THE INFLUENCE OF TRANSLATOR'S PERSONALITY TYPE ON THE TRANSLATION PRODUCT IN A STRESSFUL SITUATION

ВЛИЯНИЕ ТИПА ЛИЧНОСТИ ПЕРЕВОДЧИКА НА ПРОДУКТ ПЕРЕВОДА В СТРЕССОВОЙ СИТУАЦИИ

Крупская Валентина Олеговна

студент, кафедрa теории и практики перевода, Карагандинский университет имени академика Е. А. Букетова,

Казахстан, Караганда

ABSTRACT

Translation performance in situations of pressure may not just rely on linguistic ability, but also on psychological factors, including personality, as conceptualized by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Past research provides conflicting evidence regarding whether introverted or extraverted personalities, among other characteristics, have a substantial impact on translation performance. Some studies establish correlations between some personalities and better accuracy or adaptation in style, whereas other studies posit that linguistic skill is determinative. In this work, we seek to resolve such contradictions by examining the role of MBTI personalities on translation performance under pressure.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Эффективность перевода в условиях давления может зависеть не только от языковых навыков, но и от психологических факторов, включая личностные особенности, описанные в индикаторе типов личности Майерс-Бриггс (MBTI). Ранее проведённые исследования дают противоречивые данные о том, оказывают ли такие характеристики, как интроверсия и экстраверсия, значительное влияние на переводческую деятельность. Некоторые работы выявляют связь между определёнными типами личности и более высокой точностью или адаптацией к стилю, в то время как другие утверждают, что определяющим фактором всё же является языковая компетенция. Настоящее исследование направлено на разрешение этих противоречий путём изучения влияния типов личности MBTI на продуктивность переводчика в стрессовых условиях.

Keywords: MBTI personality types; translation quality; high-pressure translation; translator performance; stress in translation; cognitive traits; thinking vs. feeling; introversion vs. extraversion; translation evaluation.

Ключевые слова: типы личности MBTI; качество перевода; перевод в условиях высокого давления; производительность труда переводчика; стресс при переводе; когнитивные черты; мышление против чувств; интроверсия против экстраверсии; оценка перевода.

Introduction

In high-pressure translation environments, linguistic skills alone may not guarantee high quality. A translator’s personality traits, as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), can significantly affect performance. The MBTI categorizes individuals into 16 types based on four dichotomies—extraversion–introversion, sensing–intuition, thinking–feeling, and judging–perceiving—each influencing cognitive and emotional responses to stress. Stressful conditions such as tight deadlines, complex texts, or limited resources test a translator’s resilience and adaptability.

A high-quality “translation product” must retain meaning, tone, and cultural nuance while conforming to target language standards. Hubscher-Davidson (2013) emphasizes that psychological adaptability is just as crucial as linguistic expertise. For instance, “Judging” types may thrive in structured settings, while “Perceiving” types may struggle under rigid constraints.

Studies on introversion and extraversion show mixed results. Sadeghi and Dastjerdi (2015) found that extroverts prioritize speed, often at the expense of accuracy, while introverts maintain closer fidelity to the source. However, Raees Yazdi and Bagheri Masoudzade (2023) found no significant differences in political and journalistic translations. Similarly, Poor (2015) concluded that personality has little impact on literary translation quality, suggesting that skills and experience matter more.

Other research focuses on revision strategies. Lehka-Paul (2018) found that “Thinking” types revise systematically, while “Feeling” types adapt to context. Pourgharib and Dehbandi (2013) also noted that analytical individuals produce better narrative translations.

In summary, while some evidence links personality traits to translation outcomes, findings remain inconclusive. This study explores how MBTI types perform under stress, aiming to identify which traits contribute to high translation quality in demanding conditions.

The focus group consists of 9 participants with the following characteristics: Language proficiency: All participants have a B2 level of proficiency in the target language. Biography: The participants are transfer students with sufficient competence to participate in the experiment. Demographic characteristics: The group consists of 4 males and 5 females.

Participants are to translate two different texts: Narrative text: A short story designed to test creative and adaptive translation skills. Technical text: A specialized document to assess terminological accuracy and structural correctness.

The texts were prepared on the basis of normative calculations specified in Order No. 331 of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan (dated August 26, 2024). According to these norms, texts of level II complexity require 50 minutes of translation time per 1 printed page (2000 characters). For this experiment, each text is reduced to 1000 characters, which gives participants 25 minutes to complete the task. Two different texts on different topics will be used to put the translators under stressful situations. The translators will work on each text under strict time constraints. Participants perform under controlled stress-inducing conditions: No preparatory analysis time. No access to resources such as dictionaries or glossaries.

Each translation is evaluated using the GOST R EN 15038-2014 standard. The criteria, with a total possible score of 100 points per task, are as follows:

Table 1.

Evaluation Criteria

The participants in this study were categorized based on their MBTI personality types. The group consisted of the following types: ISTJ (2 participants), ISFP, ISTP, INFP (2 participants), ENTP, INTJ, and ENFJ. Participants, categorized by their MBTI personality types, completed two translation tasks under controlled high-pressure scenarios.

Narrative text evaluation scores shows that the ISTJ students performed well, scoring 90 and 85 points, mostly due to the use of terminology and adherence to syntax. Similarly, the participants ISFJ and ENTP also showed a high level of proficiency, especially in terms of terminology and vocabulary scoring 85 points.  INFP and ENFJ also performed well, scoring 82 and 84, but their success lay in adherence to stylistics and relevance to the audience. On the other hand, INTJ and ISTP scored lower at 69 and 75, showing the distribution of scores on the terminology and vocabulary assessment items to a greater extent.

Technical text evaluation scores shows that when evaluating technical text, the ISTJ participants again excelled with scores of 87 and 85, however high scores were achieved for syntax adherence and use of terminology. They were followed by the ISFJ and ENTP participants with a total score of 83 and 85, showing high scores in the criteria of syntax and use of terminology. In contrast, INFP participants had difficulty with respect to adherence to terminology, scoring 82 and 83 respectively, with high scores for adherence to style and relevance to the target audience. Participants ENFJ and ISTP scored the number of points 78 and 73, while participant INTJ demonstrated a score of 68.

To summarize, these results contribute to the growing body of research recognizing the influence of individual psychological characteristics on translation processes and outcomes. They suggest that translation performance is not only dependent on linguistic skills, but is also deeply intertwined with the translator's cognitive and emotional dispositions. This emphasizes the importance of taking individual differences into account when training translators and setting tasks, especially when working with texts of different genres and in stressful environments.

Future research should explore larger samples and alternative personality assessment models to confirm these findings. In addition, the study focused on two types of texts under controlled stress. If the scope of the study is expanded to include other genres of texts and different levels of stress, a more complete picture of the relationship between personality and translation quality could be obtained.

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