The analysis of translated texts and investigations into the cognitive mechanisms involved in the process of translation have been at the core of translation studies so far. Yet Personality Matters ventures into the previously uncharted territories by bringing the translator’s inherent psychological and cognitive features into the limelight. Combining psychology and translation studies, this monograph looks into the role of the translator’s psychological features in self-revision, the main decision-making activity in translation. This groundbreaking study succeeds in laying bare certain traits in the translator’s personality that distinguish him or her from non-translators, and shows that the translator’s personality matters in the process of translation, making it an individual journey of trial and error for each translator. The book is of particular topical importance within the burgeoning field of translation studies, for while translation may be ubiquitous in the modern globalized world, the person behind it very often remains unnoticed.

The analysis of translated texts and investigations into the cognitive mechanisms involved in the process of translation are burgeoning areas of research in translation studies. Personality Matters ventures into a previously uncharted territory in its exploration of the psychological and cognitive characteristics of a translator. Combining psychology and translation process research, this groundbreaking study identifies personality traits that distinguish translators from non-translators, and shows that the translator’s personality matters in translation, especially in the process of self-revision. The individual translator thus stands central in Personality Matters – making this book a topical contribution to translation studies as it continues to evolve in taking account of the people behind the ubiquity of translation in the modern globalized world.

Olha Lehka-Paul is assistant professor in the Faculty of English, Department of Psycholinguistic Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.

Unique interaction between personality traits and translation process