For most outsiders, translating is a rather basic operation: a text in language A is converted into a text in language B - characterised by a degree of
equivalence - with the help of a number of tools (the first and often only tool that comes to mind being a bilingual dictionary, generally speaking). However, for translators things are not so straightforward. Let me explain. When you want to go from A to B, you need to consider a series of actions, before and during the journey, that will effectively take you from A to B. You'll need for instance to plan your journey in such a way that mishaps are ruled out or at least significantly reduced (e.g. buying tickets in advance or making sure you are wearing sensible shoes if walking is planned). Furthermore, during the journey you normally perform actions that are meant to ensure you reach B in the safest, most pleasant and sometimes shortest way. How do you do all this? By focusing on your journey and
thinking. Clearly, a hypothetical observer is not aware of what goes on in your mind and only sees that you are moving or have moved from A to B.
Something similar takes place during any translation process, too. Decision-making processes (what is the most convenient strategy in a given context, what are the problems translators encounter and how they solve them, how do they deal with time constraints, etc.) are not directly observable; it is however possible to register them for data collection. This is one of the objectives of think-aloud protocols (TAPs) applied to translation.* Think-aloud protocol analysis is a way of providing information on cognitive processes, and has been applied to a variety of fields, from cognitive psychology to applied linguistics, language learning and, as I mentioned, translation studies. The idea behind it is that thought processes can be to some extent inferred by studying their verbalisation. In other words, one tries to have a rough picture of the translating process going on in the translator’s mind by looking at the way they talk about it while actually translating. It is certainly a very interesting approach that should perhaps get more attention not only as an academic tool of research, but also as a way to educate outsiders about the complexities of translation.
If you want to know more about TAPs in translation, I suggest these two articles:
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"Think-Aloud Protocol Analysis in Translation Studies", by Paul Kussmaul and Sonja Tirkkonen-Condit;
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"Using Think-Aloud Protocols to investigate the translation process: methodological aspects", by Silvia Bernardini.
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* “At the most general level, the purpose of TAP studies is to gain a better understanding of the psychological and linguistic mechanisms involved in the activity of translating (Jääskeläinen 2001, p. 266).
Jääskeläinen, Riitta. “Think-Aloud Protocols”. Mona Baker (ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, London: Routledge 2001, pp. 265-269.