Translating the implicit

The subject of the study is how translators translate a text characterised by a high level of implicit semantic relations between sentences. Six MA translation students and five experienced translators translated a text from Spanish into Danish. The task was performed on a computer, and all keystrokes were logged with Translog. The concurrent verbalisation was tape-recorded and the sessions were followed by short retrospective interviews. It was expected that the strategic decision-making would, to some extent, result in explicitations in the target text and that the level of explicitness would be higher in the professional group. It was furthermore assumed that the process data would show a higher amount of mental processing when explicitations were made than when literal transfers were made. Finally, it was expected that data on the translation process of the professional group would contain indications of routine procedures as compared to the semi-professional group. The assumptions were, at least to some extent, supported by empirical data. However, the findings for the two groups of translators were not markedly different in all respects.