This document is a research proposal for translating an English article on assessing global exposure and vulnerability to natural hazards into Spanish. The proposal outlines the rationale, objectives, relevance, literature review on translation techniques, proposed translation method, self-evaluation criteria, and timeline. Specifically, the proposal aims to make risk information on natural disasters more accessible to Spanish-speaking researchers through a translated article, with the goal of helping further studies and disaster prevention efforts.

1. RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Translation
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMME
Cynthia Karina Barrera Góngora
English-Spanish translation of the article
“Assessing global exposure and
vulnerability towards natural hazards: the
Disaster Risk Index”

2. Abstract
• The aim of this translation is to provide important
information about the risk of the geohazards that
could help in the investigation of natural disasters.
The translation of the article “Assessing global
exposure and vulnerability towards natural hazards:
the Disaster Risk Index” could be a better help for
those researchers who want to know more the
disaster risk but cannot get the specific information
because the article is in English. The objective is that
with this Spanish version I will help the field of
Geology.

3. Background
• Throughout the human history, men have had the
need to communicate and understand the others.
We, as human beings, have had to find ways to
understand other languages and be able to transmit
that knowledge, but, what happened to those who do
not know the language? Then, it is when humans
have had to resort to other ways, such as: a
translation/translator. An amazing and difficult job
that has helped many other people around the world
to understand a text and that can be reach
worldwide without ever leaving your home.

4. Rationale
• In this project, the text translated from English to
Spanish is the article Assessing global exposure and
vulnerability towards natural hazards: the Disaster
Risk Index. This article can help a lot of people who
are doing research on the risk of natural disasters.
Also, it is a very important article to be translated
for those who are doing a research for the thesis of
the P.H.D in Geography at the University of
Quintana Roo. With this project, now many students
will have the access of updated charts of
classification of natural disasters and their risk.

5. Objectives
• In addition to that, the main objective of translating
this article is that this might help further studies or
research about the geohazards. This is not just a text
in which people are just going to do an essay or a
thesis, but this can really help to prevent the natural
disasters because now you can be aware of the risk
and in which places the risk of geohazards are more
likely to happened.
• That is the main reason why this project is done and
why I think it is a very important text to translate.

6. Relevance of the Research Project
• The main objective to this translation is to translate
an article that is useful for those who are concerned
about de geohazards and wants to study further
about the topic. This article was given to me by a
professor from the Geography Department at the
University of Quintana Roo that is really interested
in reading it in Spanish for her thesis for her P.H.D.
This is a big motivation for me to do a good job
because I know that is going to be read by someone
who really wants to read it. Furthermore, it is going
to be a great help for the teacher.

7. Literature Review
• The process of translation requires some
techniques that Richard finks (1997) defines it as
the level of translation, those are:
• - Word-for-word translation
• - Literal translation
• - The free translation

8. • The most common techniques are proposed by
Jean-Paul Vinay and Jean Darbelnet (1958) in
the Chapter 6: A Methodology for Translation.
There are seven procedures presented:
• Borrowing:
• Calque:
• Literal translation
• Transposition:
• Modulation
• Equivalence:
• Adaptation

9. Method
• According to Morry Sofer (The Translator’s
handbook, 2006) he says in the chapter of the
requisites for professional translators that one of the
most important points to take into account is to be a
flexible translator. This means that, a translator
have to be open to try in other fields than just the
one he is in. He also acknowledges that the
translators have to acquire a lot of vocabulary in
many technical fields in order to translate those
texts perfectly. Also, he says that a good translator
have to be able to acquire reference sources, which
means that, a translator have to be willing to use the
different tools in order to give a high quality
translation.

10. • At the end of this translation project there will
be an analysis in which with the use of the
passage of Morry Sofer (Translator SelfTraining- Spanish: A practical course in
technical Translation, 2005) will be a great help.
He uses a guide of self evaluation which
contains:

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Omissions
Format
Mistranslations
Unknown words
Meaning
Spelling
Grammar
Punctuation
Clarity
Consistency
“Sound-alike” words
Style

12. Timetable
Steps
Approval
First
Draft
Second
draft
Third
Draft
Fourth
Draft
Analysis
Janua
ry
Febru
ary
March April
May
X
X
X
X
X
X
X