Brian Mossop
Biographic Data
| ID | 1624741 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brian Mossop |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brian |
| FAMILY NAME | Mossop |
| SIGNATURE | MOSSOP B |
| AFFILIATIONS | York University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8130-9007 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1983 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Do machines and humans translate in the same sense
Human and machine translation share several features, one of which is actions that are not motivated by meaning. In addition, the human process often consists initially in the semi-conscious production of literal translations that are only weakly motivated by meaning. A definition of the translation process is proposed, based on these features. Since key words in the definition are ‘matter’ and ‘meaning’, I suggest a speculative view of how matte…
Translation and architecturally odd invented languages in science fiction
Almost all invented languages in science fiction have the same architecture as spoken human natural languages. The article discusses six exceptions: languages which appear to be unusable because of the way they handle figures of speech; speech or writing directly connected to thought; speech that is not linear; writing that is not linear and not a representation of speech; lexicon, syntax and writing but no speech; and impoverished languages. If …
Reading order during bilingual quality checking of translations: An issue in search of studies
This paper investigates three questions about the order in which the source text and the translation are read during bilingual quality checking of translations. How do translators behave with respect to reading order during self-revision, other-revision and post-editing? What reasons do translators give for using one or the other order? Is one order better in terms of error detection? Reading order is of interest not only because one order may yi…
Could research help revisers
Revision by a second translator plays a major role in quality control in institutional settings such as the European Commission and the United Nations. Different institutional translation services take different approaches to revision, and their approach changes over time. There are policy differences and there are differences among revisers in revision technique. Is there a best way to approach the task, a way which is as fast as possible while …
Maze-walkers and echoborgs: Reflections on translator metaphors
The article fills a gap in the existing array of translation metaphors by introducing maze-walkers as a metaphor for translators at work. Ten similarities and five dissimilarities between translating and walking through a hedge maze are discussed. Translators’ control over their actions is compared to that of maze-walkers and of four other metaphorical agents: stage and musical performers, puppeteers, echoborgs and ghost-writers. Most existing me…
Poirier, Éric (2019): Initiation à la traduction professionnelle: Concepts clés. Montréal: Linguatech, 245 p
The Missing Style Problem and the Translation of French Erotica into English
In most synonym sets, there is a neutral item that does not belong to any particular style ( poor is neutral whereas impecunious and broke are not). In writings about sex, French has a neutral style but English does not. The English translations of two French autobiographies detailing the authors’ sex lives are presented and some of the translators’ strategies are discussed. These two cases are seen against the general background of style options…
Intralingual translation’: A desirable concept
There has recently been an upsurge of articles about 'intralingual translation': producing a version of a medical document that will be suitable for a lay readership or updating the language of classic literary texts. It is argued here that updating and dialect rewording are really instances of interlingual work, while preparing plain-language derived texts for lay readerships is so different from interlingual work that the word ‘translation’ sho…
Motivation and de-motivation in a government translation service: A diary-based approach
The article discusses events that motivated or de-motivated one translator working in a government setting over a period of two weeks, based on a diary. The disadvantages of diary-keeping are discussed, as are its possible advantages over questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. The diary entries are compared to lists of motivators and de-motivators prepared by two translators four months before the diary was started
Reader Reaction and Workplace Habits in the English Translation of French Proper Names in Canada
This article looks at factors that might be involved in the translation of French place names and institution names into English in Canada: the anticipated reactions of readers; rules enunciated by clients, employers and style guides; the effects of workplace procedures (reduced quality control time; use of cut-and-paste translation). The possible translations of five proper names are discussed: Québec, Radio-Canada, Acadie, Commis-sion québécois…
Has Computerization Changed Translation
Because of the hype surrounding computers, it is hard to determine whether they are doing anything more than speed up the writing and research process. Changes such as the advent of 'collage' translations - where phrases are pasted into translations from old translations or original TL documents - have been enabled by technological change but they are driven by changes in the translation business
Back to Translation as Language
In this article, the six authors discuss the question of whether Translation Studies should devote more attention to the linguistic aspect of translation, in view of the tendency in recent years to focus on its social functioning. In the first part, each author tackles one or more aspects of this issue; in the second part, the authors respond to each other's views. Topics covered include what kind of language production translation is, whether tr…
Translating Institutions and "Idiomatic" Translation
The Translator as Rapporteur: A Concept for Training and Self-improvement
Translating Institutions and "Idiomatic" Translation
Has Computerization Changed Translation
Because of the hype surrounding computers, it is hard to determine whether they are doing anything more than speed up the writing and research process. Changes such as the advent of 'collage' translations - where phrases are pasted into translations from old translations or original TL documents - have been enabled by technological change but they are driven by changes in the translation business
The Translator as Rapporteur: A Concept for Training and Self-improvement
The Translator as Rapporteur: A Concept for Training and Self-improvement
Translating Institutions and "Idiomatic" Translation
Back to Translation as Language
In this article, the six authors discuss the question of whether Translation Studies should devote more attention to the linguistic aspect of translation, in view of the tendency in recent years to focus on its social functioning. In the first part, each author tackles one or more aspects of this issue; in the second part, the authors respond to each other's views. Topics covered include what kind of language production translation is, whether tr…
Has Computerization Changed Translation
Because of the hype surrounding computers, it is hard to determine whether they are doing anything more than speed up the writing and research process. Changes such as the advent of 'collage' translations - where phrases are pasted into translations from old translations or original TL documents - have been enabled by technological change but they are driven by changes in the translation business
Reader Reaction and Workplace Habits in the English Translation of French Proper Names in Canada
This article looks at factors that might be involved in the translation of French place names and institution names into English in Canada: the anticipated reactions of readers; rules enunciated by clients, employers and style guides; the effects of workplace procedures (reduced quality control time; use of cut-and-paste translation). The possible translations of five proper names are discussed: Québec, Radio-Canada, Acadie, Commis-sion québécois…
Motivation and de-motivation in a government translation service: A diary-based approach
The article discusses events that motivated or de-motivated one translator working in a government setting over a period of two weeks, based on a diary. The disadvantages of diary-keeping are discussed, as are its possible advantages over questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. The diary entries are compared to lists of motivators and de-motivators prepared by two translators four months before the diary was started
Intralingual translation’: A desirable concept
There has recently been an upsurge of articles about 'intralingual translation': producing a version of a medical document that will be suitable for a lay readership or updating the language of classic literary texts. It is argued here that updating and dialect rewording are really instances of interlingual work, while preparing plain-language derived texts for lay readerships is so different from interlingual work that the word ‘translation’ sho…
The Missing Style Problem and the Translation of French Erotica into English
In most synonym sets, there is a neutral item that does not belong to any particular style ( poor is neutral whereas impecunious and broke are not). In writings about sex, French has a neutral style but English does not. The English translations of two French autobiographies detailing the authors’ sex lives are presented and some of the translators’ strategies are discussed. These two cases are seen against the general background of style options…
Poirier, Éric (2019): Initiation à la traduction professionnelle: Concepts clés. Montréal: Linguatech, 245 p
Maze-walkers and echoborgs: Reflections on translator metaphors
The article fills a gap in the existing array of translation metaphors by introducing maze-walkers as a metaphor for translators at work. Ten similarities and five dissimilarities between translating and walking through a hedge maze are discussed. Translators’ control over their actions is compared to that of maze-walkers and of four other metaphorical agents: stage and musical performers, puppeteers, echoborgs and ghost-writers. Most existing me…
Could research help revisers
Revision by a second translator plays a major role in quality control in institutional settings such as the European Commission and the United Nations. Different institutional translation services take different approaches to revision, and their approach changes over time. There are policy differences and there are differences among revisers in revision technique. Is there a best way to approach the task, a way which is as fast as possible while …
Reading order during bilingual quality checking of translations: An issue in search of studies
This paper investigates three questions about the order in which the source text and the translation are read during bilingual quality checking of translations. How do translators behave with respect to reading order during self-revision, other-revision and post-editing? What reasons do translators give for using one or the other order? Is one order better in terms of error detection? Reading order is of interest not only because one order may yi…
Do machines and humans translate in the same sense
Human and machine translation share several features, one of which is actions that are not motivated by meaning. In addition, the human process often consists initially in the semi-conscious production of literal translations that are only weakly motivated by meaning. A definition of the translation process is proposed, based on these features. Since key words in the definition are ‘matter’ and ‘meaning’, I suggest a speculative view of how matte…
Translation and architecturally odd invented languages in science fiction
Almost all invented languages in science fiction have the same architecture as spoken human natural languages. The article discusses six exceptions: languages which appear to be unusable because of the way they handle figures of speech; speech or writing directly connected to thought; speech that is not linear; writing that is not linear and not a representation of speech; lexicon, syntax and writing but no speech; and impoverished languages. If …
Computer Science (12 works) · Linguistics (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Translation Studies and Practices (9 works) · Art (6 works) · Artificial Intelligence (6 works) · Natural Language Processing Techniques (5 works) · linguistics and terminology studies (4 works) · Literature (4 works)