (Newmark,1988)

Word-for-word translation: The SL word-order is preserved and the

words translated singly by their most common meanings, out of context.

(Literal translation: The SL grammatical constructions are converted to

their nearest TL equivalent but the lexical words are again translated

singly, out of context.

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Faithful translation: …attempts to reproduce the precise contextual

meaning of the original within the constraints of the TL grammatical

structures.

Semantic translation: … differs from ‘faithful translation’ only in as far as

it must take more account of the aesthetic value …of the SL text,

compromised at ‘meaning’ where appropriate so that o assonance,

word-play or repetition jars in the finished version.

Adaptation: …the ‘freest’ form of translation. It is used mainly for plays

(comedies) and poetry; the themes, characters, plots are usually

preserved, the SL culture converted to the TL culture and the text

rewritten.

Free translation: … reproduces the matter without the manner, or the

content without the form of the original.

Idiomatic translation: … reproduces the ‘message’ of the original but

tends to distort nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and

idioms where these do not exist in the original.

Communicative translation: … attempts to render the exact contextual

meaning of the original in such a way that both content and language

are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. (Newmark

1988:45-47)

This author also mentions that “only the semantic and communicative

translation fulfil the two main aims of translation which are accuracy and economy

and the first one is generally used for expressive texts and the second one for

informative and vocative texts” (Newmark 1988:47). In the evaluation of the

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translation tests made by the subjects both translations, semantic and

communicative, are taken into account.

2.11 EQUIVALENCE IN TRANSLATION

The comparison of texts in different languages inevitably involves a theory of

equivalence. Equivalence can be said to be the central issue in translation

although its definition, relevance, and applicability within the field of translation

theory have caused heated controversy, and many different theories (Menoufy,

2004).

To Newmark, this concept is “to produce the same effect (or one as close as

possible) on the readership of the translation as was obtained on the readership of

the original” (Newmark 1988:48). Vinay and Darbelnet viewed equivalence as a

procedure which “replicates the same situation as in the original, whilst using

completely different wording” (Vinay and Darbelnet 1995:342). They also suggest

that, if this procedure is applied during the translation process, it can maintain the

stylistic impact of the SL text in the TL text. According to them, equivalence is

therefore the ideal method when the translator has to deal with proverbs, idioms,

clichés, nominal or adjectival phrases and the onomatopoeia of animal sounds.

Some translation specialists established their careers on the notion of equivalence.

Nida (1964:166) defines dynamic equivalence as "the closest natural equivalent to

the source-language message". Dynamic equivalence is defined as a translation

principle according to which a translator seeks to translate the meaning of the

original in such a way that the TL wording will trigger the same impact on the TL

39

audience as the original wording did upon the SL audience. Nida and Taber argue

that:

Frequently, the form of the original text is changed; but as long as the

change follows the rules of back transformation in the source language,

of contextual consistency in the transfer, and of transformation in the

receptor language, the message is preserved and the translation is

faithful. (Nida and Taber 2003:200)

The notion of equivalence is undoubtedly one of the most problematic and

controversial areas in the field of translation theory. The term has caused, and it

seems quite probable that it will continue to cause, heated debates within the field

of translation studies. This term has been analysed, evaluated and extensively

discussed from different points of view and has been approached from many

different perspectives. The difficulty in defining equivalence seems to result in the

impossibility of having a universal approach to this notion.

2.12 MEANING

In Language and Culture (1998), Kramsch states, “The crucial feature that

distinguishes humans from animals is human’s capacity to create signs that

mediate between then and their environment. Every meaning-making practice

makes use of two elements: a signifier and a signified” (Kramsch 1998:15).

Meaning is the attribute of the sign or symbol. De Saussure's terminological

distinction between the signifiant and the signifié implies that what is employed to

mean and what is meant is intrinsically linked to each other. According to Kramsch

there are three types of meaning:

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Denotative meaning: The meaning that can be looked up in the

dictionary.

Connotative meaning: This is the associations that are evoked in the

mind of the readers.

Iconic meaning: This is a meaning that words can entertain with their

objects. This meaning not only point to, and is associated with their

objects, it can also be an image. (Kramsch 1998:16)

This author also makes a distinction and recognizes that in order to

understand what a speaker or writer transmits through a message it is necessary

to be aware of two aspects: the context of situation and the context of culture. In

his words “One had to understand why they [individuals] said what they said and

how they said it to whom in a specific context of situation. In addition, one had to

link their words, beliefs, and mindset to a larger context of culture…” (Kramsch

1998:26).

The above conception is of a great importance for understanding whatever

transmitted message, however, this is not easy to be achieved effectively. George

Yule states that “meaning is never achieved once and for all, it must be conquered

anew in every utterance trough the verbal actions and interactions of speakers and

hearers, writers, and readers” (Yule 1996:25)

2.13 MEANING IN TRANSLATION

One of the prime concern while translating content from one language into another

is retaining the meaning of the content and ensuring that the translation stays true

to the spirit of the original document (Bassnet, 1980) This can be a rather

41

challenging process as words or terms used innocently in one region could take on

a totally inappropriate meaning in another despite it being written in the same

language. Many words and terms within the same language vary in meaning from

region to region. Another issue is the absence of certain words in certain cultures.

The primary concern of the translator is to transfer the meaning of the

source language message to the target language. Meaning is at once the point of

departure and the end product of translation operations. It forms the central

problem of translation. The most frequent difficulties in a translation are those that

result from failure to recognize the meanings of words or phrases related to a

particular context in the mind of the listener or reader. This makes understanding

between the speaker and listener or reader dependent on the agreement in context

in the mind of each. That is where most misunderstandings in communication

occur. When translating, it is essential to recognize that every sentence has

meaning in the context in which it occurs and only in that context. Therefore, where

context is not shared between speaker and audience, there can be no true

communication, no mutual understanding (Melby & Foster, 2010).

The goal of the translator is to produce a target language text that has the same

meaning as the source language, but it is expressed in the natural form of the

target language. The meaning, not the form, is retained. (Venuti, 1995:10)

Retaining the original mean of the word can take on renewed significance if the

material being translated is of a medical nature, or has safety implications. A tiny

error in the use of words can result in danger or loss to life; it can also affect the

good reputation of the translator. A good translation is well written and well

42

structured, without changing the meaning of the text. Undoubtedly, it is a complex

and time consuming task.

2.14 QUALITY

When dealing with quality, two basic principles must be acknowledged:

Quality is relative; people perceive different quality levels in the same product.

Quality levels are subject to constraints in requirements. Most quality problems in

translation have little to do with mistakes, and more to do with a mismatch of

assumptions and goals between the people requesting a translation and the people

supplying it. The definition of quality, as stated in ISO 8402:1994, 3.1 reads, “The

totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability

to satisfy stated or implied needs” (AS/NZS ISO 8402:1994,1994:7).

Quality, in Muzzi’s words, is “an integration of the features and

characteristics that determine the extent to which output satisfies the client’s

needs” (Muzzi, 2009). The most important need in translation is accuracy. People

who use the services of translators don’t ask for an accurate translation; they just

assume that it will be accurate. Another implied need is successful communication

of the text’s message to the readers. And for both needs, the client is usually the

de factor judge of quality. Therefore, a translation is of adequate quality,

supposedly, if the client does not complain about it.

In translation, quality assurance refers to “the full set of procedures applied

before, during, and after the translation production process to ensure that quality

objectives, those that are important to the client, are being met” (Muzzi, 2009: 19).

43

Because quality is so subjective, and its definition is such a relative thing,

developing quality specifications for each new project is a good method for clearly

setting quality parameters. Translation quality should be tracked from different

perspectives: the number of reviews, and the time spent on each of them, the

number of errors found, productivity, and suitability.

2.15 GOOD AND EFFECTIVE TRANSLATION

Danica Seleskovitch (1993) conference interpreter and director of the ESIT

(Ecole Supérieure d’ Interprètes et Traducteurs de la Sorbonne) conceives the

Interpretative Theory, which aims to transmit the message by moving away from

the original text and using the extra linguistic knowledge of the translator to get

the sense of the sentence and retransmit it in the TL later (this kind of analysis is

also named discourse analysis. This kind of translation cares a little about

comparative linguistics since, it has been determined that the main goal of

translation it is not the language but the sense, which is the content. (Giles: 2009)

Bearing in mind the above information, Duriex (1988) broaches the question

what is a good translation? and suggests some parameters that, according to her,

exist in a good translation. The first of them is the faithfulness to the information,

which is not about being faithful to the structure of the SL but to the informative

content of the text. The second one is the correctness of the language which the

text is translated into, this refers to using the appropriate words and the suitable

language. The third parameter implies the awareness of what is underlying and the

contribution of all the translator’s cognitive elements. The fourth criteria is the

idiomatic resources of the TL, which it is necessary for the translator to have

44

because this enables him to transfer more nuances of the translated text; and the

last of these parameters establishes that a good translation is which results

adequate to the receiver. This author mentioned that the translator’s task is to

double the author of the original text and that the text. Adaptation should be made

at the moment of translating, not at the end, as some authors believe.

For Darwish (2004), a translation specialist, the definition of a good

translation is the one that produces the desired effect, he calls this an effective

translation which in order to be achieved, the following standards must be fulfilled:

1. Accuracy: It refers to conformity to the information content or the

original, keeping within the parameters of the source text.

2. Precision: Refers to the quality of being exact and definite.

3. Correctness: It is free from errors of meaning, spelling, grammar and

translation-induced or introduced errors of fact.

4. Completeness: Refers to the preservation of the integrity of

information in terms of content and intentions.

5. Consistency: Refers to the uniformity of terminology, presentation,

transliteration and transcription and presentation and conventions.

6. Clarity: It is as clear as the original text is in terms of what it actually

appears to declare.

7. Fitness for purpose: Meet the information needs of its intended

readers or users. (Darwish 2004).

It is important to have in mind that the best translation is the one that no one

recognizes as a translation. In other words, the document should read as though it

45

were written in the target language originally. This implies, by extension, that the

translator's time and effort are transparent, and the translator ends up being

invisible. Translators do their best work when no one realizes that they have done

anything. For this research, the model proposed by Darwish (2004) was used when

preparing a checklist to evaluate the subject’s translations.

2.16 THE TRANSLATOR AND ITS ROLE.

Enani defines the translator as "a writer who formulates ideas in words

addressed to readers. The only difference between him and the original writer is

that these ideas are the latter's” (1994:5 Quoted by Solhy 2002:80).

Translators are language professionals. They are applied linguists, competent

writers, diplomats, and educated amateurs. Like linguists, translators have to be

capable of discerning nuances in their languages, researching terminology and

colloquialisms, and handling new developments in their languages. Like writers,

translators have to be accustomed to working long hours alone on a subject which

interests few people and with a language that few people around them know. Like

diplomats, translators have to be sensitive to the cultural and social differences

which exist in their languages and be capable of addressing these issues when

translating. And like educated amateurs, translators have to know the basics and

some of the details about the subjects they deal with (Chriss, 1994).

Solhy (2002) suggests four main macro-skills for any translator who begins

his/her work in the field of translation:

46

1. Reading Comprehension: Solhy claims that reading, which is the first step in the

translation process, is an unconscious activity that has to do with syntax when the

reader reconstructs the possible structure of a sentence, with semantics when the

relevant areas within the semantic field of any word or sentence is identified, and

with pragmatics as the reader has to deal with the possible meanings of a text. He

advises to mastering the following basic reading comprehension skills:

• Read for main ideas.

• Identify the meaning of new words and expressions using components of the

structural analysis clause and of the contextual analysis.

• Identify the writer’s style.

• Identify the language and the cultural references used in the text.

2. Researching Skills: It is mentioned that looking up unknown words in the

dictionary is the most commonly heard advice to translators and they are

encouraged to follow these basic researching tips:

• Using bilingual dictionaries for looking up meanings of new words.

• Using monolingual dictionaries to check the usage of the new words in the

SL and in the TL.

• Using related encyclopaedias and glossary lists for specialized terms.

• Using software dictionaries if necessary and available.

• Referring to specialized magazines and journals to help translators

familiarize with the text, particularly when it is a technical text.

47

3. Analytical Skills: Solhy (2002) states that a text is analysed in two ways (micro

and macro analysis) in order to find cohesion and coherence in a paragraph and to

check cohesion between all paragraphs of the text. Translators are advised to use

the following strategies in the analysis stage:

• Identify the “best” meaning that fits into the context.

• Identify the structure in the TL that “best” represents the original.

• Identify transitions between ideas and the best connectors in the TL that

represent the original.

4. Composing Skills: This author states that when translators have finished their

work, they have to externalise the set of impressions caused by the text and

translate into speech elements belonging to the TL and to make this product

coherent within itself. According to this, translators are invited to make use of the

following strategies.

• Using correct word order as used in the TL.

• Using correct sentence structures as used in the TL.

• Transmitting the ideas of the text in clear sentences in the TL.

• Using and transmitting TL.

• Rephrasing certain sentences to convey the overall meaning translated;

• Making changes to the text as a whole to give it a sense of the original

without distorting the original ideas.

This author also suggests:

48

a. Syntactic strategies:

o Shift word order.

o Change clause/sentence structure.

o Add or change cohesion.

b. Semantic strategies:

o Use superordinates.

o Alter the level of abstraction.

o Redistribute the information over more or fewer elements.

c. Pragmatic strategies:

o Naturalize or exoticize.

o Alter the level of explicitness.

o Add or omit information.

The knowledge of the field the translator is working in is often overlooked by

translators and those that hire them. Translators are by definition language

professionals, but they also have to cultivate knowledge of the areas they work in.

Few translators claim to be able to translate anything written in their languages,

just as few people can claim to be experts in everything. Most translators have to

specialize, working with one or a few related categories of material: legal, financial,

medical, computers, or electrical engineering, to name a few. Each field has its

own vocabulary, syntax, and style; the translator has to work hard to develop the

knowledge necessary to deal with such material (Solhy, 2002).

A good translator is by definition bilingual. The opposite is not necessarily

true, however. A born and bred bilingual will still need two things to become a

49

translator: first, the skills and experience necessary for translation; second,

knowledge of the field in which he or she will translate. The skills and experience

for translation include the ability to write well in the target language, the ability to

read and understand the source language material thoroughly, and the ability to

work with the latest word-processing and communications hardware and software.

2.17 TRANSLATION AS A PROFESSION

A translator converts written material, such as newspaper and magazine

articles, books, manuals, or documents, from one language into another. This is

not to be confused with an interpreter, who converts spoken material, such as

speeches, presentations, and the like, from one language to another. “Although

there is some vague connection between the abilities involved in translation and

interpretation, translators cannot necessarily interpret, nor can interpreters

necessarily translate” (Chriss, 1994: 25), Moreover, the best translators are not

good interpreters, and; likewise, truly great interpreters are not much for

translation. And while many professional training programs require interpreters to

develop some skill in translation, professionally trained translators often have no

exposure to the skills of interpretation.

Newmark defines the term profession as “A calling requiring specialised

knowledge and long and intensive academic preparation” (Newmark 1991:5).

Translators come from all backgrounds. Most translators are very well-read in their

languages, and can write well. Some are writers who use translation as a way to

write for a living. Others are fascinated by language and use translation as a way

to be close to their favourite subject. Still others are experts in certain fields and

50

use their language skills to work in that field. Translators also generally have lived

in the countries where their languages are spoken. Translators either work for

themselves as freelance translators or in-house as employees of, for instance, a

translation agency. The former are typically called freelance translators, or

freelancers, and the latter in-house translators (Middleton, 2009).

Nowadays, translators have specialized in different areas and there are medical

translators, legal translators, technical translators who must have intimate

knowledge of their particular area of expertise. Words that have very precise

meaning in one language may not have an exact literal translation in another

language. The way in which translators do their jobs has changed with advances in

technology. Today, nearly all translation work is entered into a computer, allowing

most assignments to be received and submitted electronically. The internet

provides advanced research capabilities and valuable language resources, such as

specialized dictionaries and glossaries. While translators’ work is aided by

computers, it cannot be replaced by them. Computers have the ability to translate

literally, word for word, but they don’t have the ability to logically comprehend the

content of the message, or the intent of the written communication.

Despite the theory of translation was started about fifty years ago when it was

considered as an activity exclusive for literary scholars, its purpose remained the

same. In his book About Translation, Newmark (1991) proposes and re-order the

five wider purposes of translation:

1. The first purpose is to contribute to understanding and peace

between nations, groups and individuals.

51

2. The second purpose of translation is to transmit knowledge in plain,

appropriate and accessible language, in particular in relation to

technology transfer.

3. The third purpose is to explain and mediate between cultures on the

basis of a common humanity, respecting their strengths, implicitly

exposing their weaknesses.

4. The fourth ancient purpose is to translate the world’s great books,

the universal works in which the human spirit is enshrined and lives.

5. The fifth purpose is a general aid or as a skill required in the

acquisition of a foreign language. (Newmark 1991:43-44)

Being in the translation service industry is very challenging. An effective

translator needs more than just knowledge of another language to be considered

for a job. The need for translation is, basically, the need for communication: to

increase it, to reach other audiences, to be understood. For this reason, it is crucial

that, even though the client explain why they need the translation. With this

information, translators and editors prepare the documents so that the message is

communicated in a precise and efficient manner, without “noises” that distract the

receivers of this message (such as words that might sound strange, abbreviations

that they won’t understand or forms of speaking that will not be familiar to them).

52

53

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

54

3.1 RESEARCH TYPE

As none of the variables used in this research were manipulated at all this is

considered to be a non-experimental type of research. The researcher was limited

to observe what occurred naturally in the students with the purpose to find out

some answers. There was no control or influence under the subjects of the study

because variables as their type of intelligence is something they had already

before this investigation took place.

Taking into account Hernandez’s definition of this type of research it can also be

classified as a transversal since they “collect data in a single time, its purpose is to

describe variables and analyze their impact and interrelation at a given time”

(2003:270). Being this a descriptive type of research, the results were presented

using not only numbers, but examples of the sentences translated by the students,

giving details such as what type of MI he or she had and including comments and

explanations. In this research, the author attempts to understand the problem by

examining the components of it within their contextual setting. This qualitative

approach was used throughout the investigation in order to interpret the results and

draw further conclusions.

3.2 STUDY TYPE

Because there are not too many studies referring to MI in translation students at

UNACAR and how much their type of intelligence affects in their performance as

translators, this research is considered to be explorative. The report and the results

sections were prepared using a mix of quantitative and quality approach since it

55

was necessary to measure a series of variables and collect information about

each one of them, in order to describe what was investigated.

3.3 THE RESEARCH PROCESS

As in any kind of research, this was started by establishing the objective and the

research questions in order to keep the research focused. Then, the keywords

were defined.

The next step was to carry out a literature review with the purpose of summarizing

and assessing the state of the existing knowledge on the topic. Background

information was read in print and online references, which helped to understand

the broader context of the research and in general terms what was known about

the topic. This literature review had to be performed in order to find out the

characteristics of accurate translation and the theory of MI. A bibliographical trail

was kept for all of these sources as references.

The following stage in this process was the collection of data which was the main

support for the results of the research. In order to do that, an appointment with the

Translation teacher of the 7th semester group was made so the instruments were

applied. Previously, an MI test and a translation exercise were prepared for the

students.

On November 3rd 2008, the researcher met with the group in its classroom. A brief

explanation about the reason of the test and translation exercise was given to the

students. It was mentioned the exercise results were going to be used in a

research project about MI, but they were never told about the research questions

or the results expected from the test in order to avoid any bias in their answers.

56

They first were given the MI Inventory which had two pages. They were asked to

write their name and age on both of them and to tick in the statements they most

agreed trying to be as honest as possible. They were invited to feel free to ask any

question they might have about the instructions of the test or any word they did not

understand. There was no time limit to answer the test; however, the time available

for that lesson was around two hours

After all of them had finished and returned the test, they were given another set of

two sheets with the translation exercise. The first page had the article in the source

language and the second one was to be used for the translation into the target

language. They were asked to translate into Spanish the text given in English after

the researcher read aloud the whole text. Dictionaries were allowed and once

again, no timing for this exercise. In general, the complete session lasted around

one hour and a half. This was the only time the researcher met with the students

and collected all the information.

Later on, with the MI Inventory and the translation exercise solved there was plenty

of information to be studied by the researcher. The characteristics of such data

were first described in the report of the results using graphics and charts, then this

was analyzed in a separate section where the results were compared with the

literature collected previously. The aspects taken into account to evaluate the

translations were the seven standards by Darwish (2004) described in the literature

review. Also, the researcher sought patterns and relationships by comparing

means and correlations between the variables. Once all of that was done, it was

possible to draw a conclusion and present the results for this investigation.

57

3.4 THE METHODS

The research method is directly connected to the problem statement and goal of

the research. This project was based on an inductive-deductive model which

studies individual cases (the students type of intelligence) in order to get to a

generalization or conclusion.

The inductive method is a kind of reasoning that goes from what it is known about

particular cases to a wider state of knowledge that reflects what is common in the

individual cases (Burney: 2008).

This research began with some questions and then the search for the theory

related to the field. Both methods were combined during this research, the

deduction to elaborate the research questions and the inductivism to analyze the

findings.

However, a statistical method was also used to compile, elaborate and interpret the

numeric data acquired.

3.5 THE TECHNIQUES

One of the main techniques used trough this investigation was the

elaboration of bibliographical cards when doing the literature review. In these

cards a record was kept of all of the websites and books consulted during this

stage in order to have a control of all the information and resources gathered and

that was going to be presented in this work.

The test, a technique derived from the survey and the interview were of great

importance to obtain the information regarding the student’s abilities. The purpose

58

of the test was to collect personal characteristics of the individuals in the group

using questions and statements later observed and analyzed.

MS Excel was used to present the results of the translation and the information

obtained from the MI Inventory. Computer software was readily available to provide

both basic and advanced multivariate analysis of all data collected.

3.6 THE INSTRUMENTS

Two instruments were used to obtain the information necessary for this research.

The first one was a Multiple Intelligence Inventory based on Gardner’s MI Theory

and developed by Gregory Gay M.A, founder and manager of the Learning

Disabilities Resource Community (LDRC) a website created to provide knowledge

and communication tools for individuals and groups involved in the education of

those with learning disabilities and to support research and development in

associated fields. The LDRC is comprised of a multidisciplinary team with varied

backgrounds in research, education, and technology development. A number of

staff members possess specialized backgrounds in learning disabilities and

cognitive science - some have learning disabilities themselves. Some of their

partners include The University of Toronto's Adaptive Technology Resource Centre

(ATRC) and The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC).

This test has been used since 1998 by individuals and groups involved in the

education of those with learning disabilities. Each student was given one printed

version of the test and their answers were then entered in the website, from where

it was originally taken, to come up with the result. This inventory consists of two

sheets with 80 statements grouped in eight categories. Each category refers to one

59

specific type of intelligence. In the first page the students had to write their names

and ages and read the instructions. Even though in the original version online it is

required for the taker to provide their gender and answer if he or she is either left or

right handed, these two questions were omitted for the instrument applied in this

investigation as it was considered not to be relevant for the purpose of the

research questions defined in the first chapter. The instructions to answer this

inventory are only check the statements. At the bottom of the second page, there

is a little chart with blank spaces not to be filled in by the students. This chart is for

the researcher to score the results when evaluating the tests later on. This test

helped to find out what were the students’ strengths and to identify the type of

intelligence they had according to the MI theory of Gardner.

The second instrument was a checklist designed to evaluate the translation

exercise made by the students. This checklist was created by the researcher

based on the seven standards proposed by Darwish (2004), whose proposal was

described early in the literature review. This instrument analyzed sentence by

sentence giving one point per each standard being fulfilled. The checklist has a

total of nineteen items grouped in seven categories or standards. These categories

are: accuracy, precision, correctness, completeness, consistency, clarity and

fitness for purpose. The nineteen items in the checklist are the following:

conformity to the source text, true to the original, no extra information, exact

meaning, preservation of intention, meaning, spelling, grammar, errors of fact,

integrity of information, unjustifiable omissions, terminology, transliteration,

coherence, cohesion, clear as the original, ambiguities, distortion and information

60

needs. The result was given at the end by adding the points reached by the

student.

This checklist helped to grade the students’ translations, give them a number in a

scale of 0-10 so the abilities of the translator could be observed and ranked

according to their results. The translations final scores were afterwards compared

among each of the students bearing in mind the type of MI they had. For this

purpose, graphs were used to visualize the data in a better way. With these results

and the ones obtained from the MI Inventory, it was possible to determine whose

translation fulfills the requirements of effective translations. Refer to Appendix

section for a copy of the instruments used in this research.

3.7 THE SUBJECTS

The students of 7th semester were selected to carry out this investigation due to

their level in English language as a group, not considering the individual grades of

each one of them. The group consisted of eleven students, eight girls and three

boys from 21 to 26 years old.

All of them had English lessons taken in the previous semesters, a total of ten

hours a week for each semester and according to the course syllabus some of the

subjects taught are translation (theory and practice), Spanish reading and writing

workshop, Linguistics and Semantics. They are all considered able to have

communicative skills in both languages.

61

3.8 THE OBJECTS

The objects analyzed in this research were the translations made by the students.

The source text given to the students for them to translate it into Spanish was a

149-word article titled Montreal, The Law Of Art. This text had a total of six

sentences; three of them complex and one a compound sentence divided into four

paragraphs. This article was an original text in English taken from ESCALA

magazine published by AEROMEXICO, a Mexican airline and which is distributed

for free among the passengers onboard the flights. This magazine was selected for

this research for being a world-renowned publication and read by people from all

different countries, since, the airline flies not only to America, but also to Europe

and Asia.

The main characteristics of the translations produced by the students and to

be evaluated by the researcher were basically the seven standards described by

Darwish(2004). Each one of them has subcategories like spelling, grammar,

terminology, coherence, cohesion, ambiguities, distortion, etc., that are also taken

into account when evaluating a translation.

62

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

63

4.1 REPORT OF THE RESULTS

The following section describes the findings of the instruments used for the

data collection. The report of the MI inventory and the checklist of the translation

exercise were placed separately. The main strategy used to illustrate the values

obtained was the use of tables and graphs which made the presentation of the

data clearer. As for the MI Inventory, two tables were used to report the answers

given by the subjects. The first one contains the numbers of items or statements

ticked by them, and the second one shows only the results and the type of

intelligence it was attributed to them. Regarding the analysis of the translation

exercise, the results of the checklist used for this purpose were put, classified,

counted and tabulated using MS Excel and finally presented here through several

tables that represent the grades given to the translation and the type of

intelligence of each subject. Also some examples of the translations of the

sentences are included.

4.1.1 THE MI INVENTORY

The results of the inventory were calculated by adding the number of

statements ticked in each group or category. The category with the greater number

of ticked statements was considered to be the one more developed by the subject

and the type of intelligence he/she had. For example, if the subject ticked 7

statements in the group belonging to the Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence, 6 in the

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence and only 3 in the Visual-Spatial Intelligence; then

the Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence was regarded to be the type of intelligence this

subject had.The table 4.1 shows the results of the inventory using 9 vertical

64

columns, the first one refers to the number of subject for their identification, and the

others to the eight different types of intelligence. Horizontally, the table has 12

rows. The first row is for the title and the rest for the values obtained by the

subjects in the different fields or categories. Each subject was randomly given a

number from1 to 11. The number in the box represents the number of statements

the subject ticked off from the eight different categories.

Subject

No.

Verbal-

Linguistic

Logical-

Mathematic

al

Visual-

Spatial

Bodily-

Kinaesthe

tic

Musical-

Rhythmic

Interperson

al

Intraperson

al

Naturalisti

c

1 8 6 4 1 5 4 7 6

2 2 2 8 3 4 4 3 2

3 2 8 4 6 5 6 4 3

4 1 1 4 2 2 1 2 1

5 4 3 2 1 2 6 1 3

6 4 4 4 2 5 2 6 1

7 2 3 2 4 5 2 4 2

8 2 3 4 7 4 8 6 5

9 2 2 5 4 5 6 5 9

10 3 6 2 5 1 7 4 5

11 4 2 3 2 3 6 3 1

Taking into account the higher category ranked by the subjects in the

previous table, it was possible to establish the predominant type of intelligence in

the subject. The results are shown in table 4.2

Table 4.1 Number of statements ticked by the subjects from each category

65

Table 4.2 Sujbect’s type of MI.

Likewise, the results of the MI Inventory provided numbers to identify the

most popular type of intelligence among the group. The numbers are presented in

Table 4.3 According to the numbers in this table, the type of MI that most of the

subjects have is the Interpersonal, which was found in 4 subjects. The next most

common intelligence in the group was the Visual-Spatial, with 2 subjects, and then

the Verbal -Linguistic, the Logical-Mathematical, the Musical-Rhythmic,the

Intrapersonal and the Naturalistic with 1 subject each. The only one type of

intelligence that was not found in any of the eleven subjects was the Bodily-

Kinesthetic.

Subject No. Type of MI

1 Verbal-Linguistic

2 Visual-Spatial 3 Logical-Mathematical 4 Visual-Spatial 5 Interpersonal

6 Intrapersonal 7 Musical-Rhythmic 8 Interpersonal 9 Naturalistic

10 Interpersonal

11 Interpersonal

66

TYPE OF MI NUMBER OF SUBJECTS

Interpersonal Intelligence 4 Visual Spatial Intelligence 2

Verbal Linguistic Intelligence 1

Logical Mathematical Intelligence 1

Musical Rhythmic Intelligence 1

Intrapersonal Intelligence 1 Naturalist Intelligence 1

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 0

TOTAL: 11

4.1.2 THE CHECKLIST

The following are the checklist´s results of the article translated into

Spanish. The translations were evaluated according to 19 important characteristics

based on the seven standars for accurate translations and which were represented

in the checklist in the columns at the left. The table 4.4 shows which of such items

the subjects scored. Horizontally, the first row of the table refers to the numbers

assigned to the subjects that were the same given in the MI Inventory.

Table 4.3 Most Popular Intelligence among subjects.

67

STANDARS OF TRANSLATION

Subject No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

ACCURACY

1 Conformity to the ST 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 True to the Original 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 No extra Info. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

PRECISION 4 Exact Meaning 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 Preservation of Intention 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

CORECTNESS

6 Meaning 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 Spelling 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 8 Grammar 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 9 Errors of Fact 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

COMPLETENESS 10 Integrity to the Info. 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 11 Unjustifiable Omissions 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1

CONSISTENCY

12 Terminology 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13 Transliteration 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 Coherence 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 15 Cohesion 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1

CLARITY

16 Clear as the original 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 17 Ambiguities 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 18 Distortion 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

FITNESS FOR PURPOSE 19 Information Needs 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 Total of Items Scored: 18 16 17 7 15 13 9 6 9 15 11

The first step to evaluate the translations was reading thoroughly all of them

and identifying the equivalentes of the 6 sentences in the source text. Once this

was completed, a checklist was filled out for each translation following the next

procedure: if the subject’s translation fulfilled one characteristic, for example

grammar, a point was gained for that item, if not, the point was declared null. The

number 1 represents the subject achieving it and the number 0 when the subject

failed. The last row in the table shows the total of items scored by the subjects.

As can be observed in Table 4.4, none of the eleven subjects got all of the

19 items. The closest one was Subject Number 1 with 18 points followed by

Table 4.4 Checklist Results of Translation Exercise

68

Subject Number 3 with 17. The subject who obtained the lowest grade was

Subject Number 8 only achieving 6 of the 19 items. The rest of them got grades

between 7 and 16.

Regarding to standards fullfilled by the translators, they were possible to

identify by means of the number of items achieved from each category. For

example, in Accuracy, the first standard which had three items, the subject had to

score the three of them so his/her translation could be considered accurate. When

only one or two of these items were scored, the standard was considered not

achieved.This criterion was used because a translation can not be considered

accurate if it lacks one of its three parameters, that is, when it is not true to the

original or it does not have conform to the source text for instance.

Figure 4.1 expresses the general results of the translations standards. The

blue bar represents the number of subjects who succedeed in achievieng such

standard, and the the red bar refers to the subjects who did not.

69

When looking at these results, it can be noticed that Accuracy the first

standard, was only achieved by 5 of the 11 subjects and 6 did not achieve it. The

parameter which most of the subjects did not meet with was being True to the

original, the mistakes made when translating sentence number 4 being the main

reason. The sentence reads “The inhabitants of this city, more than a half of whom

speak English and French, have also taken pains to preserve their roots.” [sic]

(así)Examples of how the subjects translated this sentence are the following:

“Esta ciudad, la mas de la mitad hablan Inglés y Francés, aunque también

preservan sus orígenes” [sic] - Subject Number 4

In this translation, it is evident that “la más de la mitad” does not have any

meaning in the target language due to the lack of concordance among the article

and the rest of the words and “Aunque” is not definitely a translation for have also

in the ST.

Figure 4.1 Standars Achieved in the Translations

70

“Más de la mitad de las personas que no habitan en esta ciudad que hablan

Inglés y Francés se han adobtado ciertas culturas para preservar sus raíces” [sic]

- Subject Number 8

This sentence totally transmits a different idea far from the original in the ST

by changing the meaning of the word inhabitants in the first place and translating

have also taken pains as se han adobtado ciertas culturas, apart from the

significant spelling mistake.

However, the last item in this standard No extra information, was achieved

by all of the subjects who respected the original information in the text.

Precision, the second standard, was achieved only by Subject Number 1

and Subject Number 10. Both of them managed to fulfill the two items in this

category which were Exact Meaning and Preservation of Intention. For example,

they translated Sentence Number 4, the same used in the previous example as

“Los habitantes de esta ciudad, de los cuales mas de la mitad habla Inglés

y Francés, han tenido tambien dificultades para mantener sus raices” [sic]

–Subject Number 1

And Sentence Number 3 which reads, “Aside from hosting some of the

most important music festivals in the world and being the birthplace of the creators

of Cirque du Soleil, Montreal is a city where the latest trends in design, painting,

cinema, literature, and urbanism are clearly in evidence” as

“Aparte de ser anfitrion de algunos de los festivales de musica mas

importantes en el mundo y ser el lugar de nacimiento de los creadores del Cirque

Du Solei, Montereal es una ciudad donde la ultima moda en diseño, pintura, cine,

literatura y urbanismo son muy evidentes” [sic] – Subject Number 10

71

Other subjects translated this last sentence as “Además de organizar

algunos de los festivales de música más importantes en el mundo y siendo el lugar

de nacimiento de los creadores del Cirque Du Solei, Montreal es una ciudad donde

la más antigua tendencia en diseño, pintura, literatura y urbanismo están

claramente en evidencia” [sic] – Subject Number 7.

One of the reasons why this last subject did not achieve the Precision

standard is because la más antigua tendencia has exactly the opposite meaning

of latest.

On Correctness standard, the results were similiar. Only1 Subject achieved

it and the other 10 did not mainly because of an error of fact done in Sentence

Number 2. This sentence reads:

“Corporations are legally obligated to spend one percent of their total

revenue on works of art, for the enjoyment of the general public” .

Which almost all of the subjects translated it as:

“Las corporaciones estan legalmente obligadas a emplear un porcentaje de

ingreso total en trabajos de arte, para el entretenimiento del publico en general.”

[sic].

Most of them confused “one” and translated “un” not “uno”. It looks as

though only Subject Number 3 noticed that one percent of their total revenue

referred to actually a real number when rendering “Las empresas tienen la

obligacion legal de destinar el 1% de sus ingresos en trabajos artisticos…”

It was also observed that Completeness was only achieved by 4 subjects

who kept the integrity of their translations to the actual information from the ST. On

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the other hand, 7 subjects did not succeed in Completeness mostly because the

unjustifiable omissions they did of some parts of the text.

Regarding Consistency, the results were mostly positive. 7 subjects got it

and only 4 did not achieve this standard,most of them because of Cohesion and

Coherence mistakes. One example of this is Subject Number 8 who translated

Sentence Number 5 (They have remodeled Vieux-Montréal, or Old Montreal, and

over recent years, hefty investments have been made in the downtown area, which

is today synonymous with high-end design) as “Han reconstruido Vieux-Montreal u

Old Montreal y en años recientes las inversiones cuantiosas se hicieron en el

centro de la ciudad lo cual es sinonimo de alto diseño el dia de hoy” which is not

precise and may cause confusion to the reader in the target language.

As for Clarity standard, 3 subjects achieved it, and 8 did not. The items

taken into account to evaluate this standard were Ambiguities and Distortion which

were present in some of the subjects translations and were the reason why they

did not succeed. One example of this is the Sentence Number 6 that reads:

“Behind their 18th and 19th century facades, these buildings conceal interiors that

successfully combine the old with the new, creating the so-called Art Montréal

style”

Subject Number 4 translated as:

“A partir del siglo 18 y 19, estos edificios son combinacion de los antiguos y ahora

nuevos edificios, creados por el estilo de arte de Montreal”.

This sentence is a clear example of meaning distortion as “son combinación” does

not mean “conceal interiors”

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The last standard, Information Needs, was fullfilled by all of the 11 subjects.

Thoso who did not achiev any other six standards, their translations still met the

needs of the intended readers who could understand the bottom line of the text,

which was the efforts being made by Montreal’s goverment to encourage art in

their city. In adittion, Table 4.5 shows the number of standards fullfilled by each

subject. In this table it can be noticed that despite any of the eleven subjects

fullfilled all the of the 7 standards proposed by Darwish, the highest score

belonged to Subject Number 1 who achieved 6 of them.

No. Of Standards Fulfilled

Type of M.I Subject No.

6 Verbal Linguistic Subject No. 1

5 Visual Spatial Subject No. 2

5 Logical Mathematical Subject No. 3

4 Interpersonal Subject No. 5

4 Interpersonal Subject No. 10

3 Intrapersonal Subject No. 6

2 Interpersonal Subject No. 11

1 Musical Rhytmic Subject No. 7

1 Visual Spatial Subject No. 4

0 Interpersonal Subject No. 8

0 Naturalistic Subject No. 9

Table 4.5 Number of Standards Fullfilled

According to the information provided by the checklist, the standard that

Subject Number 1 did not fullfill was Correctness, and this was because an error of

fact made on Sentence Number 2 that reads, “Corporations are legally obligated to

spend one percent of their total revenue on works of art, for the enjoyment of the

general public”. This subject failed to translate “one percent” as “uno porciento”

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and rendered it as “un porcentaje” instead. In the original text, this refers to number

1, not to a certain percentage.

Subjects Number 2 and 3 obtained five standards fulfilled each and

Subjects Number 5 and 10 fulfilled 4 standards both. The next subjects in the scale

were Subject Number 6 who fulfilled 3 of the 7 standards and Subject Number 11

who only got 2 of them. The lowest marks were scored by subjects Number 8 and

9 who failed to achieved any of the 7 standards. They both got 0 standards.

4.1.3 THE TRANSLATION GRADES

The results obtained by the checklist were later used to give the translation

a final grade in a scale from 1 to 10. The number of items scored by each subject

was multiplied by 100 and then divided into 19. The resulting numer is the mean of

the translation excercice and it is shown in yellow in the following table.

STANDARDS OF TRANSLATION Subject No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

ACCURACY 1 Conformity to the ST 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 True to the Original 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 No extra Info. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

PRECISION 4 Exact Meaning 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 Preservation of Intention 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

CORECTNESS 6 Meaning 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 Spelling 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 8 Grammar 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 9 Errors of Fact 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

COMPLETENESS 10 Integrity to the Info. 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 11 Unjustifiable Omissions 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1

CONSISTENCY 12 Terminology 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13 Transliteration 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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14 Coherence 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 15 Cohesion 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1

CLARITY 16 Clear as the original 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 17 Ambiguities 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 18 Distortion 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

FITNESS FOR PURPOSE

19 Information Needs 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1

Total of Items Scored: 18 16 17 7 15 13 9 6 9 15 11 GRADE or MEAN OF TRANSLATION : 9.4 8.4 8.9 3.6 7.8 6.8 4.7 3.1 4.7 7.8 5.7

Table 4.6 Grade of Translation Excercise

The results set using this formula are shown in Table 4.7 in a descendent

order starting form the highest to the lowest grade. The subject´s type of MI is

included next to the grade column for further reference.In this table, it can be

observed that the highest grade was 9.4 obtained by Subject Number 1 who had

the Verbal-Linguistc type of Intelligence. The lowest grade belong to Subject

Number 8 with the Interpersonal intelligence, who scored 3.1 in the translation

exercise. The rest of the subjects obtained grades from 3.6 to 8.9.

Translation Grade or MEAN

Type of MI Subject No.

9.4 Verbal-Linguistic 1

8.9 Logical-Mathematical 3

8.4 Visual-Spatial 2

7.8 Interpersonal 5

7.8 Interpersonal 10

6.8 Intrapersonal 6

5.7 Interpersonal 11

4.7 Musical 7

4.7 Naturalistic 9

3.6 Visual-Spatial 4

3.1 Interpersonal 8

Table 4. 7 Translation’s Final Grades

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4.2 ANALYSIS AND PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION

Based on the information obtained through the instruments and presented

in Table 4.5 and 4.7, it was noticed that the subject with the highest scores in both,

the checklist and the translation excercise was Subject Number 1. This subject has

the Verbal Linguistic type of intelligence as the MI Inventory applied previously

showed. Taking into account Gardner’s theory, the subjects with the verbal-

linguistic intelligence finds it easy to read, pick up new vocabulary, understand

more complex language, and express themselves in speaking and writing either in

their mother tongue or any other language they speak. Such skills could have been

observed in Subject Number 1 whose translation was considered to be, out from

the eleven analyzed, the closest to the original in the ST.

One example of this subject´s ability with language was noticed when

comparing with other subjects´ his version of Sentence 6. This sentence which

originally read, “Behind their 18th and 19th century facades, these buildings conceal

interiors that successfully combine the old with the new, creating the so-called Art

Montréal style” was rendered by Subject Number 4 (Visual Spatial Intelligence) as:

“A partir del siglo 18 y 19, estos edificios son combinación de los antiguos y ahora

nuevos edificios, creados por el estilo de arte de Montreal”. In this version, it can

be remarked that the term “A partir” does not correspond to Behind in the ST. Also,

the phrase these buildings conceal interiors that successfully combine the old with

the new, referring to how the old external look of the buildings contrasted with the

new design interiors, was misunderstood and rendered as “estos edificios son

combinación de los antiguos y ahora nuevos edificios””. These two mistakes were

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produced by mistranslating the words “behind” and “conceals”. It is clear that not

knowing the meaning of these words provoked a distortion from the original

intention and affected the whole translation. One of the reasons that could explain

this is that although they were allowed to use any kind of help source most of them

did not have dictionary. This could have been avoided by making sure all the

subjects undertaking the test had one. They could had been provided with

dictionaries in the classroom or that the test were conducted in a room with Internet

access so the subjects had no problems when facing an unknown word.

Subject Number 1 (Verbal Linguistic intelligence) on the contrary, translated it

as,“Detrás de sus fachadas del siglo XVIII y XIX, estos edificios ocultan interiores

que combinan exitosamente lo viejo con lo nuevo, creando el conocido estilo de

arte Montreal”. In this version, “behind” was translated as “detrás” and “conceals”

as “ocultan”, both being the exact meaning in the source language. The ability of

Subject Number 1 to understand and manipulate syntax and structure, a common

characteristic of people with the Verbal Linguistic Intelligence, resulted in a

translation that is as clear as the original text and free of ambiguities and distortion.

By rendering a translation that is accurate and precise, the subject with the verbal

linguistic intelligence managed to produce a close approximation to the core

meaning of the source text preserving both the communicative and the informative

intention, a characteristic that according to Darwish (2004) is required to obtain the

desired effect or the so called effective translation.

The next subject with the best translation grade (8.9) and greatest number

of standards achieved (5) was Subject Number 3, who has the Logical

Mathematical intelligence. As it was presented in Chapter number II, this type of

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intelligence refers to individuals with the ability to reason, calculate and think in a

logical, systematic manner. Skills highly demonstrated by Subject Number 3 when

translating Sentence Number 2, which reads, “Corporations are legally obligated

to spend one percent of their total revenue on works of art, for the enjoyment of the

general public”, which he translated as “Las empresas tienen la obligación legal

de destinar el 1% de sus ingresos en trabajos artísticos, para de ese modo,

regocijar al publico general”; whereas the rest of the subjects translated it as “Las

corporaciones estan obligadas legalmente a gastar un porcentaje de sus ingresos

totales en obras de arte, para el disfrute del publico en general”. Subject Number

3 succeeded to be the only of the eleven subjects to get the actual meaning of “one

percent”. This little but significant detail being acknowledged by Subject Number 3

concords with Gardner´s description for individuals with the Logical Mathematical

Intelligence, which he defines as the “ability to reason inductively and deductively

and to recognize and use abstract patterns and relationships” (Gardner,1983: 45).

Logical Mathematical individuals have skills to perform complex mathematical or

logical operations, and it is usually found in people who are good at numbers and

appreciate step-by-step, logical explanations.

Regarding Subjects Number 2 and 3, a similarity was found among their

translations even though they did not have the same type of intelligence. The first

one had the Visual Spatial and the latter had the Verbal Linguistic. They both

managed to achieve the second greatest number of standards in their translations;

they fulfilled 5 out of the 7. This demonstrates that even though two subjects have

different types of MI, they can produce a similar result when given the same type of

text and under the same conditions. In other words, having certain type of

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intelligence does not make too much of a difference when translating a text, as two

people with two different types of MI can achieve the same number of standards

that count for an effective translation.

However, despite the fact that they shared this same result, i.e the number

of standards achieved, their translation’s final grades were different. Subject

Number 2 (Visual-Spatial) obtained 8.4 and Subject Number 3 (Verbal-Linguistic)

8.9. The reason for this difference was the several mistakes made by Subject

Number 2 (Visual-Spatial) whose translation had a lot of grammar and spelling

errors that affected directly in the Correctness standard. Such mistakes were

probably caused because the translation was performed via hand writing.

Automatic spell assistants in computer software help the subjects to correct their

translations before turning them in, so these kinds of mistakes are not seen often

.Another reason why this may had happened is that the time given to finish the

translations was not enough for some of the subjects. A person who has the

Verbal Linguistic type of intelligence may be able to get the main idea of a certain

text, in another language because that is one of his or her strongest areas, where a

subject with the Visual Spatial type of intelligence may need to read a text, in

another language, two or more times to be capable of understanding it clearly.

Regarding the most popular type of intelligence in the group, the

Interpersonal, the results were very different. 4 subjets were found to have this

type of intelligence in the group, but only two of them obtained similar results in

their translations: Subjects Number 5 and Subject Number 10. They coincided by

fulfilling 4 out of the 7 standards proposed by Darwish and scoring 15 items in the

checklist and 7.8 in their translations. Among the aspects that coincided between

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these two subject´s translations were conformity to the ST and preservation of

intention. None of them added any extra information and both complied with the

information needs of the text. The other two subjects with the Interpersonal

intelligence were Subject Number 8 and Subject Number 11. Their final grades

were not only different from the other two members with the Interpersonal

Intelligence, but also among them. While Subject Number 11 obtained items in the

checklist and obtained 5.7 in his final translation, Subject Number 8 was the one

who obtained the lowest marks in both: 6 items in the checklist and 3.1 in the

translation exercise. This factor is worth noticing as the difference is huge. An

example of this can be illustrated through the translation made by Subject No. 8.

He translated the sentence “The inhabitants of this city, more than a half of whom

speak English and French, have also taken pains to preserve their roots” as “Mas

de la mitad de las personas que no habitan en esta ciudad que hablan Ingles y

Frances se han adobtado ciertas culturas para preservar sus raices”. As we can

observe, the word in bold “adobtado” does not exist in Spanish and even if we

interpret it is as “adoptado”, this other word does not have the same meaning as

the original “taken pains” either. According to Darwish, the second standard,

Precision, refers to “the quality of being exact an definite” and as we were able to

read in the previous example, this sentence is not exact nor definite.

Figure 4.2 shows the great difference among all the subjects with the

Interpersonal type of intelligence. Subject Number 5 obtained highest results and

Subject Number 8, who did not fulfill any of the standards required, obtained the

lowest.

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Taking into account the values presented above, it is evident that the results

of the subjects with the Interpersonal type of intelligence do not follow a similar

pattern. Whereas two of them obtained exactly the same grades, the other two

differs from the rest of the group. What can be deduced from this is that sharing the

same type of intelligence does not guarantee obtaining the same result when it

comes to translating. A translation student with the Interpersonal type of

intelligence can either achieve 4 of the 7 standards proposed by Darwish or 0, or 1,

or 3, or 5. Having this type of intelligence has shown no evidence that a student

can get a certain number of accurate standards fulfilled. Now, why did this

happen? There are some factors that could answer this question. The first one is

the English proficiency. Even though they are all subjects that belong to the same

semester, their level of English may vary. Two subjects may have shared the same

type of intelligence, but if their knowledge of a second language is more advanced

in one of them, the difference in their translation is going to be evident. Maybe this

Figure 4.2 Subjects with Interpersonal Intelligence

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was the case among the highest and the lowest grades. Another reason may have

been the lack of interest in the subject. A student may not feel motivated to do his

best at a translation exercise if he knows this is not going to have any relevance in

his grades, as a consequence, he does not do his best. Some others just want to

leave the classroom as quick as the can, so they do not put a lot of effort in

presenting a good job. In the case of the subjects that had the same type of

intelligence and got the same results in the translation, they probably shared

comments while doing it and maybe help each other with terms they didn’t know

and compare their works before handing them in.

Based on the results described in the previous paragraphs, the findings

encountered by this research can be summarized as follows:

• The translation with the highest grade scored and with the greatest

number of standards achieved belongs to Subject Number 1 who has the

Verbal Linguistic Intelligence. According to Gardner’s description, this

intelligence is found in people with the ability to use words and language. They

are good at speaking, writing and understanding the syntax and meaning of

words.

• The most common intelligence in the group was the Interpersonal which

was found in 4 subjects. However, their final translation differ a lot from each

other, which lead us to deduce that

• People with the same type of intelligence, any type, do not produce the

same translation results. This means that having a particular type of

intelligence does not guarantee the translator is going to fulfill the same number

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of standards when doing a translation. The results on the translations largely

depend on other skills of the subject doing the translation such as mastery of

the source and target language, time given to perform the translation, tools

such as dictionaries or any other type of reference to consult and the willing

and effort in doing a quality translation. These skills have to do with the ability to

understand languages, both source and goal languages, and the capacity to

correctly transfer meaning from one to another; or as Gardner mentioned in his

theory referring to the Verbal-Linguistic type of intelligence, “the capacity to use

language to accomplish certain goals” (Cited by Smith: 2002). The goals which

Gardner talks about could be interpreted as communication goals.

• On the contrary, the results of a translation can be the same even when

they were done by subjects with different types of intelligences. As we

observed in the two highest scores, subjects with different types of intelligences

achieved the same number of standards, characteristics that, according to

Darwish, if these standards are obtained they can ensure the translation is

effective since it produces the desired effect. The effect intended by the original

writer.

• The fact that the subject with the Logical Mathematical intelligence was the only

one who successfully translated “one percent” as “uno porciento”, and not “un

porcentaje” as the others in the group did, shows evidence that a translator has

more chances to produce an effective translation when the topic of the

text is related to the area of his/her intelligence. The type of intelligence of a

translator may be other than Verbal Linguistic but this will not prevent him from

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rendering an appropriate translations. A translator with the Logical Mathematical

intelligence can be better at translating a technical document than a translator

with the Verbal Linguistic one. A Visual Spatial person can be better at

translation maps and diagrams than a translator who type of intelligence is the

Verbal Linguistic.

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CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

86

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from the instruments used, as well as the examples of the

sentences translated by the subjects, allow to conclude that the fulfillment of the

standards described by Darwish to achieve an effective translation does not

depend on the type of the intelligence the translator has. According to the

tables shown in the previous chapter, subjects who shared the same type of

intelligences produced quite different results among them. However, a successful

fulfillment of these standards concurs with having certain skills that the translator or

subject of translation should possess prior to any attempt of translation.

Hence, it can be said that the Verbal-Linguistic type is the ideal kind of

intelligence for the translator to have or develop the most since most of these

abilities are specifically approached by Gardner’s Verbal Linguistic type of

intelligence. This was evident in the only subject in the group with this type of MI.

Not only did he obtain the best grade, but he was able to demonstrate that he

clearly understood the main idea in the source text and was capable of transferring

it exactly to the goal language. This subject proved to be someone who can

communicate well in his own language, and by consequence, he will be the most

likely to produce an effective translation.

Furthermore, the problems encountered by the subjects at the moment of

translating and the mistakes made by them allowed to get an idea of the

preparation and tools a translator should count on before starting the translation

process.

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These problems can be listed as:

1) Time. It is the main factor why some translation students fail to do a good job,

especially in the classroom. Not having enough time makes them skip some

important steps as reading the source text thoroughly, more than one time if

necessary, before starting translation; this situation affects directly the

comprehension of the core idea of the original text. Another good reading

should be done after the translation is completed. In this reading, grammar,

spelling mistakes or even the style may be changed.

2) Knowledge of the Source Language. A translator should have a high level of

proficiency in the language he is translating from. Some of the mistakes made

by the subjects in this research were due to the lack of knowledge of the

English language. Even though vocabulary problems can be fixed with the help

of dictionaries, there might be structures that a translation student may not be

able to understand well, if he does not have a deep knowledge of the source

language. An incorrect understanding of the original idea can have a huge

impact on the goal text, sometimes having completely opposite meaning.

3) Mastery of the Goal Language. There were a lot of grammar and spelling

mistakes found in the translations made by the subjects even though they were

translating into Spanish, their mother tongue. Such mistakes have a negative

impact in their final translations and it makes them look of a very poor quality.

Translators are supposed to be language professionals; therefore they should

know the culture, grammar and semantics of their own mother language very

well. This will help them to tell others exactly what the author of the original text

wanted to say without confusion. Correct grammar makes communication clear

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to others and clear to the translator. A good vocabulary will help also the

translator to say exactly what it was meant.

4) The Topic of the Text. This refers to the academic and cultural background of

the translator. It would be easier for a translator to render a text which he knows

already or is familiar with. This is the advantage of a specialized translator over

a regular one. However, even though the translator is not familiar with the type

of the text, but it is of a topic of his interest, the translator has more probabilities

of doing a better job. For example, a translator who has the Naturalistic type of

intelligence may be the best to translate a text about environmental issues like

climate change, land use, etc. because it is likely that he will be interested in

the topic, rather than somebody that has cero knowledge or interest in that

topic.

Knowing the findings described above has many benefits not only for the

subjects of this study, but also for other translation students and teachers at

UNACAR. A student that knows his or her strengths will apply them when doing

their translations and therefore these will be of better quality. This means that

students will improve their grades and increase their confidence. Having better

grades will also influence positively when students are seeking a job after

graduating. A translator graduated from UNACAR with good notes will be a reliable

professional. On the other hand, knowing their weaker areas will help them to

correct and improve with the support and guidance of their teachers, who can help

by designing activities and programs in the classroom to suit the students’ needs.

By using multiple intelligences, teachers can also bring students of different

strengths and preferences together, giving them all the chances to share their

89

capability, and to tackle their weaker intelligences by learning with fellow students

who are stronger in these areas. Learning in this way can do a lot for students' self-

esteem, as they will see themselves valued by their classmates. This also

contributes to bring about better educational experiences, which is a strong

precedent to successful learning in life.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH • Larger Group: It is advisable to have a greater number of subjects in the group.

The group in this research was made of eleven students and not all of the M.I

were found among them. The Bodily-Kinesthetic type of intelligence was not

studied in this research as none of the subjects had it. Having more than one

subject per type of intellingence also would give the research more

information to analyse and compare and, of course, would provide a richer

amount of data, which can be generalized afterwards.

• Increase time for translations : Subjects had one hour to complete the M.I test

and the translation. This was performed during their translation class thanks to

the help of the teacher of this subject. Some of the problems found in the

translations were thougth to be caused by the lack of time. Some subjects

seemed not to have read the source text before translating it, and neither

afterwards in order to look for grammar errors or style. It would be good, for

further research involving translation to schedule more time so the subjects can

work on post translation details.

• Motivation: It would be a good idea to motivate the subjects with some kind of

reward in order for them to do their best effort. It could be disscussed with the

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teacher if achieving the best translation can make them earn extra points for

their translation class. This will solve the issue of lack of interest in some of the

subjects when doing the translation exercise and the researcher would have

translations with better quality to compare.

• Aids: It is important that all subjects have the necessary tools for the

completion of the translation. It was observed that not all of the subjects had

dictionaries at the moment of translating. This represents a disadvantage which

has a direct impact on the results. If future research involves translating, the

researcher should consider all the aids that could be helpful for the success of

their translation. The researcher should make sure all the subjects have

dictionaries, glossaries -if the topic of the translation is of a specialized subject-

and maybe access to Internet.

• English Proficiency Test: It would be very interesting if the researcher has a

group of study with all subjects of the same level of English. Despite the fact

that all of the subjects in this research belonged to the same semester, it was

noticeable that there existed differences regarding vocabulary and grammar

knowledge among them. This should be taken into account for any other

resarch, even the ones not including translation excercises because this would

give the researcher a more solid and reliable group to base his investigation on.

• Source Text according to M.I. As point number 4 suggests in the conclusions

sections above, it would be a good idea to adapt the source text to the type of

intelligence of the subject doing the translation i.e., giving the translator a text

that is of the area of his/her interest to see how the result changes. This would

91

give new information regarding the behavior of the translator towards the

source text and also more parameters for the researcher to compare regarding

the relation Multiple Intelligences–translation results. It could also be the topic

for a new research, which would provide more knowledge about how students

thrive according to the areas where they have greater skills or that interest them

most.

• Use of a statistical software: A program like SPSS helps the researcher to

save time when organizing and analyzing data. Those programs also can be

modified to run different statistical models, examine different variables, or

access different data files.

Finally, it is important to mention that all the data obtained from this research

is not conclusive. The more studies on this matter, the better knowledge to help

teachers and subjects in the classrooms.

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APPENDIXES

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APPENDIX A UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DEL CARMEN

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EDUCATIVAS LICENCIATURA EN LENGUA INGLESA

This test will help to find out what is the type of Multiple Intelligence that each one of the students have.

Name: Age:

INSTRUCTIONS: Tick the options that you most agree with.

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence Logical/Mathematical Intelligence ___ I enjoy telling stories and jokes ___ I have a good memory for trivia ___ I enjoy word games (e.g. Scrabble & puzzles) ___ I read books just for fun ___ I am a good speller (most of the time) ___ In an argument I tend to use put-downs or

sarcasm ___ I like talking and writing about my ideas ___ If I have to memorize something I create a

rhyme or saying to help me remember ___ If something breaks and won't work, I read

the instruction book first ___ For a group presentation I prefer to do the

writing and library research

___ I really enjoy my math class ___ I like logical math puzzles or brain teasers ___ I find solving math problems to be fun ___ If I have to memorize something I tend to

place events in a logical order ___ I like to find out how things work ___ I enjoy computer and any math games ___ I love playing chess, checkers or Monopoly ___ In an argument, I try to find a fair and logical

solution ___ If something breaks and won't work, I look at

the pieces and try to figure out how it works ___ For a group presentation I prefer to create the

charts and graphs

Visual/Spatial Intelligence Bodily/Kinaesthetic Intelligence

___ I prefer a map to written directions ___ I daydream a lot ___ I enjoy hobbies such as photography ___ I like to draw and create ___ If I have to memorize something I draw a

diagram to help me remember ___ I like to doodle on paper whenever I can ___ In a magazine, I prefer looking at the pictures

rather than reading the text ___ In an argument I try to keep my distance,

keep silent or visualize some solution ___ If something breaks and won't work I tend to

study the diagram of how it works ___ For a group presentation I prefer to draw all

the pictures

___ My favourite class is gym since I like sports ___ I enjoy activities such as woodworking,

sewing and building models ___ When looking at things, I like touching them ___ I have trouble sitting still for any length of

time ___ I use a lot of body movements when talking ___ If I have to memorize something I write it out

a number of times until I know it ___ I tend to tap my fingers or play with my

pencil during class ___ In a argument I tend to strike out and hit or

run away ___ If something breaks and won't work I tend to

play with the pieces to try to fit them together ___ For a group presentation I prefer to move the

props around, hold things up or build a model

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Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence Interpersonal Intelligence ___ I enjoy listening to CD's and the radio ___ I tend to hum to myself when working ___ I like to sing ___ I play a musical instrument quite well ___ I like to have music playing when doing

homework or studying ___ If I have to memorize something I try to

create a rhyme about the event ___ I an argument I tend to shout or punch or

move in some sort of rhythm ___ I can remember the melodies of many songs ___ If something breaks and won't work I tend to

tap my fingers to a beat while I figure it out ___ For a group presentation I prefer to put new

words to a popular tune or use music

___ I get along well with others ___ I like to belong to clubs and organizations ___ I have several very close friends ___ I like helping teach other students ___ I like working with others in groups ___ Friends ask my advice because I seem to be a

natural leader ___ If I have to memorize something I ask

someone to quiz me to see if I know it ___ In an argument I tend ask a friend or some

person in authority for help ___ If something breaks and won't work I try to

find someone who can help me ___ For a group presentation I like to help

organize the group's efforts

Intrapersonal Intelligence Naturalist Intelligence ___ I like to work alone without anyone

bothering me ___ I like to keep a diary ___ I like myself (most of the time) ___ I don't like crowds ___ I know what I am good at and what I am

weak at ___ I find that I am strong-willed, independent

and don't follow the crowd ___ If I have to memorize something I tend to

close my eyes and feel the situation ___ In an argument I will usually walk away until

I calm down ___ If something breaks and won't work, I

wonder if it's worth fixing up ___ For a group presentation I like to contribute

something that is uniquely mine, often based on how I feel

___ I am keenly aware of my surroundings and of what goes on around me

___ I love to go walking in the woods and looking at the trees and flowers

___ I enjoy gardening ___ I like to collect things (e.g., rocks, sports

cards, stamps, etc) ___ As an adult, I think I would like to get away

from the city and enjoy nature ___ If I have to memorize something, I tend to

organize it into categories ___ I enjoy learning the names of living things in

our environment, such as flowers and trees ___ In an argument I tend to compare my

opponent to someone or something I have read or heard about and react accordingly

___ If something breaks down, I look around me to try and see what I can find to fix the problem

___ For a group presentation I prefer to organize and classify the information into categories so it makes sense

TOTAL SCORE _______ Verbal/Linguistic _______ Logical/Mathematical _______ Visual/Spatial _______ Bodily/Kinaesthetic

_______ Musical/Rhythmic _______ Interpersonal _______ Intrapersonal _______ Naturalist

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APPENDIX B

UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DEL CARMEN FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EDUCATIVAS LICENCIATURA EN LENGUA INGLESA

Please translate into Spanish the following paragraph.

MONTREAL The Law of Art.

In Montreal, the promotion of art is mandatory. Corporations are legally obligated to spend

one percent of their total revenue on works of art, for the enjoyment of the general public. Aside from hosting some of the most important music festivals in the world and being the birthplace of the creators of Cirque du Soleil, Montreal is a city where the latest trends in design, painting, cinema, literature, and urbanism are clearly in evidence.

The inhabitants of this city, more than a half of whom speak English and French, have also taken pains to preserve their roots. They have remodeled Vieux-Montréal, or Old Montreal, and over recent years, hefty investments have been made in the downtown area, which is today synonymous with high-end design.

Behind their 18th and 19th century facades, these buildings conceal interiors that successfully combine the old with the new, creating the so-called Art Montréal style. Translation:

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