Lexical Strategies of Chinese Learners of English in L1-L2 Translation

This dissertation examines the use of lexical search strategies in the form of written translation from L1 into L2 by intermediate and advanced adult Chinese learners of English as a foreign language. The purpose of the study was: (a) to identify and describe the lexical strategies employed by different proficiency levels of English-speaking learners of Chinese when they are unable to retrieve a word or phrase to express their meaning in the written translation task; (b) to investigate whether there is a relationship between the use of types of lexical strategies and the learners’ L2 proficiency levels; (c) to explore the effectiveness of various types of strategies for different linguistic proficiency groups; (d) to demonstrate preferences of strategies between and within L2 proficiency groups and individuals; and (e) to show the cause of the discrepancy between L2 proficiency levels and translation competence and to reveal the characteristics of the learners’ thinking and lexical strategies when translating L1 into L2. Adopting think-aloud protocol and retrospective interviews as research methods to collect empirical data, all think-aloud protocols and retrospective data were recorded and transcribed in order to single out lexical strategies employed by Chinese learners of English at different proficiency levels. Variations of strategies between and within proficiency groups and individuals were processed statistically and the significance of the use of various lexical strategies was testified by means of referential statistics. By analyzing the data and referring to the theoretical background of the bilingual mental lexicon (De Bot, 1993), language transfer (Odlin, 1989; Ringbom, 1987, 1991, 2001) and communication strategies (Bialystok, 1990; Kasper & Kellerman, 1997; Tarone, 1983), these findings were obtained from the study: (1) A taxonomy of lexical strategies by Chinese learners of English at intermediate level and advanced level was identified; (2) Advanced Chinese learners of English preferred L2-based strategies while intermediate Chinese learners of English chose strategies which were rooted in their native language; (3) There were certain changes in the strategies used within both L1-based and L2-based categories of lexical strategies; (4) The effectiveness of lexical strategies employed by Chinese learners of English depended on the ‘ease of comprehension’ (Littlemore, 2003); (5) Noun-plus-noun compound structure was used more by intermediate Chinese learners, even though advanced learners also applied the strategy to some extent because the Chinese language favors the structure of compounding; and (6) L2 proficiency level did not correspond to translation production competence. L2 proficiency level is not the only factor that determines the translation production quality. The findings of the study make it possible to conclude that Chinese learners of English at different L2 proficiency levels may apply a combination of lexical search strategies, but preferences of lexical strategies exist among individuals and within linguistic proficiency groups. The teaching implications elicited in the study may be helpful for searching words in the learner’s mental lexicon. Thus the teaching of lexical strategies may be worthwhile (Zimmermann, 1999). Although the findings of the study may contribute to a better understanding of L2 acquisition and bilingualism, the scope of this study is, of course, limited, and further research is needed.