THINKING ABOUT THE TARGET READER: USING ULTURESPECIFIC LEXIS FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
THINKING ABOUT THE TARGET READER: USING ULTURESPECIFIC LEXIS FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Summary/Abstract: This paper looks at the considerations of the target reader in translation tasks involving culture-specific lexis. Part of a series of studies investigating the translation of such lexis, this paper draws on findings from a pilot study which was conducted on five students learning Korean into English translation. The students were given pretasks which required translating a text containing CSL. A taught session which placed emphasis on optimal relevance in translation (Gutt, 2000), and the translation of implicit information (Gutt, 2006) was then held. A posttranslation task then followed. Pre and post-interviews were also conducted. Recorded data was transcribed and coded using NVivo software. When a translator translates a text, they have an imagined or implied target reader for whom they are translating the text for. The TT (target text) is similar to a type of reported speech in which the translator reports a message from the source text, forming communicative interaction between one author and the readership. Results show a significant difference in consideration of the target reader in Sessions 1 and 3, which indicates that it is highly likely such considerations were reinforced during Session 2, the taught session, which enabled the students to contemplate optimal relevance in translation and the translation of implicit information. Presenting qualitative excerpts from the data, the current paper aims to highlight the important role translation of culture-specific lexis can play in developing learners’ considerations of target reader, which in turn can develop their intercultural awareness and communication skills.

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