Translation as a L2 Teaching and Learning Tool

Third IATIS Regional Workshop, September 2014Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Melita Koletnik Korošec, Mag. phil.University of Maribor, Slovenia

Roadmap

1. Theoretical considerations: translation and FLT

2. The experiment:- preliminary quantitative findings- preliminary qualitative findings

3. Conclusions

Translation and FLTMain approaches• Grammar Translation Method vs. communicatively-oriented approaches

to FL teaching

Exclusion of translation from FLT – main reason• the rejection of GMT by the communicatively-oriented approaches

Other reasons:• ethno-centric• economic• pedagogic• cognitive• practical…

Objections: value-oriented technical

Cook (2010)

• an unnatural, artificial and stilted activity

• de-motivating and frustrating

• only appropriate in the training of future translators

• (translation into L2) purposeless and has no application in the

real world

• is used by language teachers because they have little experience

or knowledge of other teaching methods

Value-oriented objections

• elicits mistakes and promotes interference and (negative) transfer (cross-linguistic

interference)

• forces the learners to view the language through the prism of their mother tongue

• misleads students into thinking that expressions in two languages correspond 1:1

• is not suitable in the initial stages of learning

• is independent and radically different from the four skills which define language

competence – reading, listening, speaking and writing

• does not allow or make easy the achievement of generally accepted foreign language

teaching aims – such as initial fluency in spoken language, the use of situationalised

and contextualised language, and the controlled introduction of communicative

strategies and communicative language use

• is not suitable as a language testing tool

Technical objections

Latest research (and personal observations) suggest…

1. There are very different concepts of what the term “translation” means.

2. Translation is a communicative activity that can enhance the learning of L2.

3. Translation is not a language-learning method in itself and is usually combined with a number of general teaching approaches.

4. 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.

5. Translation can be used as scaffolding in initial L2 learning, and as a complex multi-skill communicative activity at higher levels.

Report of the European Commission on translation and language learning (October 2013) http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/translation-and-language-learning-pbHC0213216/

Do you use translation in your classes?

K. Malmkjaer :Translation and Language Learning, presentation Brussels, 25 Oct 2013

Teaching grammar through translation

• 2 groups, 2 teachers – one taught without resort to translation– the other taught through translation

• 1st year students of English translation

Exploring (1st stage):• the role of translation in the acquisition of the linguistic competence

Ultimate aim (2nd stage):• its influence on the development of translation competence

Experimental study

• exercises implemented as part of homework assignments

a combination of synthetic and authentic materials a combination of on- and off-line activities (Moodle) (limited) on-line feedback

Translation as a tool for language acquistion…

… and its effect on the development of translation competence

TBC: the assessment of students’ translations

- assessment grid- independent

examiners- typical errors

• Oxford Online Placement Test (Test 1)• On-line questionnaire to determine students’

linguistic background (Questionnaire 1)• Grammar Tests (Tests 2-5) Weeks 7/14/21/28• Oxford Online Placement Test (Test 6)• On-line questionnaire to asses the student’s

general opinion (Questionnaire 2)• Group interview (Interview)• Translation test (Translation)

Quantitative and qualitative methodology

• Statistical analyses of Test 1 vs. Test 2 results

• No statistical significance could be established in relation to absolute performance of both groups (p=0.603 i.e. p>0.05)

Quantitative Study - Preliminary Results – Tests 1 & 2 (Yr 1)

Totaln=20

Group An=11

Group Bn=9 t p

M SD M SD M SDTest 1 83.2 13.7 82.1 13.4 84.5 14.8 -0.385 0.705Test 2 76.2 9.0 76.4 8.0 75.8 10.6 0.146 0.886Gain -7.0 13.7 -5.7 16.3 -8.7 10.3 0.603

• Statistical analyses of Test 1 vs. Test 2 results

• No statistical significance could be established in relation to absolute performance of both groups

• Group A seems to have achieved somewhat better results in all relevant exercises, save for Exercise 7, and the results for Exercise 6 are identical

Qualitative Study Preliminary Results – Tests 1 & 2 (Yr 1)

Group An=11

Group Bn=9 t p

M SD M SDExercise 4 9.1 0.9 9.0 1.1 0.3 0.70Exercise 5 7.3 1.8 7.2 1.3 0.1 0.85Exercise 6 7.8 1.1 7.8 1.3 -0.0 0.96Exercise 7 8.3 1.8 8.7 0.8 -0.6 0.53Exercise 8 7.6 1.3 7.1 0.9 0.8 0.40

• Cohen’s d– 0.067 = indicating a non-significant effect.

• Both practices seem to be supportive of the development of linguistic skills of language learners

Preliminary Results – Tests 1 & 2 (Yr 1)

Group interview

Generation 1 (YR 1)• Students enjoy doing translation tasks• In students’ opinion, translation tasks in

FLT do not impede but promote the learning of language

• Students request to introduce (general) translation exercises earlier in their study

Concusions

1. Teachers use translation in FLT already

2. Translation seems to be suportive of language learning

3. Students believe translation beneficial to language learning

4. Students request to introduce translation earlier in their studies

THANK YOU!(melita.koletnik@um.si)