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Translation As an Aid in Teaching English as a Second Language
Abstract The
article analyzes the relationship between translating
and teaching English language and translation to foreign
students at a university where Italian is the lingua
franca.
My
personal experience includes both translating/interpreting
and teaching English language and translation to
Italian and foreign students within a course that
is not specifically intended for translators/interpreters
such as it could be in a professional school for
training would-be translators/interpreters. We could
define translation in our course as "pedagogic"
translation, considering that its purpose is to
teach a language. Curiously, at the university where
I teach, Italian is the lingua franca and
therefore it is either the source (SL) or the target
language (TL) in translations. Teaching English
is closely tied to teaching translation methods.
Translation is a useful tool to learn grammar, syntax,
and lexis in both SL and TL. The final text of a
written translation is a new one, as Lefevere has
underlined; translating is a sort of re-writing.
In this sense, the translated work must "stand on
its own." Since the text has its own identity, it
must respect the rules which govern its language.
When students translate, they unconsciously follow
three steps: analysis, transfer, and restructuring.
Foreign students must continuously compare English
to Italian. My students come from all over the world,
and their language is often written with a different
alphabet. Italian is the bridge between the students'
native languages and English. It is fundamental
for the Iranian, Japanese or Chinese students (just
to quote some nationalities): they understand not
only lexis, but also some specific linguistic constructions
in Italian and then re-create them in English. Although
English is a Germanic language, it belongs to the
same Indo-European family as Italian. Moreover,
due to the historical influence of Latin and French,
English is closer to Italian than to German. Teaching is in Italian. Therefore, I try to point
out the "false friends" and every possible
misunderstanding or pitfall related to Italian.
The teaching method is based on my personal experience
as a translator; no handbook, I believe, can be
more helpful. Intercultural discourse In my courses, translations include literary (prose,
poetry, theatre), journalistic (economics, politics,
current news), technical texts (urbanism, advertising,
tourist guides, international organizations such
as UN, FAO etc.), so students are able to manage
different kinds of special languages. By "special"
I do not mean exclusively technical but specific
to any field. Translation is a two-way device because
a comparison between the two languages--Italian
(L1)/English (L2)--also allows one to introduce
and deal with many subjects. Every text has its
own terminology; even slang and everyday idioms
characterize a text. Comparing texts of different
sources but belonging to the same genre, for example
an article from an Italian political magazine and
an English one about the same topic (i. e. Panorama
↔ Newsweek), students discover not
only a different vocabulary, but also a different
style. Students must keep a glossary, which they continuously
update. Writing down words in a notebook allows
the student to exercise his/her memory. Students
are also taught how to read a dictionary, including
the phonetic alphabet in order to learn the exact
pronunciation. They usually undervalue the resources
provided by a dictionary and often glance at it
superficially. I suggest the use of both bilingual
and monolingual dictionaries. Bilingual ones (even
the best) are often inadequate: sometimes there
are imperfections or they might lead to the wrong
meaning. For the same reason I advise them to check
online dictionaries and investigate on the Internet,
where they can verify the actual and current use
of a word, because English is continuously changing.
As I stated before, I build my teaching on the basis
of my personal experience as a translator. Students learn that English has a larger vocabulary,
and some words that do not exist in Italian must
be explained in order to convey their particular
nuances. Moreover, paying attention to etymology
is another strategy that helps them to memorize
and understand the real meaning of that word in
its context and co-text. Each word in a text belongs
to what is around it on a micro- and macro-level,
and the analysis of each lexical unit allows the
so-called "disambiguation," thus clarifying
the effective meaning of a term within a passage. Practical tools By preparing a CV or a cover letter in English,
students realize that translating is not only a
job, but something that involves their lives, their
everyday experience and is not a mechanical action.
When translating a CV they must keep cultural differences,
as well as differences in educational systems and
job titles in mind. I direct them to websites where
they can find the equivalent degrees (e.g. ISCED
http://www.uis.unesco.org/TEMPLATE/pdf/isced/ISCED_A.pdf,
which is an international document by UNESCO http://www.unesco.org/.../doc/isced_1997.htm,
recently updated in 2005, or specific websites on
Italian Education (http://www.miur.it/guida/Italian_Higher_Education.pdf)
and for European qualifications (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/).
They realize that a degree or a job position cannot
be simply translated. In this case, apart from stating
the name in their language, I suggest that they
should "explain" it in detail. Students
are directed and encouraged at the same time to
search on the Internet: this represents not only
an exercise in localization but also in the use
of the web in English, thus learning terminology
and practicing the English language. And if they
make the decision of working as translators in the
future they will be more familiar with computers
and more skillful when using CAT. The role of grammar By starting from grammar, students can reach higher
level of translation and, vice-versa, by translating
they acquire more competence in the knowledge of
grammatical structures. Translation is cultural
mediation; therefore, also reading English texts
about Italian culture makes them familiar with the
image of Italy such as it is perceived in the Anglo-American
world. A comparison between two cultures allows
the students to familiarize themselves with the
linguistic elements that are unavoidably connected
to their culture. Grammatical rules are the backbone
of a language and cannot be ignored. During translation,
but also working on parallel texts, it is possible
to discover the role played by a grammatical rule
and how it is actually applied. Some students have
special difficulty in identifying the right tenses
and translating them correctly. The discussion of
an entire translated passage or even of one word
in classroom teaches the students that a word usually
does not have just one possible translation. Students
learn that every word assumes a different meaning
according to the context. Translating cannot be separated from interpreting,
even when we speak about a written text. The purpose
of both is to transfer information from the ST to
the TT. Interpreting can serve as a mental exercise
to improve the students' speaking skills, although
they will still need to practice conversation. Although our students do not intend to enter the
translation profession, for them translating helps
relate L1 to L2: a mental process takes place in
their minds on an unconscious level, every time
they speak the other language. Classroom translation exercise As a first approach, it is useful to translate
short sentences in order to be able to build a longer
paragraph and deepen the structure of the single
phrase later on. As pointed out above, grammar is
the basis of learning a language. A word-for-word
back-translation enables the student to highlight
the relationship between the two languages. L1 and
L2 have different structures. In Italian the word
order is free: the subject does not have to be at
the beginning of the sentence like in English, where
word order is fixed. Back-translation involves mainly the syntactical
structure, rather than only the lexical level; it
is a comparison between the patterns of the two
languages where individual lexical units may or
may not match. It is possible to understand the
sentence on a logical level and consequently convey
the meaning in the L2. This exercise entails interpreting
a text and the awareness that losses, gains, compensations,
omissions and shifts often occur in translation.
A short example from common signs in the two languages
allows one to understand the concept more easily:
"Reduce speed now" is "Rallentare"
(Slow down) in Italian. When comparing the words,
we see that in English we have three words while
in Italian only one, which is an infinitive verb
used to express imperative. In English there is
the immediacy not only in the verb but also in the
adverb "now," which in Italian is conveyed
exclusively by the tense. The back-translation is:
"Riduci velocità ora." This translation
is correct on a semantic level, but not on a formal
level. Formal correspondence does not exist, while
textual equivalence does. Of course this is an example
where the translation entails the knowledge of a
culture, I mean a way of life and personal/direct
experience. This method shows how an "oblique"
translation does not compromise the internal meaning.
Besides translation structure, students are forced
to pay attention to other elements that exclusively
belong to the L2. Parallel translation is not always possible, not
only for reasons of grammar, but also for socio-cultural
reasons. A free translation becomes a useful tool
to point out aspects of a culture, and consequently
to master a language. Conclusion: Teaching translation on a non-vocational level
is different from teaching for training professional
translators. However, translation can be a useful
tool and an effective method to learn a language. Notes: References: CATFORD J. C., A Linguistic Theory of Translation, Oxford: OUP, 1965. FAWCETT P., Translation and Linguistics: Linguistic Theories Explained, Manchester: St. Jerome, 1997. LEFEVERE A., Translation, Rewriting, and the Manipulation of Literary Fame, London/New York: Routledge, 1992. NIDA, E., "Science of Translation", Language 43.3: 483-98.
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