Sensitivity of translation and interpreting students to cultural phenomena in literary texts

Abstract

The paper presents the results of research aimed at testing the ability of a selected sample of translation and interpreting (T&I) students to identify, classify and explain cultural phenomena (realia, precedent phenomena) represented in a literary text. The theoretical part provides a definition and classification of two types of culturally determined phenomena – realia and precedent phenomena – drawing mainly on the works of international scholars (Krasnykh 2003; Vlakhov – Florin 2009; Cuéllar Lázaro 2013) and also building on our research focusing on the dimension of interculturality in translation communication (Zahorák 2019, 2022). This paper presents a quantitative evaluation of research aimed at testing third-year undergraduate students of translation and interpreting (T&I) at the Department of Translation Studies at Constatine the Philosopher University (CPU) in Nitra, focusing on the criterion of students' success rate in identifying cultural phenomena in a literary text, adequately specifying their context (historical, political, social, cultural, etc.), and explaining their ethnosocial background.