Exploring the Interplay Between Students’ Translation Proficiency and Critical Thinking Skills: a Linguistic Landscape Perspective

Numerous studies on Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) have demonstrated their significant relationship with various subjects, including language skills and components. However, there is a notable gap in research exploring whether CTS directly influences translation proficiency, particularly in the context of EFL students in Indonesia. This study addresses this gap by investigating whether proficient translators exhibit strong critical thinking skills. Using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, the study examined the relationship between translation and CTS scores. The participants comprised 79 EFL students from a public university in Indonesia who completed two assessments: a translation task involving a news text and a Critical Thinking test adapted from International Critical Reading and Writing by Paul and Elder (2006). The correlation analysis yielded a coefficient of 0.270, indicating a significant positive relationship between translation skills and CTS. Consequently, the null hypothesis was rejected. The findings suggest that effective translators are also strong critical thinkers, emphasizing the need to integrate CTS into translation training and EFL teaching methodologies.