The Relationship between Critical Thinking and EFL Students’ Ability to Translate Children’s Literature

Details

Written by Fahimeh Rastegari Nasab & Dr. Mohammad Shariati

IGI Global published a title about critical thinking in translation which defined a cognitive skill providing an ability to analyze the source text from different angles inclusively of linguistic, extra linguistic and pragmatic aspect, as well as an ability to evaluate target text as to the degree of its adequacy in relation to ST and particular conditions of the given instance of translation.

In fact translation is a very challenging and complex process, calls for different skills and knowledge areas. Also it associates with various cognitive and critical thinking abilities. In addition to translation means communication from source language to target language, and it is a kind of activity which inevitably involves at least two languages and two cultural traditions (Toury, 2000).

Moreover, Alves (2003) believed that translation, similar to many other qualified  capacities, requires not only innate abilities but also theoretical learning and practical  training. It was surveyed that theories and innate abilities couldn’t complete translation skills alone, therefore mental skills had an important role on translation. As Shahvali (2004) claimed that, “theoretical knowledge and practical skills alone are not enough to prepare students for developments in the field. It is necessary to focus on students' self-updating ability and to improve their related mental, planning and communicative skills.”

Consequently, one of the branches of literary translation is an important process on translating which is children’s literature translation. Children's books are difficult texts for translators, because translators must find a way to communicate with children, and they know their feeling and culture. Children's translators should learn some strategies and theories but apart from them, the other way has an effective impact on children's translation that is critical thinking, moreover critical thinking is a process which solves problems. According to the effect of critical thinking on decision process, whereas this process is so important in translation, and improves the power of thought, in this paper was being studied the relationship between critical thinking and EFL students ability to translate children’s literature.

Moreover, students are not learned critical thinking as the other skills in the pedagogical process in order to solve problems in translation of children’s literature, the main problems of children's literature translation are:

1. Children's literature translators lack knowledge of TLculture.
2. Children’s literature translators have a big problem to think creativity to create equivalent for personal name of children's storybook.
3. Children's literature translators lack approach everything to use appropriate idioms according to reader'sage

1.3. Objectives of the study

The important key that every translator considers as the best key to improve their ability is critical thinking. Thinking rationally is the first step to translating. The main objective of this study has been improved translators ability to translate children's literature, whereas translating children’s book is a difficult profession and translators need to know about skills, strategies to convey meaning and find equivalent from L1 to L2. The children's literature translation (CHLT) is an area that is relatively novel within translation studies (TS) (O'connel, et al, 2005). This study was considered the effect of critical thinking on children's literature translation and compared two groups (low & high) critical thinkers and their ability to solve problems in this field. According to Huitt (1998), thinking has an essential role in one's achievement and success especially in the information era. The main objectives of this research were to study:

1. Find the relationship between critical thinking and EFL students’ ability to translate children’sliterature.
2. Consider that critical thinking has more effect on translation of children’s literature from English to Persian or Persian toEnglish.
3. Investigate the effect of critical thinking on solving three main problems in thisfield.

1.4. Significance of the study

Theories, experience and strategies are important factors in translation. Translators want to solve their problems that relate to those factors, but it can be seen that most translating problems have remained unsolved, because translation is a challenging and difficult area for EFL students. The problems neither relate to strategies, skills nor theories and experience. They relate to thinking in translation.

Critical thinking in children's literature translation (CHLT) can be applied. Whereas thinking is an important process in translation that translators sometimes ignore it. The goal  of this study is: 1) Investigate the effect of critical thinking on CHLT and introduce an accurate way to EFL translation students in order to increase their translation ability in this field 2) Effort to remove problems (idioms, proper names and cultural equivalent) in this field and increase translation quality.

According to what was said, students should be learned critical thinking skills as academic programs, since critical thinkers can solve problems in this field and increase their translation quality. Thus the results of this study can be taken into consideration in the pedagogical process.

1.5. Theoretical framework

The theoretical framework which was used is based on Bloom's taxonomy of the cognitive domain. Bloom in 1948, a group of educators undertook the task of classifying education goals and objectives. The intent was to develop a classification system for three domains: the cognitive, the affective and the psychomotor. Work on the cognitive domain was completed  in the 1950s and is commonly referred to as Bloom's Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain ( Bloom, Englehart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956).

1.6. Research Questions

1) logical fallacies 2) reasoning 3) separate facts from opinion 4) open minded 5) asking questions 6) self-regulation 7) looking for the truth 8) using tools to (logic, research and experience) to explore the truth 9) clear something.

Maybe an important way to increase the quality of translation is critical thinking as Wilss mentioned that CT affected on translation and solved translation’s problem; therefore Critical thinking has a relationship between translation and it associates with various cognitive and critical thinking abilities. Azin & Heidari (2002), tried to examine the relationship between critical thinking ability of Iranian English translation students and their translation ability.  The findings revealed a significant correlation between critical thinking and translation ability. It was concluded that critical thinking has significant role in translation students of Iranian in university.

3. Method

3.2. Participants

To achieve the main purpose of this study that relates to critical thinking and EFL students ability towards translation of children’s literature. The participants of this study were 30 EFL master translation students of Tehran University, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman and Kerman Institute of Higher Education. It was supposed that students were homogeneous in term of their language proficiency, and they consisted of both male and female translation students, ranging in age from 24 to 32 years old.

3.3. Instruments

In order to investigate the relationship between CT and EFL students ability to translate children’s literature, 3 types of instruments were used in this study.

3.3.2. Children’s literature Translation Tests

In order to evaluate translation ability, EFL translation students translated some sentences from two children’s story books which were implied idioms, proper name, cultural equivalent and emotion. Also they were using all translation technologies and tools. Texts were translated from English to Persian in 30 minutes and from Persian to English in 30 minutes. Translation texts were evaluated by the Holistic Method C of Washington’s Translation Quality Assessment Rubric (2011).

3.3.3. Corpus of the Study

Two texts were selected from two children’s story books, and they had proper names, idioms, cultural issues and some problems that related to children’s literature translation. A story was selected from age 6 to 10 in the name of Aghaz that was written by Mahmoud Barabadi. He was a board member in Iranian Association of writers for children. Some of his works have a cultural and historical context and he has tried to introduce the children to important historical figures through stories. Aghaz is a story, was published in 1360 which refers to Iranian culture, children’s world and their feeling.

English story was selected from age 8 to 10 in the name of Child of The Silent Night was edited by Fisher Hunter. This story is famous related to a girl suffered from an illness. Child of The Silent Night was published in 1983 by Pennsylvania State University.

In addition to questionnaire, two texts were conducted to gather information concerning translation of children’s literature. EFL translation students translated some important sentences from two children’s story books, also they were supposed to know all theories and strategies in this field. Also each text had idioms, proper names and cultural items which  were assessed by researcher and an expert.

3.5. Data analysis

Data analysis refers to describing data in order to evaluate EFL translation students’ critical thinking toward translation of children’s literature. The details of analyzing data are  as follows.

3.5.1. The Quantitative Data Analysis Procedures

In this study, the data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative procedures. The CCTST and translation tests were used to gather quantitative data concerning the relationship between CT and EFL students’ ability to translate children’s literature. Data were computed based on questionnaire and translation tests, also the extracted information were used to compute the relationship between critical thinking and translation ability in two groups (high and low) critical thinkers. T-test and Pearson correlation coefficient were also performed in order to find the results of this study. Moreover, translation texts were evaluated by Holistic Method C of Washington’s Translation Quality Assessment Rubric (2011).

3.5.2. The Qualitative Data Analysis Procedures

Qualitative data were collected through descriptive statistics due to the fact that  descriptive statistics are used to describe sample data, also set of data conveyed a message to analyze data for this study. In fact this study attempted to find the relationship between CT and translation of children’s literature. Furthermore, the results were shown on diagrams and figures by Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet, also SPSS program was applied to computed descriptive statistics.

4. Result

relationship between critical thinking and translation of children’s literature from Persian to English and English to Persian among 30 EFL master translation students who were chosen from 3 universities. In order to investigate the results of this study, SPSS 23.0 was employed.

4.3.1 Descriptive Statistics of Critical thinking and Translation Tests in the first group

Table 4.3 below, highlights the results of t-test that there isn’t a significant difference in scores of critical thinking and translation tests

In addition to Std. deviation means how far from the normal, in the above table  Std.deviation of three variables are (CT=3.561, Per.Eng=5.657, Eng.Per=3.19). Then variance of three variables are (CT=12.683, Per.Eng=32.000, Eng.Per=9.114) variance is defined as, the average of the squared differences from the mean. Skewness is a measure of symmetry or more precisely, the lack of symmetry, but Kurtosis is a measure of whether the data are heavy-tailed or light tailed relative to normal distribution. As the above table shows there isn’t a significant difference between three instruments, and the next part or analysis of data is compared the difference between table 4.3 & 4.4.

After questionnaire, students in each group translated the same texts in order to find the results of this study. Two texts were chosen from two children’s story books. As one can see in the table 4.3, it is the result of t-test from first group or participants with high critical thinking ability, and it shows that first group was (N=18) and sum of scores in Persian to English is lower than English to Persian. It means the errors in translation of children’s literature from Persian to English are more than English to Persian.

Variance and Std.deviation show scores are normal and translators or students translated or answered in the same level but few differences were appeared in the scores of participants in translation from Persian to English, it means their scores in this case are not almost at the same level.

4.3.2. Descriptive Statistics of Critical thinking and Translation tests in the second  group

Table 4.4 below, highlights the results of t-test that there isn’t a significant difference in scores of critical thinking and translation tests.

Also the sum of scores in each variable show that scores are close to each other, but it shows the ability of participants in low critical thinking level in translation from English to Persian is higher than Persian to English. Actually their power to translate children’s  literature from English to Persian are more than Persian to English, but the mean of three variables are close to each other.

Consequently, sum of critical thinking scores of two groups are lower than translation of children’s book from English to Persian, it means the power of students in each group in translation of children’s book from English to Persian is more than their ability to think critically. But they have strong relationship, as it will be proved in the other parts.

This study uses the Pearson correlation to reject or accept first null hypothesis as in chapter one, it was mentioned that there isn’t any relationship between critical thinking and EFL students’ ability to translate children’s literature from English to Persian and Persian to English.

Correlations

Table 4.5 shows the relationship between high critical thinking level and translation of children’s literature from Persian to English.