c. Writing is different for everyone—it varies from one person to the next. This is because people are different, their thinking processes and learning styles vary. A person writes to fit his or her personality and thinking style.

       11. A good translator must be aware of the importance of cognitive information processing of texts so that they can be accurately understood, processed and transformed by their cognitive system.

       12. Based on the researcher's experience as a translator, on her discussions with other translators, and on this research, the researcher strongly feels that the above writing processes and the three features of writing put forward by Smith-Worthington and Jefferson (2005) can be extended to the process of translation. Here too we see a close parallelism between writing and translating because they share similar features and approaches.

       b. The Process of Translation

       A competent translator must be aware of the process of translation to make effective knowledge transfer from one language to another possible. From the feedback obtained from the five participants who took part in the think-aloud protocols and interviews, the researcher discovered that the main direct and indirect strategies proposed by Oxford (1990) were used by them while translating. These strategies are shown in Table 1 on the next page. From the TAPs analysis using the inductive method, the researcher matched her analysis of the TAPs transcriptions to Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and found three additional strategies used by the participants which were not present in Oxford's SILL. The new findings comprise one metacognitive and two cognitive strategies. The three new strategies comprise the following:

       1. Stating one's own beliefs on how to translate and giving the reasons supporting them (metacognitive strategy).

       From this research, it was apparent that the participants had their own mindset or schema about how to go about translating. They verbalized aloud this preconception or design of the expected completed version or virtual blueprint of their translated product. While translating they reminded themselves that they should abide by these beliefs which were arrived at from past experience and translation training. Some examples include:

       a. "Now that I know the meaning in my head, I shall translate it using my own words in Malay so that the original meaning is not lost. I do not believe in and do not practice word-for-word translation. I prefer understanding first before translating," and

       b. "I don't translate word-for-word. Being a Malay, I have language intuitiveness and upon further reading, I always refine my translated work."

Table 1

       OXFORD'S STRATEGY INVENTORY FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING (SILL)

       DIRECT STRATEGIES

       1. Memory Strategies

       a. Creating mental linkages

       (e.g. grouping, associating, elaborating)

       b. Applying images and sounds

       (e.g. using imagery, semantic mapping)

       c. Reviewing thoroughly (structured reviewing)

       d. Employing action

       (e.g. using physical response or sensation)

       2. Cognitive Strategies

       a. Practicing (repeating, formally practicing with sounds and writing systems, recognising and using formulas and patterns, recombining and practicing naturalistically.

       b. Receiving and sending messages

       (getting the idea quickly, using resources for receiving and sending messages.)

       c. Analysing and reasoning (reasoning deductively, analysing expressions, analysing contrastively (across languages), translating, transferring)

       d. Creating structure for input and output (taking notes, summarising, highlighting)

&nb

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