The Phenomenon of Bilingualism and Interference in translations between Catalan and Spanish

Abstract

The study is due to the intensive functioning of the Catalan and Spanish languages in Catalonia, where bilingualism represents not only a socio-cultural reality but also a key factor in the development of linguistic and translation competence. The investigation of code-switching and interference is significiant for both translation studies and cognitive linguistics, as it helps to elucidate the mechanisms through which bilingualism influences translation quality.

The aim of the article is to identify the specific features of bilingualism, code-switching, and interference in translations between Catalan and Spanish, and to determine the factors that condition translation quality.

The study applies comparative analysis of translations, a cognitive approach to bilingual processes and elements of sociolinguistic description.

The results indicate that the translations from Catalan into Spanish were higher quality than those in the opposite direction, due to a more consistent level of education in Spanish. The most common mistakes were grammatical shifts, spelling inaccuracies, and lexical calques. Older participants tended to rely on literal translation and interference-induced mistakes, while younger bilinguals demonstrated higher literacy and stylistic flexibility. It was further revealed that even minimal translation experience reduces the frequency of errors and enhances the naturalness of the text.

It is concluded that bilingualism alone does not provide high quality translation. The crucial factors included the level of formal language education, the presence of translation experience and the ability to control interference.