Recognition and Production in Translation of English to Turkish Texts

Abstract

At various stages of their lives, learners of a foreign language need to take examinations which include translation sections. Such learners are mostly asked to recognize and select the most appropriate option from a series of alternatives offered. There may be other occasions where these learners are expected to translate a text into a target language, which may be the mother tongue or the foreign language being learned. This kind of translation activity is usually employed as a tool in measuring and evaluating performance when applying for a job after graduation. Regarding the significance of the skills, namely, recognition and production, with this study, we aim to determine the performance of university-level students in recognizing correct options in a multiple-choice test in comparison to producing acceptable renderings while translating from a source text, English, in our case. The analysis of the data obtained as a result of the study in question revealed that learners of English were more successful in displaying recognition skills compared to production skills. The study may have significant implications with regard to methods and techniques to be employed in translation classes.

Keywords: Recognition skill, production skill, translation text, source language, target language.