Overview

Based largely on my doctoral dissertation “Textual Cognetics and the Role of Iconic Linkage in Software User Guides”, this book is intended to serve as an introduction to technical translation and usability for translators and translation researchers. In this book we will look at how it is possible to improve the quality of technical translations by drawing on cognitive p- chology, usability engineering and technical communication to develop skills which can be implemented during the text production stage of the translation process to ensure more usable texts. This book draws on a broad range of research and makes it accessible and applicable to an audience with a background primarily in translation although those with backgrounds in technical writing will also find the discussions of usability, cognitive p- chology and usability testing useful. Technical translation has traditionally been regarded as the poor cousin of “real” translation. Often regarded as a vocational, practical andat times rather basic type of translation, it has been largely neglected in the literature on translation theory. The work that has been done in this area has largely been restricted to terminological issues or technical issues (e. g. tools such as translation memories and machine translation, etc. ) or does not fully reflect the reality of modern translation and needs to be updated (e. g. Pinchuk 1977, Sykes 1971). However, technical translation is a much more prom- ing avenue of theoretical investigation than many suspect.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jody Byrne
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Edition:   2006 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   1.320kg
ISBN:  

9781402046520

ISBN 10:   1402046529
Pages:   280
Publication Date:   04 May 2006
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface. Aims and Structure of this Book. Acknowledgements.- Technical Translation. The Importance of Technical Translation. Some Misconceptions. The Reality of Technical Translation. The Aim of Technical Translation. The Translator’s Role. Theory in Technical Translation. Conclusions.- Technical Communication. The Nature of Technical Documentation. Software Documentation. Software User Guides. Software User Guides & Quality. What Makes A Good User Guide? Assessing User Guide Quality. Conclusion.- Understanding Users. Usability. The Human Cognitive System. Perception. Memory. Cognitive Processing. Attention. Learning. Reasoning & Problem-Solving. The Transition from Problem-Solving to Skill. Conclusions.- Usability Engineering. Interfaces. Cognetics. Usability Objectives. Understanding How We Read User Guides. Implementing Usability Measures. Iconic Linkage. The Benefits of Iconic Linkage. Potential Criticisms of Iconic Linkage. Conclusions.- Assessing Usability. Empirical Usability Evaluation. Historical Problems in Document Usability Research. Approaches to Empirical Evaluation. Usability Evaluation Procedures. Usability Evaluation Case Studies. Experiment to Test the Impact of Iconic Linkage. Pilot Study. Main Study. Results of Usability Evaluation. Analysis of Results. Conclusions.- Conclusions. Cognetics and Iconic Linkage. Future Directions.-Bibliography.- Appendices

Reviews

From the reviews: <p> This book deals with technical writing and translating. a ] The book is a valuable contribution to the literature on technical translation. a ] It is written clearly and interestingly, and relevant to both translation practitioners and researchers. a ] I can warmly recommend Jody Byrnea (TM)s book to anyone who wishes to better understand the challenges of successful technical communication or to reflect on his or her own approach to translating technical texts. The book also contains many suggestions that invite further empirical investigations into technical translation. (Alexander KA1/4nzli, The Journal of Specialised Translation, Issue 7, 2007)

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