Assignment - TETT

TEACHING ENGLISH THROUGH TRANSLATION

Assignment:
FP036 Teaching English through Translation

Students’ names:

Ricardo Rendy Ramírez Muñoz

Group:

fp_tefl_2017-10_unini

May 25th, 2019

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1. What are the most relevant conclusions reached in the report, in your
opinion?

Four are the most relevant conclusions: The first is that translation is not a
language-learning method in itself, it can and is usually combined with a number of
general teaching approaches. Always in University and institutions, you hear that it is
so important do not use translation or L1 when you teach L2 because this interrupts the
comprehension or limited the learning of a new language. This point of view considers
translation as a goal but not as a way and it was implemented with the incursion of the
communicative approach which spokespersons rejected translation and therefore, it
was classified in one approach: Grammar Translation. This conclusion opens the way
to use translation with different approaches to improve the other skills with the objective
to increase the communicative competence.

The second conclusion is: There is no country-level evidence that less use of
translation in the classroom correlates with higher performance in the other language
skills, and there are indications that a number of countries that score highly on L2 tests
use translation frequently in the classroom. This conclusion demonstrates that
translation in the classroom helps to understand and to improve the learning of the
students because it is a focus in comprehension and understanding as an active
process, therefore, it is not considered passive assimilation.

The third conclusion is: Translation can be used as scaffolding in initial L2

learning, and as a complex multi-skill communicative activity at higher levels. In
Colombia translation is considered as a mechanical process where the student
translates word to word or sentence to sentence, therefore it is considered few effective
to the learning process of a second language. This conclusion helps me to understand
that translation has different applications or objectives according to the level of the
student, helps to construct meanings in initial learning and is used as a complex with
different skills in a communicative way.

The fourth conclusion is related to the question: Do translate subtitles enhance

language learning? The answer to this question implied two different relations:
subtitling helps to improve the mastery of foreign languages and subtitling can raise

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awareness and provide motivation for language learning, in both formal and informal
contexts, and consequently contributes to creating an environment that encourages
multilingualism (Plana, Malmkjœr and Pym, 2013, p. 20-21).

The investigations about subtitles have generally found positive effects on

listening comprehension, vocabulary learning, and even spoken production and they
were corroborated in three fields: listening comprehension, vocabulary learning and
spoken production.

2. What is the most unexpected conclusion reached in the report, in your

opinion?

Conclusion: There are very different concepts of what the term ‘translation’ means,
both in research and among teachers.

I do not expect that exist different conceptions about the translation to teachers
and researchers, in general, the more favourable opinion is that translation involves
communication and intercultural competence, among both researchers and teachers,
and the less it is conceptually opposed to language learning. These interpretations
about translation can be addressed such as an approach, an activity or a process. This
last is the most important contribution to the comprehension of translation in learning
and give the arguments to be included in any program of language.

The concept of linguistic competence opens the way to understand language

through the wide communicative and intercultural perspective considering the learning
as a process, where is needed time, experience, learning, acquisition and the
inevitable step to commit errors and mistakes to understand language. Taking in mind
the translation as a process different models were developed such as linguistic
(structural differences between source and target), text linguistic (various use of
language by speakers and writers in particular communicative situation), socio-cultural
(linguistic and cultural differences between source and target), computational (use of
computer and software in translation), psycholinguistic (Translation strategies such as
transposition, modulation, equivalence etc.) and interdisciplinary (cognitive, pragmatic

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and sociolinguistic studies) these models have been developed to understand the
process of translation (Dahlgren and Sitwell, n.d. p. 10-14)

3. If you are not in Europe, do you think the survey in your country would
yield similar results? Why?

I consider that the result will be similar because according to the conclusions are
similar circumstances in the report and my country except that in Colombia official
language is only one.

Following the objectives of the survey we can see that in Colombia translation is
used by teachers in school because contributes to effective learning, therefore, this is
used to increase understanding and comprehension of the second language. But in
official curricula translation, it is not considered.

Translation in Colombia is in general rejected but many teachers use it in the

classroom and they consider that it helps when students do not understand what they
must do, that means, that it is perceived as a part of more general teaching
methodologies. But it is not considering as a methodology itself, therefore, do not
develop exclusive classes where students use translation to communicative
conclusions.

The research that indicates that translation -including ‘mental translation’- can
lead to positive outcomes typically concerns the enhancement of the comprehension
and production of written language, where a form of written fluency may be a criterion
(Plana, Malmkjœr and Pym, 2013) this is similar in Colombian students because
translate a reading give more time to understand what is required to do it and the
students talk about what is the best way to express ideas in other words students
negotiate meaning.

Translation in Colombia official Curricula does not appear, because the

counsellors in the educational field consider that translation does not help in a bilingual
process, this conception in Colombia is strength and is based in a communicative
approach, in fact, in recent years CLIL is predominant in Public school.

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Translation is not a part of curricula but is used for teachers principally as a

scaffolding but not as an oriented activity with communicative purpose, the principal
reason to do this is that we as teachers do not know the different uses of translation in
our work, we have not trained and reduced it to pass of L2 to L1 or vice versa.

4. What conclusions can you draw for your professional development?

The translation is a process that must be developed in the classroom, this is

reinforcing with the fact that translation has a relation with language learning and can
be practiced in a communicative way. Some authors such as Vásquez-Ayora (1977)
quoted by (Dahlgren and Sitwell, n.d. p. 13) lists different cognitive strategies that
increase the comprehension in L2 using translation, these strategies are: transposition,
modulation, equivalence, adaptation, amplification, explicitation, omission and
compensation that can do practice through activities in classroom.

It is necessary training in translation to teachers who pretend to use it in the

classroom. It is necessary known not only the intention of the activities, also the
structure of the classes (individual, pairs, whole class according to the objective of
class in translation) and the different steps to translation proposes by Dahlgren and
Sitwell (n.d. p. 34-36), to my professional development this point is important because
help me to understand how to apply translation in the classroom and determinate the
objectives to develop in a general learning process of the second language.

The first step is Preparatory exercises that involve L2 reading, L1 or L2 writing and L1
or L2 contrasting of ideas in pairs, groups or as a whole class all of them is a focus on
consciousness-raising activities in L2 acquisition.
The second step is Parallel texts that consist of the selection of literary material that will
be translated, the students do it and they compare their translation with an official
translation to check their skill.
The third step is translating to L2-L1 the activities are a focus on the use of linguistic
expressions in L2 in comparison with L1.
The fourth step is translating to L1-L2 this serves to check the use of structures,
grammar rules and the use of vocabulary, the use of cultural elements or the context to
complete the tasks of translation.

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The notion of crosslingua and intralingua (stern, 1992) is useful to understand

the role of L1 in the learning of a second language. The fundamental opposing
characteristics of the crosslingual and intralingual dimension in LT/L can be
summarized as follows (Stern, 1992:279)

According to this chart, crosslingual strategies are based on the assumption that
the L2 is acquired and known through the L1 this process is called as compound
bilingualism. In this model of translation, the techniques involve comparing the two
phonological, lexical, and grammatical systems and help learners to build up the new
L2 reference system by making a gradual and deliberate transition from L1 to L2
(Stern, 1992) quoted by Madrid and Garcia (2001, p.105)

On the other hand, Intralingual techniques aim to establish a new independent

language system created with its internal links, without the support of the L1 system.
This process is called Co-ordinate bilingualism, for this reason, the techniques in the L2
class demand the constant creation or simulation of an L2 environment as a CLIL do it.

The conclusion in this point is taking the better of crosslingual and intralingual
techniques because both respond to different characteristics or phases of the learning
process, that is useful to know in my professional development.

Another aspect of my professional development is to consider the multiple

advantages of translation (Stern, 1992) quoted by (Dahlgren and Sitwell, n.d. p. 30)
among them are:

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-checking on accuracy: To do this teacher can use grammar questions, controlled

and free use of the item. This more focuses on the product that process, but it
serves to identify the difficulties of the student in specific topics.
-awareness of contents and form teacher can assess the awareness about
structures, grammar and vocabulary and the interpretation of the translation do it for
the students because translation can take a different form.
-cognitive and psychological reasons: Translation is a mean of confirming or
refuting the hypothesis that the students may have formed about the TL. This
process helps the student to identify the changes, the cultural background and the
context.

These advantages prepare me as a teacher in the way to assess the knowledge

of my students when developing a translation activity in an integrative perspective that
consider the knowledge of the other four skills.

Takimoto and Hashimoto (2010) quoted by (Plana, Malmkjœr and Pym, 2013)
report on Japanese-English translation classes with ten students, where interpreting
and translation activities ‘encourage learners’ “intercultural exploration” [and]
intercultural language learning’. The same authors (2011) find that the effects of
interpreting and translation activities include ‘relevance to real-life and constant
interaction, which directly contributes to promoting students’ learning’. These
conclusions are so important in a globalized world because the cultural exchange, the
communication around the world through the internet, the interaction with other cultures
and know more about the world encourage students to learn and motivate to compare
different cultures, traditions or costumes.

Here in Colombia exits clubs with native people to improve our English and to
know about the culture of other countries, these experience can be taken to present in
classroom with the objective to encourage student to translate information to know
about the places that they are interested in or promote to visit these clubs, moreover,
the use of other tools such as internet, apps, etc. generate other spaces of learning
where student must be preparing to translate or interpretive a message and where the
teacher can leverage to increase the language learning of their students.

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Finally, in my professional development is so important know the role of

translation in the learning process and how to use it, the notion that is crucial to
understand this conclusion is considered it as scaffolding at initial levels of learning
and a complex activity at higher levels, where it is communicative, interactional and
can involve a variety of media (Plana, Malmkjœr and Pym, 2013). This point of view
opens the way to understand better the use of translation in the classroom and the
adaptation of this in the different activities.

References

Dahlgren, M. and Sitwell, J. (n.d) Translating or translation? Teaching English

through translation (pp. 9-19). Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana.

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Madrid, D. and García Sánchez, E. (2001) Content-based Second Language

Teaching, in E. García Sánchez (ed.): Present and Future Trends in TEFL, 101-134.
Universidad de Almería: Secretariado de publicaciones. Retrieved from:
http://www.ugr.es/~dmadrid/Publicaciones/Content%20Based%20L2%20teaching-
CLIL.pdf

Plana, M., Malmkjœr, K. and Pym, A. (2013) Studies on translation and

multilingualism. Translation and language learning: The role of translation in the
teaching of languages in the European Union. European Union.