METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO TEACHING TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT: FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF DEVELOPING A TEACHING AND METHODOLOGICAL MANUAL

Abstract

In recent years, translation theory and practice in Kazakhstan have entered a new stage of development associated with a significant increase in the volume of translated literature of various genres, primarily from the Kazakh language as well as from foreign languages into Kazakh. However, the quality of translated materials is rarely discussed by the broader user community. Kazakhstan’s Universities do not offer a dedicated course on translation quality assessment that would be systematically taught from the first year through graduation.

In this article, the authors examine approaches to teaching translation quality assessment and present their own experience in developing a teaching and methodological manual.

The main objective of the study is to identify effective ways of developing translation quality assessment skills among university students as an integral component of the professional competence of future translators.

Based on an analysis of international and Kazakhstan’s research, various aspects of translation quality assessment were identified. A strategy of a systematic methodological approach was developed (employing both general scientific methods analysis, synthesis, and generalization and methods specific to linguistic, didactic, and translation studies research). Within this framework, normative and evaluative categories of translation quality are described for the first time.

The texts of three original and translated linguistics textbooks published by the National Bureau of Translations were analyzed as research material from a linguistic and translation studies perspective. The article presents procedures for internal and external translation quality assessment, a typology of translation errors, principles for selecting translation strategies, and models of pre-translation and post-translation analysis. Examples of tasks and exercises included in the teaching manual are provided, aimed at improving the effectiveness of developing the professional competence of future translators.

The proposed methodology was tested by the authors in the educational process and demonstrated its effectiveness, contributing to the development of translation didactics in Kazakhstan.