lxxviii the source text, looking for differences in meaning and inadequate application
of translation principles” Larson, 1984: 536
3. Comprehension Check
The purpose of this check is to see whether or not the translation is understood correctly by speakers of the language who have not seen the translation
previously” Larson, 1984: 537. This test involves having people it can be the translator himself or another person retell the content of the translation and
answer questions about what is translated. From the questions which are set and the answers which are gained, it can be seen whether or nor the translation
is at level of complexity appropriate to the target reader.
4. Naturalness and Readability Testing
Naturalness test is a test which purposes to see if the effort of the translation sounds natural and the style is appropriate towards the target language reader.
Readability test, as its name, is o see whether or not the translation is easily to be read by the target readers.
5. Consistency Checks
The last method offered by Larson is consistency checks. This test is obtained to see whether or not the translator using the same terms for the whole text, for
example consistency in the spelling of the names of people and places, in capital, in punctuation and so on. Larson 1984 says “if the meaning is the
same and there is nothing in the context to indicate that a different term should be used, the translator will want to use the same term in each occurrence” p.
546. This check may be done by the translator by the help of related books himself or other person consultant.
Nida and Taber in House, 1977 offer some other methods on testing the product of translation. Those methods are:
1. The Cloze Technique
This technique believes that the degree of comprehensibility of a text is related to it “degree of predictability”. It means “it is assumed that the easier it is for
the reader to guess the word in a sentence of a translation text, the easier it is to comprehend that word in the given text” House, 1977: 11.
In this technique the translator provides the reader with a translation text in which, for example, every fifth word is deleted. Then, the reader is asked to fill
the deleted word. The greater the number of correct guesses means the easier the text to comprehend.
2. Elicitation or Respondents’ reactions
Nida and Taber in House, 1977 suggest this technique to see the respondent’ responds towards several translation alternatives. The investigator could be the
translator presents sentences in two or more different versions, and asks questions such as: “which way sound the sweetest?”, “which is plainer?”,
lxxix “what word will be easiest...to understand?” Nida and Taber in House, 1977:
12.
3. The third test for the translation quality is by asking other person to read
the translation text.
After reading, he is asked to explain the content of the text to several other individuals who were not present at the first reading of the text Nida and
Taber in House, 1977: 13. By having this test, translator can observe how well the meaning is transferred
both in terms of the total content and in term of the correctness of understanding.
4. Reading Aloud test.
The last technique offered by Nida and Taber and considered as the best test is the reading aloud technique. There will be several individuals who read the
translation text before an audience; this reading is assumed to be equivalent to communicating the message of the text. During the reading a loud, any places
in the text at which readers face difficulties will indicate that at that place, translation present s problems.
Besides those techniques mentioned above, there are other techniques offered by Nababan. He offers techniques that consist of
scales in testing assessment in terms accuracy and readability.
1. Accuracy Testing
