Characterization and contextualization of financial translation: an empirical-descriptive study of its academic and professional condition in Spain

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the academic and professional condition of financial translation in Spain through a descriptive and empirical study that employs data from the professional and academic sectors to set the basis for curricular design. The dissertation is divided into eight chapters, explained as follows.

Chapter One provides an introduction and presents the three general and specific objectives based on research questions, which are related to the definition of financial translation for the purposes of this study and to the analysis of the academic and professional context of financial translation in Spain.

Chapter Two covers the dissertation’s theoretical framework. Hatim and Mason’s model (1990) based on the pragmatic, the communicative, and the semiotic dimensions is applied to financial translation to limit the scope of the object of the study. All three dimensions are used to restrict the conceptual framework, yet the semiotic dimension proves most useful, since it enables the identification of three main elements for my study: genre, discourse, and text. The final definition of financial translation is based on these three elements.

The literature review in Chapter Three applies a classification model based on the research objectives of the publications, including studies that cover the area of financial discourse as a specialized language, a study of publications that cover the profession of financial translation, and an analysis of publications related to the research process that is needed for financial translation, such as manuals, specialized financial press and financial translation blogs.

Chapter Four presents the pedagogical framework of the dissertation, in which Kelly’s circular model for curricular design is applied to financial translation training (Kelly 2005). Social and market needs are identified through the analysis of competence models, job offers in financial translation, the existing literature in the profession and other market studies.

In Chapter Five, the training models with contents in financial translation that are currently being offered at Spanish universities are analyzed through a descriptive study using the technique of content analysis in education research.

Chapter Six explains the methodology used for the empirical study. The total number of participants amounted to 87 translators, 24 trainers, and 16 employers. The descriptive study in the first part of the dissertation proved extremely useful for the adaptation of the surveys that were used for the three sample groups and for the preliminary interviews, which allowed for a better definition of the items of the surveys.

The results of the three surveys of the empirical study are interpreted in Chapter Seven. The final recapitulation for each sample group reflects on the information obtained from the surveys, and explains why the recommended approach should be the development of training modules in financial translation, rather than a whole master’s program on this type ofspecialization, since having just one field of expertise does not seem to be the best asset for the profession.

The data obtained in this empirical study constitutes a key starting point for further suggestions for curricular design in financial translation and for the development of training modules based on actual training needs.