An embodied cognition perspective on translation education: philosophy and pedagogy

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe embodied cognition paradigm of cognitive science underlies the embodied approach to cognitive translation studies. It also sheds new light on translation education by offering an embodied account for the cognitive trajectory of skill acquisition and translation expertise, which becomes a theoretical support for the embodied cognitive view of translation education. The embodied cognitive view of education, highlighting the significance of the experiential history of the translator’s deliberate, collaborative and reflective practice, entails the cognitive-process-oriented, constructivist pedagogy on the basis of the cognitive and social-constructivist views of learning and the holistic educational philosophy. Having expounded the philosophy and pedagogy, and applying them into teaching design, this paper puts forward a teaching methodology, which puts emphasis on the learner’s cognitive development in the process of participation, reflection, transformation, and creation in an organic instructional system seamlessly connecting instruction, internship, and seminars. The instruction system provides knowledge-rich environments for the coherent process of the learner’s cognitive development and is effective in helping learners accumulate translation knowledge and experience, and develop professional ability. It is hoped that the embodied cognitive view of philosophy and pedagogy would provide inspiration not only for furthering research on translation education but also for planning more effective teaching methods.