Dr. Brenda Malkiel

Background and Research

Ever since humans first devised writing systems, translators have been building bridges between nations, races, cultures and continents. Bridges between past and present, too. Translators have the ability to span time and space. They have enabled certain central texts – works of science, philosophy or literature – to acquire universal stature. Translators breach the walls created by language differences, thereby opening up new horizons and broadening our vision of reality to encompass the entire world. (Joly, p. xiii) [1]

Although I was born in the United States, I have spent the past two and a half decades in Israel. As a teenager, I had four loves: Scrabble, detective stories, crossword puzzles, and etymology. In hindsight, it seems rather obvious that I would pursue a career in translation and later do my Ph.D. in linguistics – particularly since the Hebrew word for a linguist (balshan) is so similar to the word for detective (balash).

My research focuses on the translation process and product, with special attention to the effects of translator training on quality, speed, and perception. Many of my findings seem to contradict common wisdom. For example, my work has shown that:

• Translation into one’s second language becomes easier with training and experience, but translation into the mother tongue does not. [2]
• End-of-year grades provide a remarkably objective picture of student performance. [3]
• Translators will go to almost absurd lengths to avoid the easy solution. [4]
• While computers can accurately distinguish between male- and female-authored texts, they are far less skilled at distinguishing between translations by men and those by women. [5]

My portrait, taken with a digital camera at Giverny, is a modern translation of Monet's vision.

[1] Joly, J.-F. 1995. Introduction. In J. Delisle and J. Woodsworth (eds.), Translators through History (xiii–xvi). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins and UNESCO.
[2] Malkiel, B. 2006. The Effect of Translator Training on Interference and Difficulty. Target 18 (2), 337-366.
[3] Malkiel, B. 2008. What Can Grades Teach Us? Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 16 (1-2), 61-71.
[4] Malkiel, B. 2009. When Idioti (Idiotic) Becomes “Fluffy”: Translation Students and the Avoidance of Target-language Cognates. Meta 54 (2), 309-325.
[5] Koppel, M., Shlesinger, M., Ordan, N. & Malkiel, B. (2009). Markers of Translator Gender: Do They Really Matter? In: I.M. Mees, F. Alves & S. Göpferich (eds.), Methodology, Technology and Innovation in Translation Process Research. Copenhagen Studies in Language 38, 183-198.

Contact