Readability and Comprehensibility in Translation Using Reading Ease and Grade Indices (original) (raw)
Related papers
The main concern of the present study was to compare the readability level of English textbooks for translation courses and their Persian translations using two readability formulas: the Gunning Fog Index (GFI) and the Flesch New Reading Ease (FNRE) Formula. To this end a corpus comprising five textbooks for translation studies and their Persian translations were chosen. The reason behind choosing these textbooks is that they are the only translation textbooks translated into Persian and they are sources frequently referred to, by lower proficient students. Two hundred and eighty four sample texts were chosen randomly and examined in terms of readability levels by GFI; one hundred and forty two sample texts from English textbooks of translation and one hundred and forty two sample texts which were the translations of the respective English sample texts. A total number of thirty sample texts which were chosen from two hundred and eighty four samples were also examined by FNRE
Readability Assessment of Translated Texts
2015
In this paper we investigate how readability varies between texts originally written in English and texts translated into English. For quantification, we analyze several factors that are relevant in assessing readability ‐ shallow, lexical and morpho-syntactic features ‐ and we employ the widely used Flesch-Kincaid formula to measure the variation of the readability level between original English texts and texts translated into English. Finally, we analyze whether the readability features have enough discriminative power to distinguish between originals and translations.
International Journal of Linguistics, 2012
The main concern of the present study was to compare the readability level of English textbooks of translation and their Persian translations using the Gunning Fog Index. To this end the corpus of the study comprised five translation textbooks written in English and their Persian translations. The reason behind choosing these textbooks is that they are the only translation textbooks translated into Persian. Two hundred and eighty four sample texts were chosen randomly and examined in terms of readability levels; 142 sample texts from English textbooks of translation and 142 sample texts which were the translations of the respective English sample texts. Based on the outcomes of the research the average Fog Index of English textbooks of translation was 16.4 while the average Fog Index of their Persian translations was 20.1. This means that Persian textbooks of translation are 3.7 grade levels above their English originals in terms of readability level. The higher the Fog Index, the less readable the text is. The findings of the study showed that translation textbooks which have been translated into Persian are less readable than their English originals.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN READABILITY AND LANGUAGE LEVEL
ISRGJEHL, 2024
Appropriate tools lead to valid and fair measurement, processing and evaluation of texts produced by foreigners in a different language (Elder & Harding, 2008: 341-342). In addition, this data is very important in order to be able to create exam instructions and tests depending on language skills (in this case B1 and B2 based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Foreign Languages) and level of difficulty, i.e. the readability grade (Lenzner, 2014: 678-681). The discovery of such data is necessary for language levels (A1-C2) and for different languages in order to create more advanced text evaluation software (Beacco, 2017: 9-19). Furthermore, the two largest Greek universities EKPA and the University of Aristotle in Thessaloniki already use a very
Identifying and Classifying The Readability Levels of Turkish Texts
This study aimed to identify and classify the readability levels of Turkish texts. The sample in the Correlation Survey model included 32 Turkish instructional texts. The texts included in the sample of the study were administered to groups of 30 students, extending from the fifth class to the twelfth class. The cloze readability procedure was used in this research. Obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS program. In this research the relationship between the readability of texts and variables such as average word length, average sentence length, number of polysyllabic words, and the rate of repeated words was determined by the Pearson productmoment correlation analysis. As a result of this analysis, "the rate of repeated words" and the rate of polysyllabic words, which express the similar meanings with average word length and -.677 with the readability index, as measured by the cloze scores, were not included in the multiple regression analysis. As a result of multiple regression analysis, regression equation is:
Readability of Texts: Human Evaluation Versus Computer Index
mcser.org
This paper reports a study which aimed at exploring if there is any difference between the evaluation of EFL expert readers and computer-based evaluation of English text difficulty. 43 participants including university EFL instructors and graduate students read 10 different English passages and completed a Likert-type scale on their perception of the different components of text difficulty. On the other hand, the same 10 English texts were fed into Word Program and Flesch Readability index of the texts were calculated. Then comparisons were made to see if readers' evaluation of texts were the same or different from the calculated ones. Results of the study revealed significant differences between participants' evaluation of text difficulty and the Flesch Readability index of the texts. Findings also indicated that there was no significant difference between EFL instructors and graduate students' evaluation of the text difficulty. The findings of the study imply that while readability formulas are valuable measures for evaluating level of text difficulty, they should be used cautiously. Further research seems necessary to check the validity of the readability formulas and the findings of the present study.
Readability Approaches: Implications for Turkey
2005
Finding the right fit between students' reading ability and textbooks is very important for comprehension. Readability studies aim to analyse texts to find the right fit between students and texts. In this literature review, readability studies are classified under quantitative, qualitative and combined quantitative-qualitative readability approaches. The quantitative approach includes readability formulas, cloze test, and checklists and scales. The qualitative approach consists of leveling and checklists. The combined qualitative and quantitative readability approach is new in the field. In this approach, readability formulas can be used together with benchmark passages and checklists. The literature shows that readability formulas rely heavily on surface features of a text, and gives a rough estimate of the text readability. The qualitative approach focuses on the quality of writing style, and is criticised as being too subjective. The paper concludes by evaluating the implications of readability studies for Turkey.
TEXT DIFFICULTY: A COMPARISON OF READABILITY FORMULAE AND EXPERTS’ JUDGMENT
Teachers of English, librarians, researchers have been interested in finding the right text for the right reader for many years. In teaching Second Language (L2), text writers often try to fulfil the demand by simplifying the texts for the readers. The emerged term " readability " can be defined as " the ease of reading words and sentences " (Hargis, et al. 1998). The aim of this research was to compare the ways to find the right text for the right reader: traditional readability formulae (Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level), Coh-Metrix Second Language (L2) Reading Index, which is a readability formula based on psycholinguistic and cognitive models of reading', and teachers' estimation of grade levels by using leveled texts in a web site. In order to do this, a selection of texts from a corpus of intuitively simplified texts was used (N30). Coh-Metrix Readability levels, Flesch Reading Ease, and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Levels of the texts were calculated via Coh-Metrix Web Tool. Three teachers of English were asked to decide the levels of the texts. When the relationship between Coh-metrix Readability Level, traditional formulae and the texts levels in the website was analysed via SPSS, it was found that there was weak negative correlation between Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and the texts levels in the website (-,39). Additionally, there was weak negative correlation between the texts levels in the website and Flesch Reading Ease scores (-,41). However, there was moderate negative correlation between Coh-metrix Readability levels and the texts levels in the website (-,63), where Teacher1 and Coh-metrix Readability levels had very strong positive correlation (,95). It was identified that readability formulae can help L2 teachers when they select texts for their students for teaching and assessment purposes.
Analyzing the Adequacy of Readability Indicators to a Non-English Language
2019
Readability is a linguistic feature that indicates how difficult it is to read a text. Traditional readability formulas were made for the English language. This study evaluates their adequacy to the Portuguese language. We applied the traditional formulas in 10 parallel corpora. We verified that the Portuguese language had higher grade scores (less readability) in the formulas that use the number of syllables per words or number of complex words per sentence. Formulas that use letters by words instead of syllables by words output similar grade scores. Considering this, we evaluated the correlation of the complex words in 65 Portuguese school books of 12 schooling years. We found out that the concept of complex word as a word with 4 or more syllables, instead of 3 or more syllables as originally used in traditional formulas applied to English texts, is more correlated with the grade of Portuguese school books. In the end, for each traditional readability formula, we adapted it to the...
The Readability Level of the Reading Texts on Advanced Learning English 2
2014
The objective of this study is to find out the readability level of the reading texts on English textbook for the eleventh grade students entitled Advanced Learning English 2 at SMA Negeri 4 Tangerang Selatan. The writer uses descriptive method in which the writer describes the readability level of reading texts in the textbook using Flesch Reading Ease Formula. Units of analysis of this study are 17 texts. They are the whole reading texts on the textbook Advanced Learning English 2 especially in the Reading section. The book consists of 3 descriptive texts, 8 narrative texts, 2 analytical exposition texts, 1 hortatory exposition text and 3 spoof texts. Based on the analysis by using Flesch Reading Ease Formula, from 17 texts, 1 text is in the Very Easy Level, 4 texts are in the Easy Level, 4 texts are in the Fairly Easy Level, 4 texts are in the Standard Level, 3 texts are in the Fairly Difficult Level, and 1 text is in the Difficult Level. In average, the texts are in Fairly Easy Level (70.82). It is found that according to the theory of Flesch Reading Ease the texts are in the appropriate level for eleventh grade students. v