Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

✍ Scribed by Jody Byrne

• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 290
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This introduction to technical translation and usability draws on a broad range of research and makes the topic both accessible and applicable to those involved in the practice and study of translation. Readers learn how to improve and assess the quality of technical translations using cognitive psychology, usability engineering and technical communication. A practical usability study illustrates the theories, methods and benefits of usability engineering.

✦ Table of Contents

1402046529......Page 1
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 13
Technical Translation......Page 14
Some Misconceptions......Page 15
The Reality of Technical Translation......Page 20
The Aim of Technical Translation......Page 23
The Translator's Role......Page 28
Theory in Technical Translation......Page 34
Conclusions......Page 57
Technical Communication......Page 59
The Nature of Technical Documentation......Page 60
Typical Technical Documents......Page 62
Software Documentation......Page 64
Software User Guides......Page 69
Software User Guides & Quality......Page 76
Assessing User Guide Quality......Page 104
Conclusions......Page 106
Usability......Page 109
The Human Cognitive System......Page 112
Perception......Page 121
Memory......Page 126
Cognitive Processing......Page 133
Attention & Selection......Page 136
Learning......Page 142
Reasoning & Problem-Solving......Page 150
The Transition from Problem-Solving to Skill......Page 157
Conclusions......Page 161
Interfaces......Page 163
Cognetics......Page 165
Understanding How We Read User Guides......Page 169
Implementing Usability Measures......Page 172
Iconic Linkage......Page 176
Iconic Linkage as a Cognitive Strategy......Page 183
Conclusions......Page 187
Empirical Usability Evaluation......Page 189
Historical Problems in Document Usability Research......Page 190
Approaches to Empirical Evaluation......Page 191
Survey Methods......Page 198
Participants in a Usability Evaluation......Page 206
Usability Evaluation Procedures......Page 208
Experiment to Test the Impact of Iconic Linkage......Page 219
Main Study......Page 248
Results of Usability Evaluation......Page 251
Conclusions......Page 261
Conclusions......Page 265
Cognetics and Iconic Linkage......Page 266
Future Directions......Page 267
Bibliography......Page 270
Appendices......Page 281

✦ Subjects

Языки и языкознание;Английский язык;Для специалистов / English for Specific Purposes;Для технических специальностей / Technical English;