Abstract:
The paper provides a brief overview of approaches to experiment in contemporary linguistic research in general and in translation studiesin particular. With a focus on Russian translation studies, we attempt to categorize translation experiments with regard to aim, data and methodology. Procedural (activity-based) translation experiments are aimed at describing the process of translation influenced by various factors. Didactic (competence-based) translation experiments are aimed mainly at improving the quality of professional translator training, at the same time reflecting, to a certain extent, the patterns of the translator's verbal and cognitive activity and providing certain methodological frameworks for experimental translation research. Psycholinguistic (association, reception) translation experiments are mainly product-based and aimed at the target text recipient, describing the patterns of target text perception and understanding. We see empirical (experimental) translation research as a developing discipline within translation studies in the Russian line of thought. The immediate goal is to build a pool of translation experiments and work out a translation experiment standard; define the interdisciplinary boundaries and describe the metalanguage of experimental (empirical) translation studies; specify the requirements for experimental procedures, data, and an experimental setting, as well as for selecting and briefing the participants; describe online and offline experimental techniques, dependent and independent variables, and metadata.
