Technical Term Recall in Translation Training: Can Personality Preferences Explain Why Some Students Skip and Others Guess?

Abstract

The relationship between individual personality differences and terminology retention remains a critical, yet overlooked, factor in translator training. This study investigates whether MBTI preferences correlate with short-term English-Arabic technical term recall. Using a sample of 45 translation students, the research analyzed quiz performance alongside behavioral indicators like item-skipping and handwriting readability. Results indicate that recall success involves a combination of memory and written control, with higher scores strongly correlating with fewer omissions. At the dichotomy level, a distinct pattern emerged: Intuitive students favored partial responses, while Sensing students favored omission. This suggests that personality does not necessarily dictate how much a student remembers, but rather how they respond when retrieval fails. These distinctions offer new avenues for assessment design, suggesting that "blank spaces" on a test may provide specific diagnostic data for personalized training.