Poetry Translating as Expert Action Processes, priorities and networks

 Poetry Translating as Expert Action

TU395 And I’m not going to get [=use] slow falling because

I think that sounds really-

TU396 I think it should be

TU397 slowly falling dark mildewed droplets.

Scan micro-sequences repeat text segments out loud, holding them in working

memory. This enables scanned source text to be translated (e.g. Figure 25: TU108)

or, in later runs-through, compared with an already-translated target counterpart;

and it enables scanned target-version text to be evaluated. Scanning typically con-

tinues until a segment is identified as needing (re-)translation or revision; then

one or more strategic micro-sequences do the work needed (e.g. Figure 25:

TU109–113). These follow-up micro-sequences gradually become fewer and

shorter in later drafts: hence the gradually rising percentage of Scan tape-units.

For example, by run-through RT8 of Draft 3, Fleur’s Scan of the poem’s problem-

atic Lines 1–2 prompted only a minor Grammar/Discourse query:

TU593 Toen wij onze handen over ons hart streken:

TU594 When we smoothed our hands over the heart

we had – When we smoothed our hands over the heart we had

TU595 - weet je nog hoe het klopte – do you recall how it made sense-

TU596 # it making sense? – no, it has to have a how:

TU597 how it made sense. I think that’s- I’m quite

pleased with that.

Scans recapping the segment just worked on are rare, however, perhaps because

this segment is already in working memory: once the problems seem solved, the

translator usually Scans in the next segment.

5.3.5.5 Grammar and discourse

Grammar/Discourse was a relatively minor concern (7.6% of tape-units: Figure

39), though individual translators differed widely in how important they saw it.

For Hugo, analysis of Grammar/Discourse, especially of the poem’s complex syn-

tax, was – at 18.9% of his tape-units – second only to Lexis. For Fleur, however,

such issues were of minimal importance (1.7%).

5.3.5.6 Sound

The sound-based Rhythm, Sound (misc.) and Rhyme foci totalled 7.6% of tape-

units. Even in this free-verse poem, therefore, translators spent a moderate amount

of attention on poetic sound – particularly Rhythm, which accounted for 5.1% of

tape-units.

Feel/Flow

Dr3/#7

Scan

Grammar/Discourse Dr3/#4