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Article In: Translation Spaces: Online-First Articles

Capturing creativity in literary translation using creative process report diaries

ORCiD logo with link | University of Groningen
 | Dublin City University
 | University of Groningen
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Abstract
It is widely accepted that translators are creative (. 2022. “Creativity in Translation: Machine Translation as a Constraint for Literary Texts.” Translation Spaces 11 (2): 184–212. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Perteghella, Manuela, and Eugenia Loffredo, eds. 2006. “Introduction.” In Translation and Creativity : Perspectives on Creative Writing and Translation Studies. Bloomsbury.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), but there are few studies that investigate translators’ creative processes. Against this background, we present quantitative results from a novel study, detailing the creative stages employed by professional translators in translating a literary text. Using an experimental method developed in psychology, we asked 20 literary translators to fill out Creative process Report Diaries (CRDs) when translating a short story from English to Dutch or Catalan. The CRDs show that professionals generally follow the same creative process pattern starting from definition of the problem and ending with judgement and finalisation. Documentation is essential for exploring the source text (ST) and reflecting on translation problems. Reflection is a crucial stage that remains prominent throughout the whole process. The creative process is accompanied by a “positive” attitude and emotions with high satisfaction which peaks at the end of the process. In contrast, “negative” emotional factors remain low and constant during translation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Creativity
    • 2.1The Creative Process
    • 2.2Action and multivariate approaches to creativity
    • 2.3Stages of the creative process
    • 2.4Literary translation as a creative process
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Source text (ST)
    • 3.2Creative process Report Diary (CRD)
    • 3.3Translator’s manual
    • 3.4Pre-task survey
    • 3.5Post-task survey
    • 3.6Recruitment
    • 3.7Experimental procedure
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Results from Pre- and Post-Task Surveys
    • 4.2Stages of the creative process
    • 4.3Dynamics of the creative process
    • 4.4Multivariate factors
      • 4.4.1Cognitive factors
      • 4.4.2Conative factors
      • 4.4.3Environmental factors
      • 4.4.4Emotional factors
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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