Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects of Corpus Selection in Translation Studies
Published online: 1 January 1995
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.7.2.04van
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.7.2.04van
Abstract
Although research procedures for translation analysis and comparison are being adapted to the principles of induction and deduction which are necessary in intersubjective research, criteria for corpus selection are often not explicitly motivated. Since hypotheses depend for their reliability on the corpus selected, attention should be paid to the relationship between exhaustiveness and representativeness. Criteria for corpus selection are often either random or textually motivated, while exceptions and deviations in translation often require a qualitative refinement of these criteria such as that obtained from extra-textual information.
Résumé
Les procédés de l'analyse et de la comparaison des traductions sontadaptés aux principes scientifiques de l'induction et de la déduction, tels qu'ilssont reguis en recherche intersubjective. En revanche, les critères de sélection ducorpus sont rarement explicités, souvent ils sont arbitraires et fondés sur les texteseux-même. Peu d'attention est prêtée à la relation entre exhaustivité et représentativité du corpus. Les exceptions ou déviations traductives, ainsi que la spécifi-cité du discours littéraire demandent une grille de critères plus adaptée, dontferait partie l'information extra-textuelle.
Article outline
- 1.The Quantitative Basis
- 2.The Possible Qualitative Refinement
- 3.Methodological Diversity in Actual Practice
- 4.Motivation of the Extra-Textual Criteria
- 5.The Two-Way Translation Comparison
- Notes
References
References (32)
Billiet, Jaak B. 1990. Methoden van sociaal-wetenschappelijk onderzoek: ontwerp en datavenameling. Leuven/Amersfoort: Acco.
Bragt, Katrien van. 1989. “Corpus bibliographique et analyse des traductions: Un programme d’analyse par ordinateur”. Revue de Littérature Comparée 21. 171–178.
Broeck, Raymond van den. 1985. “Second Thoughts on Translation Criticism: A Model of Its Analytic Function”. Hermans 1985: 54–62.
Delabastita, Dirk. 1991. “A False Opposition in Translation Studies: Theoretical versus/and Historical Approaches”. Target 3:2. 137–152.
Doorslaer, Luc van. 1989. “Een pragmatische leeuw: ‘Ein Löwe von Flandern’ getoetst aan Duitse literaire normen”. Mededelingen van het Cyriel-Buysse-Genootschap V. Gent: Rijksuniversiteit Gent, 1989. 131–149.
Fan, Shouyi. 1990. “A Statistical Method for Translation Quality Assessment”. Target 2:1. 43–67.
Hermans, Theo, ed. 1985. The Manipulation of Literature: Studies in Literary Translation. London/Sydney: Croom Helm.
. 1991. “Translational Norms and Correct Translations”. Kitty Van Leuven-Zwart and Ton Naaijkens, eds. Translation Studies: The State of the Art. Proceedings of the First James S Holmes Symposium on Translation Studies. Amsterdam/Atlanta, GA: Rodopi, 1991. 155–169.
Holmes, James S. 1988. Translated!: Papers on Literary Translation and Translation Studies. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Hulpke, Erika. 1991. “Cultural Constraints: A Case of Political Censorship”. Harald Kittel and Armin Paul Frank, eds. Interculturality and the Historical Study of Literary Translations. Berlin: Schmidt, 1991. 71–74.
Hulst, Jacqueline. 1991. “Vertaalkritiek: mogelijke grenzen of onbegrensde mogelijkheden”. Linguistica Antverpiensia XXV1. 169–195.
Kittel, Harald, ed. 1992. Geschichte, System, Literarische Übersetzung / Histories, Systems, Literary Translations. Berlin: Schmidt.
Lambert, José. 1987. “Un modèle descriptif pour l’étude de la littérature: La littérature comme polysystème”. Contextos V:9. 47–67.
. 1992. “Shakespeare and French Nineteenth-Century Theatre: A Methodo-logical Discussion”. Kittel 1992: 66–90.
. 1985b. “Towards Research Programmes: The Function of Translated Literature within European Literatures”. Theo Hermans, ed. Second Hand: Papers on the Theory and Historical Study of Literary Translation. Antwerpen: Vereniging Algemene Literatuurwetenschap, 1985. 183–197.
Leuven-Zwart, Kitty van. 1989. “Translation and Original: Similarities and Dissimilarities, I”. Target 1:2. 151–181.
Nord, Christiane. 1991a. Textanalyse und Übersetzen: Theoretische Grundlagen, Méthode und didaktische Anwendung einer übersetzungsrelevanten Textanalyse. Heidelberg: Groos. [English version: Text Analysis in Translation: Theory, Methodology, and Didactic Application of a Model for Translation-Oriented Text Analysis. Amsterdam/ Atlanta, GA: Rodopi, 1991.]
. 1991b. “Scopos, Loyalty and Translational Conventions”. Target 3:1. 91–109.
. 1992. “Text Analysis in Translator Training”. Cay Dollerup and Anne Loddegaard, eds. Teaching Translation and Interpreting: Training, Talent and Experience. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins, 1992. 39–48.
Poltermann, Andreas. 1992. “Normen des literarischen Übersetzens im System der Literatur”. Kittel 1992: 5–31.
Puurtinen, Tiina. 1989. “Assessing Acceptability in Translated Children’s Books”. Target 1:2.201–213.
Robyns, Clem. 1990. “The Normative Model of Twentieth Century Belles Infidèles: Detective Novels in French Translation”. Target 2:1. 23–42.
Tirkkonen-Condit, Sonja. 1989. “Theory and Methodology in Translation Research”. Sonja Tirkkonen-Condit and Stephen Condit, eds. Empirical Studies in Translation and Linguistics. Joensuu: University of Joensuu, 1989. 3–18.
Toury, Gideon. 1980. In Search of a Theory of Translation. Tel Aviv: Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics.
. 1990. “The Coupled Pair of ‘Solution + Problem’ in Translation Studies”. Patrick Nigel Chaffey, Antin Fougner Rydning and Solveig Schult Ulriksen, eds. Translation Theory in Scandinavia, Proceedings from the Scandinavian Symposium on Translation Theory (SSOTT III), Oslo 11–13 August 1988. Oslo, 1990. 1–23.
. 1991. “Experimentation in Translation Studies: Achievements, Prospects and Some Pitfalls”. Sonja Tirkkonen-Condit, ed. Empirical Research in Translation and Intercultural Studies. Tubingen: Narr, 1991. 45–66.
Weissbrod, Rachel. 1990. “Linguistic Interference in Literary Translations from English into Hebrew of the 1960s and 1970s”. Target 2:2. 165–181.
Wienold, Götz. 1990. “Typological Aspects of Translating Literary Japanese into German, I: Lexicon and Morphology”. Target 2:1. 1–21.
Cited by (9)
Cited by nine other publications
Hermosa-Ramírez, Irene
2023. Opera audio description in the spoken-written language continuum. In Corpus Use in Cross-linguistic Research [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 113], ► pp. 142 ff.
Gülen, Barbara Blackwell
2007. Pokorn, Nike K. 2005. Challenging the traditional axioms: Translation into a non-mother tongue. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 19:1 ► pp. 157 ff.
Castro, Cristina Gómez
2006. Sturge, Kate. 2004. “The alien within”: Translation into German during the Nazi regime. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 18:2 ► pp. 384 ff.
Meylaerts, Reine
2004. La traduction dans la culture multilingue. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 16:2 ► pp. 289 ff.
Alvstad, Cecilia
Maniez, François
Rothe-Neves, Rui
2000. On Justification in Translation Studies. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 12:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Pym, Anthony
1997. Bragt, Katrin Van, Lieven D'hulst & José Lambert. 1995. Bibliographie des traductions françaises (1810–1840): Répertoires par disciplines & Bragt, Katrin Van, Lieven D'hulst & José Lambert. 1996. Bibliographie des traductions françaises (1810–1840): Répertoires et analyses électroniques. Biblio TF: CD-ROM. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 9:2 ► pp. 360 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
