Universidad Autnoma del Carmen

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

BY Daniela Formoso Z.

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

Keywords:
Effectiveness and quality in translations, translator skills and abilities, intelligence, multiple intelligences.

Objective:
1) To determine if a particular MI provides a translator student with the most appropriate abilities to produce effective translations, and 2) If this intelligence represents an advantage over other students with different types of MI.

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

Research Questions:
What is an effective translation?
What are the desired skills and abilities in a translator? Are any of these abilities gathered in a specific type of MI? Having a certain type of MI guarantee an effective translation?

How can MI help translation students?

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

II. Literature Review

THE THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (MI).
Intelligence consists of a group of mental abilities which is not manifested in an independent way, but is located in different areas of the brain. Each person possess the eight intelligences. Most of the people can develop each intelligence until an adequate level of competence. The intelligences generally work together in complex ways. (Darwish 1983)

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

II. Literature Review

TRANSLATION:
a complex dichotomous and cumulative process which involves a host of activities drawing upon other disciplines related to language, writing, linguistics and culture(Darwish, 1989:2)

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

III. Methodology
STUDY TYPE: Descriptive, exploratory, non-experimental. Qualitative and Quantitive. THE THECHNIQUES: B. Cards, Test, Statisticals. SUBJECTS: 7th Semester. 2008-2009. INSTRUMENTS: MI Inventory, Checklist. OBJECTS: Translation exercise.

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

III. Methodology

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

III. Methodology

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

III. Methodology

Multiple Intelligences Applied to Translation Students

IV. Results
Types of Intelligences
TYPE OF MI Interpersonal Intelligence Visual Spatial Intelligence Verbal Linguistic Intelligence Logical Mathematical Intelligence Musical Rhythmic Intelligence Intrapersonal Intelligence Naturalist Intelligence Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence TOTAL: NUMBER OF SUBJECTS 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 11

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IV. Results
Checklist
STANDARS OF TRANSLATION 1 ACCURACY 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Conformity to the ST True to the Original No extra Info. Exact Meaning Preservation of Intention Meaning Spelling Grammar Errors of Fact Integrity to the Info. Unjustifiable Omissions Terminology Transliteration Coherence Cohesion Clear as the original Ambiguities Distortion Information Needs

Subject No.
1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 3 1 1 1 0 1 4 1 0 1 0 1 5 1 1 1 0 1 6 1 1 1 0 1 7 1 0 1 0 1 8 1 0 1 0 1 9 1 0 1 0 1 10 1 0 1 1 1 11 0 0 1 0 1

PRECISION

1
1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

1
1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

0
1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

0
1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

0
1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1

0
1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0

0
0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1

0
1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0

1
1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1

0
1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1

CORECTNESS

COMPLETENESS

11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

CONSISTENCY

1
1 1 1

1
1 1 1

1
0 1 1

0
0 0 1

1
1 0 1

0
0 0 1

0
0 0 1

0
0 0 0

0
1 0 1

1
1 1 1

0
1 0 1

CLARITY FITNESS FOR PURPOSE

Total of Items Scored: 18 16 17 7 15 13 9 6 9 15 11 Multiple Intelligences Applied to GRADE or MEAN OF TRANSLATION : Translation Students 8.9 3.6 7.8 6.8 4.7 3.1 4.7 7.8 5.7 9.4 8.4

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IV. Results
Standards Fullfilled
NO. OF STANDARDS FULLFILLED 6 5 5 4 4 3 2 1 1 0 0 TYPE OF INTELLIGENCE Verbal Linguistic Visual Spatial Logical Mathematical Interpersonal Interpersonal Intrapersonal Interpersonal Musical Rhytmic Visual Spatial Interpersonal Naturalistic SUBJECT NO. Subject No. 1 Subject No. 2 Subject No. 3 Subject No. 5 Subject No. 10 Subject No. 6 Subject No. 11 Subject No. 7 Subject No. 4 Subject No. 8 Subject No. 9

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IV. Results
Translation Grade
Translation Grade or MEAN 9.4 8.9 8.4 7.8 7.8 6.8 5.7 4.7 4.7 3.6 3.1 Type of MI Verbal-Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Visual-Spatial Interpersonal Interpersonal Intrapersonal Interpersonal Musical Naturalistic Visual-Spatial Interpersonal Subject No. 1 3 2 5 10 6 11 7 9 4 8

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IV. Results
Analysis of the Results
Subject with the highest scores in both, the checklist and the translation exercise was Subject Number 1. (Verbal-Linguistic)
Behind their 18th and 19th century facades, these buildings conceal interiors that successfully combine the old with the new, creating the so-called Art Montral style.

A partir del siglo 18 y 19, estos edificios son combinacin de los antiguos y ahora nuevos edificios, creados por el estilo de arte de Montreal Subject No.4 (Visual-Spatial)

Detrs de sus fachadas del siglo XVIII y XIX, estos edificios ocultan interiores que combinan exitosamente lo viejo con lo nuevo, creando el conocido estilo de arte Montreal. -Subject No. 1 (Verbal-Linguistic)

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IV. Results
Analysis of the Results
The next subject with the best translation grade (8.9) and greatest number of standards achieved (5) was Subject Number 3, who has the Logical Mathematical intelligence Corporations are legally obligated to spend one percent of their total revenue on works of art, for the enjoyment of the general public.
Las empresas tienen la obligacin legal de destinar el 1% de sus ingresos en trabajos artsticos, para de ese modo, regocijar al publico general Subject No. 3 (Logical-Mathematical Las corporaciones estn obligadas legalmente a gastar un porcentaje de sus ingresos totales en obras de arte, para el disfrute del publico en general. Rest of the Subjects (Different types of MI)

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IV. Results
Preliminary Conclusions a. The translation with the highest grade scored and with the greatest number of standards achieved belongs to Subject Number 1 who has the Verbal Linguistic Intelligence.
Gardners description: good at speaking, writing and understanding the syntax and meaning of words

b. People with the same type of intelligence, any type, do not produce the same translation results.
This means that having certain type of intelligence does not provide any advantage over others with other types. The results on the translations largely depend on other skills of the subject doing the translation such as mastery of the source and target language, time given to perform the translation, tools such as dictionaries or any other type of reference to consult and the willing and effort in doing a quality translation.

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IV. Results
Preliminary Conclusions c. The results of a translation can be the same even when they were done by subjects with different types of intelligences.
As we observed in the two highest scores, subjects with different types of intelligences achieved the same number standards, characteristics that, according to Darwish, if being scored can ensure a translation is effective since it produces the desired effect. The effect intended by the original writer.

d. A translator has more chances to produce an effective translation when the topic of the text is related to the area of his/her intelligence.
The type of intelligence of a translator may be other than Verbal Linguistic but this will not prevent him from rendering an appropriate translations. A translator with the Logical Mathematical intelligence can be better at translating a technical document than a translator with the Verbal Linguistic one. A Visual Spatial person can be better at translation maps and diagrams than a translator who type of intelligence is the Verbal Linguistic.

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V. Conclusion
The fulfillment of the standards described by Darwish to achieve an effective translation does not depend on the type of the intelligence the translator has. If this intelligence represents an advantage over other students with different types of MI. The Verbal-Linguistic type is the ideal kind of intelligence for the translator to have or develop the most To determine if a particular MI provides a translator student with the most appropriate abilities to produce effective translations.

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V. Conclusion
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED:
1. Time. Not having enough time makes them skip some important steps as reading. 2. Knowledge of the Source Language. Some of the mistakes made by the subjects in this research were due to the lack of knowledge of the English language 3. Mastery of the Goal Language. Grammar and spelling mistakes found in the translations .

4. The Topic of the Text. A translator who has the Naturalistic type of intelligence may be the best to translate a text about environmental issues like climate change, land use, etc. because it is likely that he will be interested in the topic.

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Suggestions
Larger Groups. Increase time for translations. Motivation. English Proficiency Test. Source Text according to M.I.

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Thank you!

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