Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T08:13:49.207Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Bilingual language representation and cognitive processes in translation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2008

ANNA HATZIDAKI*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
EMMANUEL M. POTHOS
Affiliation:
University of Swansea
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Anna Hatzidaki, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9GZ, UK. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

A text-translation task and a recognition task investigated the hypothesis that semantic memory principally mediates translation from a bilingual's native first language (L1) to her second language (L2), whereas lexical memory mediates translation from L2 to L1. This has been held for word translation by the revised hierarchical model (RHM) of Kroll and Stewart. The results from Greek, English, and French fluent bilinguals showed semantic errors in L1–L2 direction and lexical errors in L2–L1 direction in the translation task as RHM would predict, but not semantic effects in L1–L2 direction in the word recognition task. These findings suggest a flexible use of conceptual and lexical connections that fluent bilinguals engage, depending upon the cognitive processes required by the task at hand.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Al-Qinai, J. (2000). Translation quality assessment. Strategies, parameters and procedures. Meta, 45, 497518.Google Scholar
Altarriba, J. (1992). The representation of translation equivalents in bilingual memory. In Harris, R. J. (Ed.), Cognitive processing in bilinguals (pp. 157173). London: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Baker, M. (1997). The Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Beaugrande, R., & Dressler, W. (1994). Introduction to text linguistics. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Bell, R. T. (1991). Translation and translating. Theory and practice. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Bloem, I., & La Heij, W. (2003). Semantic facilitation and semantic interference in word translation: Implications for models of lexical access in language production. Journal of Memory and Language, 48, 468488.Google Scholar
Blot, K. J., Zárate, M. A., & Paulus, P. B. (2003). Code-switching across brainstorming sessions: Implications for the revised hierarchical model of bilingual language processing. Experimental Psychology, 50, 171183.Google Scholar
Carter, R., & McCarthy, M. (1988). Vocabulary and language teaching. New York: Longman.Google Scholar
Collins Compact English Dictionary. (1993). London: Harper Collins.Google Scholar
Cook, V. (1997). The consequences of bilingualism for cognitive processing. In de Groot, A. M. B. & Kroll, J. F. (Eds.), Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic perspectives (pp. 279299). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Dancette, J. (1997). Mapping meaning and comprehension in translation: Theoretical and experimental issues. In Danks, J., Shreve, G. M., Fountain, S. B., & McBeath, M. K. (Eds.), Cognitive processes in translation and interpreting (pp. 77103). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
D'Hulst, J. (1996). Focus on the target text. Towards a functional model for translation quality assessment. In Klaudy, K. & Kohn, J. (Eds.), Transferre necesse est (pp. 102107). Budapest: Scolastica.Google Scholar
De Groot, A. M. B. (1992). Bilingual lexical representation: A closer look at conceptual representations. In Frost, R. & Katz, L. (Eds.), Orthography, phonology, morphology, and meaning (pp. 389412). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
De Groot, A. M. B. (1995). Determinants of bilingual lexicosemantic organisation. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 8, 151181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Groot, A. M. B., Dannenburg, L., & Van Hell, J. G. (1994). Forward and backward word translation by bilinguals. Journal of Memory and Language, 33, 600629.Google Scholar
De Groot, A. M. B., & Hoeks, C. J. (1995). The developmental of bilingual memory: Evidence from word translation by trilinguals. Language Learning, 45, 683724.Google Scholar
De Groot, A. M. B., & Poot, R. (1997). Word translation at three levels of proficiency in a second language: The ubiquitous involvement of conceptual memory. Language Learning, 47, 215264.Google Scholar
Delisle, J. (1982). L'analyse du discours comme méthode de traduction: Initiation à la traduction française de textes pragmatiques anglais: Théorie et practique. Ottawa: Editions de l'Université d'Ottawa.Google Scholar
Dufour, R., & Kroll, J. F. (1995). Matching words to concepts in two languages: A test of the concept mediation model of bilingual representation. Memory and Cognition, 23, 166180.Google Scholar
Durgunoglu, A. Y., & Roediger, H. L. (1987). Test differences in accessing bilingual memory. Journal of Memory and Language, 26, 377391.Google Scholar
Duyck, W., & Brysbaert, M. (2004). Forward and backward number translation requires conceptual mediation in both balanced and unbalanced bilinguals. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30, 889906.Google Scholar
Fox, E. (1996). Cross-language priming from ignored words: Evidence for a common representational system in bilinguals. Journal of Memory and Language, 35, 353370.Google Scholar
Francis, W. S. (2005). Bilingual semantic and conceptual representation. In Kroll, J. F. & de Groot, A. M. (Eds.), Handbook of bilingualism: Psycholinguistic approaches (pp. 251268). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Frenck-Mestre, C., & Prince, P. (1997). Second language autonomy. Journal of Memory and Language, 37, 481501.Google Scholar
Georgakopoulou, A., & Goutsos, D. (1999). Text and communication. Athens: Greek Letters.Google Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1982). Life with two languages. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1995). A psycholinguistic approach to code-switching: The recognition of guest words by bilinguals. In Milroy, L. & Muysken, P. (Eds.), One speaker, two languages: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on code-switching (pp. 259275). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1997). The bilingual individual. Interpreting: International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting, 2, 163191.Google Scholar
Hatim, B., & Mason, I. (1997). Discourse and the translator. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Heredia, R. R., & Brown, M. (2004). Bilingual memory. In Ritchie, W. C. & Bhatia, T. K. (Eds.), Handbook of bilingualism (pp. 213228). London: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Hino, Y., Lupker, S. J., & Pexman, P. M. (2002). Ambiguity and synonymy effects in lexical decision, naming and semantic categorization tasks: Interactions between orthography, phonology, and semantics. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 28, 686713.Google Scholar
House, J. (1997). Translation quality assessment. A model revisited. Tübingen: Gunten Narr.Google Scholar
Jakobson, R. (1959/2000). On linguistic aspects of translation. In Venuti, L. (Ed.), The translation studies reader (pp. 113118). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Jescheniak, J. D., & Levelt, W. J. M. (1994). Word frequency effects in speech production: Retrieval of syntactic information and of phonological form. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20, 824843.Google Scholar
Jiang, N. (2000). Lexical representation and development in a second language. Applied Linguistics, 21, 4777.Google Scholar
Jiang, N. (2002). Form-meaning mapping in vocabulary acquisition in a second language. Studies in Second Lanugage Acquisition, 24, 617637.Google Scholar
Keatley, C., Spinks, J., & De Gelder, B. (1994). Asymmetrical semantic facilitation between languages. Memory & Cognition, 22, 7084.Google Scholar
Kendrotis, G. (1996). Translation theory and practice. Athens: Diavlos.Google Scholar
Kiraly, D. C. (1997). Think-aloud protocols and the construction of a professional translator self-concept. In Danks, J., Shreve, G. M., Fountain, S. B., & McBeath, M. K. (Eds.), Cognitive processes in translation and interpreting (pp. 137160). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Krings, H. P. (1986). Translation problems and translation strategies of advanced German learners of French (L2). In House, J. & Blum-Kulka, S. (Eds.), Interlingual and intercultural communication. Discourse and cognition in translation and second language acquisition studies (pp. 257270). Tübingen: Gunther Narr.Google Scholar
Kroll, J. F., & Curley, J. (1988). Lexical memory in novice bilinguals: The role of concepts in retrieving second language words. In Gruneberg, M. M., Morris, P. E., & Sykes, R. N. (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory: Current research and issues (Vol. 2, pp. 389395). London: Wiley.Google Scholar
Kroll, J. F., & de Groot, (1997). Lexical and conceptual memory in the bilingual. In de Groot, A. M. C. & Kroll, J. F. (Eds.), Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic perspectives (pp. 169199). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Kroll, J. F., & Sholl, A. (1992). Lexical and conceptual memory in fluent and nonfluent bilinguals. In Harris, R. (Ed.), Cognitive processing in bilinguals (pp. 191204). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Kroll, J. F., & Stewart, E. (1994). Category interference in translation and picture naming: Evidence for asymmetric connections between bilingual memory representations. Journal of Memory and Language, 33, 149174.Google Scholar
La Heij, W., Hooglander, A., Kerling, R., & Van Der Velden, E. (1996). Nonverbal context effects in forward and backward word translation: Evidence for concept mediation. Journal of Memory and Language, 35, 648665.Google Scholar
Laplace, C. (1994). Théorie du langage et théorie de la traduction. Paris: Didier Érudition.Google Scholar
Lauscher, S. (2000). Translation quality assessment. Where can theory and practice meet? The Translator, 6, 149168.Google Scholar
Lörscher, W. (1991). Translation performance, translation process, and translation strategies. Tübingen: Gunther Narr Verlag.Google Scholar
Motsiou, V. (1994). Elements of lexicology. Athens: Nefeli.Google Scholar
Mpampiniotis, G. (1994). Language as a paradigmatic value. The example of the Greek language. Athens: Gutenberg.Google Scholar
Munday, J. (2002). Introducing translation studies. Theories and applications. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Neubert, A., & Shreve, G. M. (1992). Translation as text. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.Google Scholar
Newmark, P. (1998). A textbook of translations. London: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Nida, E. A., & Taber, C. R. (1969/1982). The theory and practice of translation. Leiden: E. J. Brill.Google Scholar
Olohan, M. (2004). Introducing corpora in translation studies. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Pecher, D. (2001). Perception is a two-way junction: Feedback semantics in word recognition. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 8, 545551.Google Scholar
Potter, M. C., So, K. F., Von Eckardt, B., & Feldman, L. B. (1984). Lexical and conceptual representation in beginning and proficient bilinguals. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 23, 2338.Google Scholar
Price, C. J., Green, D. W., & von Studnitz, R. (1999). A Functional imaging study of translation and language switching. Brain, 122, 22212235.Google Scholar
Roediger, H. L. (1990). Implicit memory. Retention without remembering. American Psychologist, 45, 10431056.Google Scholar
Salamoura, A., & Williams, J. N. (1999). Backward word translation: Lexical vs. conceptual mediation or “concept activation vs. word retrieval”? RCEAL Working Papers in English and Applied Linguistics, 6, 3156.Google Scholar
Scampa, P. (1986). Effet de synonymie dans une tâche de décision lexicale. Bulletin de Psychologie, 34, 451455.Google Scholar
Scarborough, D. L., Gerard, L., & Cortese, C. (1984). Independence of lexical access in bilingual word recognition. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 23, 8499.Google Scholar
Seleskovitch, D., & Lederer, M. (1986). Interpréter pour traduire. Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne Didier Érudition.Google Scholar
Shreve, G. M. (1997). Cognition and the evolution of translation competence. In Danks, J. H., Shreve, G. M., Fountain, S. B., & McBeath, M. K. (Eds.), Cognitive processes in translation and interpreting (pp. 120136). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Shreve, G. M., & Diamond, B. J. (1997). Cognitive processes in translation and interpreting. Critical issues. In Danks, J. H., Shreve, G. M., Fountain, S. B., & McBeath, M. K. (Eds.), Cognitive processes in translation and interpreting (pp. 233251). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Snodgrass, J. G. (1980). Towards a model for picture and word processing. In Kolers, P. & Wrolstad, M. (Eds.), Processing of visible language (pp. 565584). New York: Plenum Press..Google Scholar
Snodgrass, J. G. (1984). Concepts and their surface representations. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 23, 322.Google Scholar
Spadafore, G. J. (1983). SDRT: Spadafore Diagnostic Reading Test. New York: Academic Therapy Publications.Google Scholar
Tokowicz, N., Michael, E. B., & Kroll, J. F. (2004). The roles of study-abroad experience and working memory capacity in the types of errors made during translation. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 7, 255272.Google Scholar
Toury, G. (1986a). Monitoring discourse transfer: A testcase for a developmental model of translation. In House, J. & Blum-Kulka, S. (Eds.), Interlingual and intercultural communcation. Discourse and cognition in translation and second language acquisition studies (pp. 7994). Tübingen: Gunther Narr Verlag.Google Scholar
Toury, G. (1986b). Natural translation and the making of a native translator. TEXTconTEXT, 1, 1129.Google Scholar
Urdang, L., & LaRoche, N. (Eds.). (1979). The synonym finder. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press.Google Scholar
Van Den Broeck, R. (1985). Second thoughts on translation criticism. A model of its analytic function. In Hermans, T. (Ed.), The manipulation of literature. Studies in literary translation (pp. 5462). London: Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Vinay, J. P., & Darbelnet, , (1995). Stylistique comparée du français de l’ anglais: Méthode de traduction. Paris: Didiers.Google Scholar
Weinreich, U. (1953). Languages in ontact. Findings and problems. New York: Publications of the Linguistic Circle of New York.Google Scholar