"I don't translate, I create!" An On-line Survey on Uniformity versus Creativity in Professional Translations

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Chapter 3: Methodology:
3.1 Research Questions:
Based on the previous discussion on the nature of CAT tools as well as creativity and freedom in translation the following research questions were put forward to find out about translators' attitudes towards both the CAT tools they work with and the relationship between creativity and CAT tools:
1) How satisfied are translators with the usability of their CAT tools?
2) As how creative do translators of different age groups and gender rank themselves, and as how important do they rank uniformity and creativity according to their major field of expertise?
3) To what extent do translators feel that CAT tools support or hamper their creativity during the translation process?
Based on the additional information gained within the frame of the pilot testing phase of survey II (cf. chapter 3.3.2.2), a fourth research question was added:
4) Why do some translators decide to reject CAT tools, and what are their alternative options?
The first research question was meant to scrutinize whether CAT tools really are that much of a help for translators as their providers promise. With my second research question, I aimed at getting to the bottom of whether a) male or female and b) older or younger translators better identify with creative translations. Further, I analyzed whether creative translations are still as much disdained in technical texts or the like as they are cherished in non-technical texts (Hervey, Loughridge, & Higgins, 2006, p. 41). In chapter 2.2, it has been intimated that only little or no creativity at all is necessary to insert pre-translated TUs from databases or TMs. Hence, research question number three concentrated on whether CAT tools have a negative impact on the creative output of translators. Last but not least, research question number four was the only one, which pursued another purpose than comparing theory with practice. Since it is quite simply a fact that not every single

Vanessa Drexler, B.A., was born in 1991 in Hof, Germany. She successfully graduated from Chemnitz University of Technology in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in English and American Studies. During her undergraduate studies in Chemnitz, the author could already gain useful practical experiences in the translation industry through the completion of an internship at Sternkopf Communications in Flöha and her work as a research assistant at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the university. Fascinated by the American culture and language, she spent two semesters abroad in California in order to get to know the country and its people. Based on her interest in multi-cultural societies, translating as well as interpreting has become an integral part of her life. Currently, the author writes her master thesis on the California Vowel Shift and is planning to finish graduate school in summer 2016.