Translation in SL teaching and learning - Case Study

《外语教学中的翻译活动及其对教学法意识的要求》

 

C.P. Sobelman (苏张之丙)

Columbia University

 

This is a Case Study Report based on courses where ‘translation’ is applied as a pedagogical tool to enhance the teaching and learning of Chinese language. The main theme of this paper is to:

 

1.      To examine the role of translation as a language teaching methodology for learners in the TCFL classroom, and,

2.      To study course management factors that facilitate the practical application of translation in its new and revised role.

 

Here, “translation” is not the goal of learning, but a means to the goal – the learning of a foreign language. It is as advocated by B. Murphy that it is not teaching translation, but teaching through translation, or as stated by A. Duff that the practice is using translation to learn, rather than learning translation.

 

It has been a revived thinking recently among foreign language teachers in general, and, in Chinese language teaching and learning in particular that there is a need to revitalize  'translation' as an effective and essential task in FLT&L and to reestablish it as an essential part of FLT&L in par with listening, speaking, reading and writing.

 

Through theoretical verification and practical application, we are confident that 'translation' is a dynamic and energy-infused approach to FLT&L. We would like to present our findings to our colleagues in FL from either or both theoretical and practical aspects of it.