Usability as a focus of multiprofessional collaboration: a teaching case study on user-centered translation

As professional communication needs are increasingly multilingual, the merging of translator and technical communicator roles has been predicted. However, it may be more advantageous for these two professional groups to increase cooperation. This means learning to identify and appreciate their distinct but mutually complementary core competencies. Since both professions share the ideology of being the user’s advocate, usability is a common denominator that can function as a focal point of collaboration. While many translation theories focus on the reader and the target context, usability methods have not traditionally been a part of translator training. An innovation called User-Centered Translation (UCT), which is a model based on usability and user-centered design, is intended to help translators speak the same language as technical communicators, and it offers concrete usability tools which have been missing from translation theories. In this teaching case study, we discuss the teaching of four UCT methods: personas, the implied reader, heuristic evaluation, and usability testing. We describe our teaching experiences, analyze student feedback on all four, and report on the implementation of a student assignment on heuristics. This case study suggests ways in which UCT can form an important nexus of professional skills and multiprofessional collaboration

Negotiating the Boundaries of Professional Subtitling. The Case of Finnish Subtitlers and Their Online Community

   In recent years, the Finnish subtitling field has undergone significant changes, which have caused instability in subtitlers’ working conditions. Subtitlers have responded to these changes by working together towards a more unified professional community. One important means in these efforts has been an active online presence consisting of, among other things, a website and a blog. The subtitlers’ online presence could be characterised as an element of a “professional project” (Tyulenev 2014: 68–69), an attempt to institutionalise the profession and to search for social recognition. One aspect of a professional project is to draw the boundaries of the profession and to determine criteria for acceptance into the professional community. The definition of professional boundaries is a recurrent theme on the Finnish subtitlers’ website and blog. The subtitlers’ case therefore provides an enlightening example of how a heterogeneous professional field can attempt to improve its standing by determining its own boundaries. This article will explore how Finnish subtitlers define the boundaries of their profession on their website and blog, what criteria they present for inclusion in their professional community, and how exclusion from the community is expressed. The analysis will demonstrate that a number of professional practices, such as adherence to local subtitling traditions, are used as a way of determining the behaviour of a professional subtitler. As a consequence, the definition of professional boundaries emerges as a central argument in the subtitlers’ professional project, becoming a strategy for unifying the subtitlers’ community and advocating for a more stable status

Negotiating the boundaries of professional subtitling. The case of Finnish subtitlers and their online community

In recent years, the Finnish subtitling field has undergone significant changes, which have caused instability in subtitlers’ working conditions. Subtitlers have responded to these changes by working together towards a more unified professional community. One important means in these efforts has been an active online presence consisting of, among other things, a website and a blog. The subtitlers’ online presence could be characterised as an element of a “professional project” (Tyulenev 2014: 68–69), an attempt to institutionalise the profession and to search for social recognition. One aspect of a professional project is to draw the boundaries of the profession and to determine criteria for acceptance into the professional community. The definition of professional boundaries is a recurrent theme on the Finnish subtitlers’ website and blog. The subtitlers’ case therefore provides an enlightening example of how a heterogeneous professional field can attempt to improve its standing by determining its own boundaries. This article will explore how Finnish subtitlers define the boundaries of their profession on their website and blog, what criteria they present for inclusion in their professional community, and how exclusion from the community is expressed. The analysis will demonstrate that a number of professional practices, such as adherence to local subtitling traditions, are used as a way of determining the behaviour of a professional subtitler. As a consequence, the definition of professional boundaries emerges as a central argument in the subtitlers’ professional project, becoming a strategy for unifying the subtitlers’ community and advocating for a more stable status

Neurocognitive deficits, academic difficulties and substance dependence among Finnish offenders : connections to recidivism and implications for rehabilitation

Neurocognitive and academic deficits are frequent among male offenders and the prevalence of these disorders is known to be higher than in the general population. Also psychiatric disorders and substance dependence are overrepresented among offenders. Neurocognitive and academic deficits, psychiatric disorders and substance dependence are all known to be risk factors for offending and a criminal career. Studies on recidivism have mainly focused on the associations between ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), psychiatric disorders, and violent crime, but have ignored connections to various psychiatric disorders and neurocognitive deficits and academic difficulties. The aim of this thesis is to examine the neurocognitive and academic performance in a sample of sentenced male prisoners in Finland. The frequency of reading, spelling, and mathematical difficulties was also analyzed. I also examined how neurocognitive deficits and academic difficulties are associated with psychiatric diagnoses, especially with substance dependence. If a specific profile of neurocognitive, academic and psychiatric factors among offenders could be found that is related to recidivism and criminal career, this could be more effectively targeted by intervention procedures. In a health survey of Finnish prisoners, 72 sentenced male prisoners were examined in Turku prison using a neurocognitive test battery and psychiatric assessment including a standardized psychiatric interview (SCID-I, II). First, a range of neurocognitive deficits was common, especially in motor dexterity, visual construction, verbal comprehension, verbal and visual memory, and shifting attention. Furthermore, recidivist men had problems indicating impulsivity. Second, the comprehensive neurocognitive deficits and illiteracy problems seemed to go together among prisoners. The results showed a high number of reading and spelling difficulties. Fifteen percent of those with medium to severe problems in academic skills had marked difficulties in mathematics. Third, major mental disorders (Axis I diagnosis) and substance dependence were connected with neurocognitive and academic deficits. Moreover, first- time offenders had fewer neurocognitive deficits and Axis I disorders, less substance dependence and fewer personality disorders than those with several convictions. Fourth, the combination of neurocognitive deficits and substance dependence was connected to recidivism. According to the thesis, the Finnish male offender could be described using four groups with different characteristics of neurocognitive, academic and psychiatric factors. Preventing the development of substance dependence, together with rehabilitation of neurocognitive deficits, seems to be important for reducing recidivism. We suggest that both selection and preparation for participation in offender programs might be more effective if specific neurocognitive deficits are identified and efforts first made to ameliorate them.Neurokognitiiviset häiriöt sekä lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan vaikeudet ovat yleisiä vangeilla ja näiden ongelmien esiintyvyys on suurempaa kuin yleisväestössä. Vangit kärsivät myös psykiatrisista häiriöistä ja päihderiippuvuudesta yleisväestöä enemmän. Neurokognitiiviset häiriöt, lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan vaikeudet sekä psykiatriset häiriöt ja päihderiippuvuus ovat tutkimusten mukaan riskitekijöitä rikolliselle käyttäytymiselle ja vankilaan joutumiselle. Rikoksen uusimista käsittelevissä tutkimuksissa on usein keskitytty yhteyksiin ADHD:n (keskittymisen ja tarkkaavuuden häiriö) ja muiden neuropsykiatristen ja psykiatristen häiriöiden sekä väkivaltarikollisuuden välillä. Muut psykiatriset häiriöt ja erityisesti niiden yhteydet neurokognitiivisiin ja lukemisen, kirjoittaminen ja matematiikan vaikeuksiin on jätetty vähemmälle huomiolle. Tässä väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan suomalaisten miesvankien neurokognitiivista suoriutumista, lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan ongelmia sekä niiden yhteyksiä psykiatrisiin häiriöihin. Tässä tutkimuksessa oli tavoitteena selvittää, miten neurokognitiiviset sekä lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan häiriöt ovat yhteydessä psykiatrisiin diagnooseihin, erityisesti päihderiippuvuuteen. Tarkoituksena on pyrkiä löytämään mahdollisia ongelmaprofiileja, jotka voisivat auttaa tarkoituksenmukaisten ja toimivien kuntoutusohjelmien suunnittelussa ja toteuttamisessa vangeille. Turun vankilasta kerättyä aineistoa varten tutkittiin neuropsykologisilla testimenetelmillä 72 miespuolista vankeusvankia. Aineisto liittyi laajempaan Suomessa tehtyyn vankien terveystutkimukseen. Psykiatrinen arvioi suoritettiin käyttäen standardoitua psykiatrista haastattelua (SCID-I,II). Ensimmäiseksi, vangeilla oli yleisesti laaja-alaisia neurokognitiivisia häiriöitä, erityisesti hienomotoriikassa, visuaalisessa hahmottamisessa, kielellisessä ymmärtämisessä, visuaalisessa sekä kielellisessä muistissa sekä tarkkaavuuden siirtämisessä. Rikoksen uusijoilla oli taipumusta impulsiiviseen reagointiin. Toiseksi, neurokognitiiviset häiriöt ja lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan ongelmat näyttivät olevan yhteydessä toisiinsa. Lukemisen ja kirjoittamisen ongelmat olivat vangeilla yleisiä. Viisitoista prosenttia niistä vangeista, joilla oli keskivakavia tai vakavia ongelmia lukemisessa ja kirjoittamisessa, oli myös merkittäviä vaikeuksia matematiikassa. Kolmanneksi, vakava mielenterveyden häiriö (Axis I) ja päihderiippuvuus olivat yhteydessä neurokognitiivisiin sekä lukemisen ja kirjoittamisen häiriöihin. Ensimmäistä vankeustuomiota suorittavilla vangeilla oli vähemmän neurokognitiivisia häiriöitä, vakavia mielenterveyden häiriöitä, päihderiippuvuutta ja persoonallisuushäiriöitä kuin moninkertaisilla tuomion uusijoilla. Neljänneksi, neurokognitiiviset häiriöt yhdessä päihderiippuvuuden kanssa olivat eniten yhteydessä uusintarikollisuuteen. Tämän väitöskirjan tulosten perusteella Suomalaisia miesvankeja voidaan kuvata neljänä erillisenä ongelmaryhmänä liittyen neurokognitiivisiin häiriöihin, lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan ongelmiin sekä psykiatrisiin häiriöihin. Päihderiippuvuuden ehkäisy sekä neurokognitiivisten ja lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan taitopuutosten harjoittaminen ja kuntoutus ovat tulosten valossa tärkeitä tekijöitä uusintarikollisuuden ehkäisyssä. Tulosten perusteella voidaan suositella, että vankien neurokognitiivisia, sekä lukemisen, kirjoittamisen ja matematiikan puutoksia arvioidaan ja kuntoutetaan jo ennen vangin ohjaamista laaja-alaisempiin käytössä oleviin kuntoutusohjelmiin. Tämä saattaa edesauttaa sijoittumista sopivaan kuntoutusohjelmaan sekä tehostaa vangin hyötymistä kuntoutuksesta

Experiencing translated media: why audience research needs translation studies

Audience research has a long tradition in media studies. Many audience studies focus on translated materials, particularly television programmes broadcast in different countries. The research is thus often conducted on viewers whose experiences have been shaped by a translation. However, questions of translation often play only a marginal role. Some studies do not mention translation at all, while others dismiss it as a transparent rewording of the original. From the perspective of translation studies, this is problematic, because the translation is never a simple word-for-word rendering of the source text. Translations inevitably change the media text and become an integral factor in shaping the audience’s experience. In recent years, reception research has gained increased attention within translation studies, particularly in audiovisual translation. Such studies offer insights that could be useful for media studies. This article will discuss the potential for an outward turn in reception research within translation studies. Focusing on audiovisual translation, it will present research conducted within media studies and translation studies to see how the two disciplines can complement each other and, particularly, how translation research can inform media studies and encourage more critical, conscious approaches towards translated materials

"Down into the Valley of Death" : The Portrayal of the Orient in the Interwar Fiction of Agatha Christie

Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia, miten Lähi-Itää kuvataan Agatha Christien teoksissa, jotka ovat julkaistu kahden maailmansodan välisenä aikana. Olen valinnut tutkimusaineistokseni neljä novellia kokoelmastaParker Pyne Investigates(1934) sekä kolme romaania:Murder in Mesopotamia(1936),Death on the Nile(1937) jaAppointment with Death(1938). Kaikkia teoksia yhdistävät dekkarigenren konventiot sekä tarinoiden sijoittuminen brittiläisen imperiumin vaikutusalueelle, Lähi-Itään. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen viitekehys koostuu kahdesta osiosta: jälkikolonialistinen teoria ja dekkaritutkimus. Jälkikolonialistisen tutkimusnäkökulman valinta perustuu sekä tutkimuskysymyksiini ja -aineistooni: jälkikolonialistisen teorian tavoittena on tutkia kolonialismia ja kolonisoitujen ihmisten identiteettia suhteessa imperialismiin ja siirtomaa-aikaan. Tärkeässä osassa jälkikolonialistisessa tutkimuksessa ovat myös kysymykset representaatiosta sekä kolonisoitujen rodullistamisesta, joiden seurauksena syntyy kolonialistista diskurssia. Merkittävä yksittäinen tutkimus työssäni on Edward SaidinOrientalism(1978), jossa Said tarkastelee sitä, kuinka Orientti (Itä)  ja Oksidentti (Länsi) ovat kuvitteellisia rakenteita. Dekkaritutkimus on oleellisessa osassa tutkimuksessani, sillä tavoitteenani on tutkia Lähi-Idän kuvausta Christien dekkareissa. Tarkastelen dekkaria osana populaarikulttuuria: miten brittiläinen klassinen dekkarigenre on perinteisesti suhtautunut toiseuteen, kolonialismiin sekä eksoottisiin tapahtumapaikkoihin. Analyysini koostuu kolmesta eri näkökulmasta: Lähi-Itä paikkana ja kulttuurina, paikallinen väestö sekä brittiläinen imperialistinen koneisto. Tutkimukseni osoittaa, että Christien paikan kuvaus jakautuu kahteen luokkaan: eksoottinen ja romanttinen Lähi-Itä, sekä villi ja epäsivistynyt Lähi-Itä. Myös itämaisia ihmisiä kuvataan Christien teoksissa kahdella tavalla: osana luontoa ja eläinmaailmaa tai ikuisina lapsina. Tarkastelen imperialistista läsnäoloa Lähi-Idässä kahdesta näkökulmasta: kuinka Christie kuvaa länsimaalaisten ihmisten elämää, ja kuinka orientalistinen diskurssi on sulautunut osaksi dekkarin konventioita. Tutkielman tavoitteena on tarkastella Christieta ja klassista dekkariperinnettä orientalistisesta näkökulmasta, sillä perinteisesti sekä jälkikolonialistinen että dekkaritutkimus ovat sivuuttaneet aiheen omista tutkimuksistaan. Tutkimuksen tarve on kuitenkin kiistaton, sillä väitän, että Christien dekkarit eivät ainoastaan noudata kolonialistista diskurssia mutta osoittavat, miten Orientalistista diskurssia voidaan käyttää myös dekkarin konventioissa

Why methods matter: approaching multimodality in translation research

The study of multimodal phenomena calls upon translation scholars to cross disciplinary boundaries and adopt a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. The diversity of the multimodal landscape brings about research challenges that must be carefully addressed to ensure that these research efforts yield useful and credible results. This special issue is dedicated to a discussion on how to engage in multimodal translation research: how traditional research methods can be adapted and what kinds of novel approaches can be adopted or developed in order to deal with a diversity of multimodal data. In this introduction, we first discuss definitions of mode and multimodality and reflect on the nature of multimodality as a topic of research within Translation Studies. We then explain our rationale for dedicating the special issue to research methods and introduce three areas of multimodal translation research that, in our view, merit particular attention from a methodological point of view. Finally, we introduce the articles contained in this special issue

Why methods matter: approaching multimodality in translation research

The study of multimodal phenomena calls upon translation scholars to cross disciplinary boundaries and adopt a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. The diversity of the multimodal landscape brings about research challenges that must be carefully addressed to ensure that these research efforts yield useful and credible results. This special issue is dedicated to a discussion on how to engage in multimodal translation research: how traditional research methods can be adapted and what kinds of novel approaches can be adopted or developed in order to deal with a diversity of multimodal data. In this introduction, we first discuss definitions of mode and multimodality and reflect on the nature of multimodality as a topic of research within Translation Studies. We then explain our rationale for dedicating the special issue to research methods and introduce three areas of multimodal translation research that, in our view, merit particular attention from a methodological point of view. Finally, we introduce the articles contained in this special issue

Collaboration between subtitling academics and practitioners: A proposal for SubComm

This article proposes the application of public translation studies put forward by Koskinen (2010) to the field of audiovisual translation (AVT). We argue that AVT scholars and practitioners would benefit from the implementation of a long-term, reciprocal collaboration. This would involve the formation of a community of academics and subtitlers, creating a space for regular dialogic communication that would be mutually beneficial. The article first explores the concept of public translation studies, examining how and why this framework might be useful in AVT. We then present the findings of a scoping questionnaire, in which subtitlers working in the UK and Ireland were surveyed about their interest in collaborating with academics. Respondents indicated an interest in opportunities for professional development, community-building and collaboration. In addition, based on the results we highlight a number of areas around which these activities could be centred, including, for example, opportunities for subtitlers to enhance their practical skill set, to improve their career opportunities and the collective standing of the profession, to discuss translation dilemmas and to inform academia. We end by proposing some concrete next steps for the development of a subtitling community, and the possible role of academics and subtitlers within such an initiative

Comparison of two different mindfulness interventions among health care students in Finland : a randomised controlled trial

We investigated the short- and long-term effects of two different evidence-based mindfulness training on students’ stress and well-being. A randomised controlled trial with three measurement points (baseline, post-intervention, and 4 months post-intervention) was conducted among undergraduate students of medicine, dentistry, psychology, and logopaedics at the University of Helsinki. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: (1) face-to-face mindfulness training based on the Mindfulness Skills for Students course (n = 40), (2) a web-based Student Compass program using Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment therapy (n = 22), and (3) a control group that received mental health support as usual (n = 40). The primary outcome was psychological distress measured using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Secondary outcomes included hair cortisol concentrations and a wide range of well-being indicators. Psychological distress increased in all the groups from baseline to post-intervention, but significantly less so in the intervention groups than in the control group. At 4-month follow-up, were found no differences between the primary outcomes of the control and intervention groups, but the participants who continued practising mindfulness at least twice a week were less stressed than the others. Our results suggest that participating in a mindfulness course may mitigate health care students’ psychological distress during the academic year, but only if the participants continue practising mindfulness at least twice a week.Peer reviewe