Defining and Developing Translation Competence for Didactic Purposes

This chapter provides an outline of the main issues concerning the conceptualisation and modelling of Translation Competence (TC) and proposes the adoption of a product-based definition for didactic purposes. Such definition is based on an empirical longitudinal product-oriented study on TC aiming to identify possible textual features and conventions that can be related to the translator's level of competence. The preliminary results from this longitudinal study presented in this chapter appear to suggest the existence of a possible relation between specific textual and procedural patterns and the participants' translation experience. Such patterns could provide translator trainers and trainees with a set of pragmatic indications for the definition and achievement of specific learning goals and could potentially serve as predictive developmental hypotheses in translator training.

The Role of Translation in Language Teaching

With the development of approaches and methods in Modern Language teaching that favoured oral communication skills and advocated more “natural” methods of second/foreign language acquisition, methodology calling for translation in the classroom was shunned. Nonetheless, translation used as a resource designed to assist the student in improving his or her knowledge of the foreign language through reading comprehension exercises, contrastive analysis, and reflection on written texts continues to be practiced. By examining student performance in problem-solving tasks at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, this chapter aims to demonstrate the validity of “pedagogical translation” in ELT in Mexico, particularly at undergraduate level where it is an integral part of English reading courses in Humanities study programmes, not as an end in itself, but as a means to perfecting reading skills in a foreign language and furthermore as an aid for consolidating writing and communication skills in the student's first language.

Competition and Collaboration in Translation Education

This chapter discusses the results of a pilot study that explored the use of contests in translation pedagogy, proposing methods for designing classroom and extracurricular contests. Three translation contests (two in-class and one extracurricular) were conducted for undergraduate students at United Arab Emirates University. Student questionnaires were used to examine the potential role of contests in translator education and, in particular, the positive and negative effects of competition on students' motivation. The use of group work was also examined as a method of minimizing the potential negative effects of competition, as described in the literature. The study indicates that contests can be useful in stimulating student motivation, especially on the basic levels of education. On the other hand, it is suggested that, while group work is seen as effective and desirable by most students, there are caveats to be considered when planning and implementing this type of activity.

A Corpus-Based Comparison of Self-Reflection Modalities in Process-Oriented Translator Training

In recent years, process-oriented translator training has gained popularity among trainers and trainees alike, thanks to new, user-friendly pedagogical tools geared towards fostering cognizance of problems and problem-solving. This chapter reports on a corpus-based exploratory study that set out to document variation in student problem-solving discourse when utilizing Integrated Problem and Decision Reporting logs and screen recordings as self-reflection tools. Variation was observed between the two self-reflection modalities, particularly in the domains of the textual level and locus (comprehension, transfer, or production) of problem solving. The discourse generated by students when using screen recording for self-reflection is suggestive of a multi-layered, granular approach, which may, in part, shed light on why screen-recording analysis has proven to be particularly efficacious for the purposes of error detection and mitigation.

An Empirical Study of Students' Views on Theoretical Subjects

Translator and interpreter study programmes are characterised by their practice-oriented nature; in fact, students seem to have a somewhat reticent attitude towards Translation Theory in part due to their perception of the respective modules as less important because they are relegated to a subsidiary position within the course programme. The authors have carried out a research project aimed at investigating the views of students regarding the subject of Translation Theory. The main objective of this project is to identify areas of improvement in the design and teaching methodology in order to provide more dynamic teaching and reinforce the links between the theoretical and practical dimensions of the discipline. The results obtained in this study provide new and unexpected insights into students' conception of translation and translation theory and into the teaching improvements required to make this subject more interesting and valuable in the education and training of translators-to-be.

Psychology of Translation

The process of translation is treated as a sequence of three principal stages (pre-translation source text analysis, translation itself, self-assessment/editing). The chapter is aimed at proving that the first and the third stages of the translation process are based on critical thinking, while the second stage (translation itself) rests upon creative thinking. Therefore, teaching critical thinking must be a necessary part of translator professional training, because it is not only important as such, but also leads students to acquisition of mature creative thinking, which is crucial for translation problem-solving. In this chapter, the problem of training translation quality assessment is analyzed, the difference between critical and creative thinking is discussed, and psychological mechanisms of their functioning in translation are treated as a cognitive process; the role of critical thinking in raising translators' awarenesses and, consequently, translation quality is stressed.

Translator Intercultural Competence

This chapter proposes possible answers to the questions of what translator intercultural competence is and how it can be developed. Namely, an eight-factor model of the competence is proposed, associated learning objectives and developmental level indicators are introduced, and a ten-session pedagogical sequence aimed at student translators' intercultural competence development is suggested. The solutions presented cannot be considered as definitive but are based on both theoretical and empirical data.

Team-Based Learning in Introductory Translation Courses

This chapter explores the implementation of a teaching and learning strategy that lends itself propitiously to social constructivist-oriented introductory translation courses. Team-based learning, a methodology developed by Michaelsen, Knight, and Fink (2004) that purports to foster accountability, cohesion, and solidarity among fixed work teams proved itself to be ideally suited to the undergraduate translation studies environment according to the results of a survey-driven assessment tool. Students revealed their perceptions of the effectiveness of learning teams – teams that were assessed in general for a specific course's course components and learning outcomes as well as in relation to the core make-up of the learning teams themselves. The chapter describes a variety of empowerment-building assignments as well as discusses the implementation of team-based learning in this context. Finally, the degree to which the methodology contributed to students' perceptions of their learning experience is examined.

Translation Competence

After Kiraly (2000) introduced the collaborative form of translation in classrooms, Pavlovic (2007), Kenny (2008), and Huertas Barros (2011) provided empirical evidence that testifies to the impact of collaborative learning. This chapter sets out to describe the collaborative forms of learning at different stages in the translation processes in the Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Project, a long-term cross-cultural virtual team. It describes the forms of collaborative learning practised in this multilateral international project in technical communication and translator training programmes and explores the empirical data that the project may provide for future research into learning translation.

Discourse Analysis in Translation Courses

One of the primary functions of a translator is to mediate not only between languages but also between cultures. As ideology is one of the crucial cultural constraints, it is essential to teach students that selection of translation strategy is always either implicitly or explicitly affected by the translator's ideology. Thus, the main aim of this chapter is to illustrate the importance of introducing critical discourse analysis as a powerful tool for ideological analysis in the translation classroom. By understanding how social relations of power are exercised and negotiated in and through discourses, future translators will be able to better operate on different levels during text (re)production and translation of a message. The authors outline the course in which the students were first presented advertising slogans in English, which were later analyzed in the classroom.