Translation and Web Searching

This book analyses web-searching processes in translation seen as a problem solving activity. The focus on Information Behaviour of translators puts Enríquez Raído’s work at the forefront of the most recent studies about the way translators (both professional and trainees) search for language resources on the web. The first part presents an overview of the various ways in which “the translator’s mind” can be investigated through a scientific method (e.g. thinking-aloud protocols) as it selects information from internal resources, but more specifically from external consultation sources in translation. Enríquez Raído tested four translators (two students and two professionals) in Spanish-English textual translation through specific “web search tasks” allowing for better understanding of information needs and uses that inform a translator’s decision-making process. The scholar gathered information from Information Sciences, Psycholinguistic and Cognitive Sciences to delve into the resources available as well as the cognitive processes underlying the choices made by translators in carrying out a specific task. The methodology mixed introspective and direct observation tools to reflect the complexity of tracking decision-making processes in translation. The results show the need to raise translation students’ awareness of the array of online resources available, and to develop a critical stance in the selection of the appropriate sources to solve a given problem.