Capturing creativity in literary translation using creative process report diaries

Abstract

It is widely accepted that translators are creative (

; ), but there are few studies that investigate translators’ creative processes. Against this background, we present quantitative results from a novel study, detailing the creative stages employed by professional translators in translating a literary text. Using an experimental method developed in psychology, we asked 20 literary translators to fill out Creative process Report Diaries (CRDs) when translating a short story from English to Dutch or Catalan. The CRDs show that professionals generally follow the same creative process pattern starting from definition of the problem and ending with judgement and finalisation. Documentation is essential for exploring the source text (ST) and reflecting on translation problems. Reflection is a crucial stage that remains prominent throughout the whole process. The creative process is accompanied by a “positive” attitude and emotions with high satisfaction which peaks at the end of the process. In contrast, “negative” emotional factors remain low and constant during translation.