Evaluating Beginners’ Re-expression and Creativity: A Positive Approach

Abstract

Although translation may be considered a two- (or three) phase communication process, consisting of comprehension – (conceptualization) – re-expression, most theoretical and pedagogical studies have been devoted to comprehension and conceptualization. There is, however, an increasing need to establish a theoretical basis for the third phase since, contrary to Boileau’s dictum (that well conceived ideas can be easily expressed), even when comprehension is complete, words do not come easily. If re-expression is to be better taught, evaluation of reexpression must be better thought. This paper focuses on the evaluation of re-expression in translation. Based on an in-depth study of various English texts translated into French by some 38 first-year translation students, it first calls attention to the difference between expression and re-expression and between creativity and literality, viewing the former as a ‘deviation’ from the latter. Second, it argues in favour of positive evaluation, given that negative evaluation has a relatively limited impact on the learning process, and further study of it would not be very productive. Positive evaluation involves analysis of successful solutions rather than of errors. The paper goes on to analyze which aspects of re-expression need to be evaluated and how this should be accomplished.

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