An Empirical Study Of Translation Research Methods In Master Thesis And Its Pedagogical Implications In Chinese Mainland

Research methodology, the system of research methods, plays an essential role in the development of a discipline in that it is relevant to the whole process of doing a research, and is critical to significant scientific discoveries. It has drawn more attention from the academia and quite a number of researches have been conducted to investigate translation research methodology, whereas the exploration of its pedagogy, which is also significant, is deficient and necessary.In order to reveal the pedagogical problems of translation research methodology, master theses of translation postgraduates are examined according to the system of translation research methodology proposed based on the improvements of previous studies in this study. Master theses of translation studies published from2008to2012have been collected from the China Masters’Theses Full-text Database of China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI) and reviewed, investigating their macro-and microscopic research methods and trying to figure out the current trends and existing problems of their research methods. Meanwhile, research methodology courses at home and abroad are compared to investigate into problems in research methodology courses of translation studies.In this study, quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection and analysis are used to classify the data based on identified variables of translation research methodology. Data obtained from the articles are analyzed by using descriptive and correlation statistics. Both the percentage and the frequency of the items are calculated, and the correlation between variables is analyzed. Empirical evidence is provided by means of content analysis to summarize the trends of translation research methodology. Interview and document analysis are employed in this study to theorize possible pedagogical system of research methodology for postgraduates of translation studies. As for the curricula collected, frequency analysis is conducted and interview records are examined qualitatively.The findings show the preferences of postgraduates, which disclose their lack of methodological awareness, preciseness, diversity and profoundness. Of all research methodology courses offered in postgraduate programs of translation studies, those in regions and countries out of Chinese mainland are attached more importance to. Research methods courses in the mainland of China have yet a long way to go before it can become as popular and sought after by students.As effective methodological training can significantly affect the overall quality of studies by translation graduates and even the future development of translation studies, pedagogical suggestions on translation research methodology are provided in this paper. To construct a comprehensive training system of translation research methodology that is possible to become more demanded and multi-faceted in the years to come, it is pressing to improve awareness of methodological training, and to provide courses covering research methodology, thesis writing and academic norms. Course design, teaching faculty, training activity, and teaching materials are essential to such courses.In summary, this study reviews both the positive and negative aspects of the previous surveys, and it also serves as a guide to direct future studies. Such a system of methodological training proposed can ensure not only the necessary transmission of translation research methods and skills, but also the development of learner autonomy and problem-solving abilities crucial for success in professional translation study.