Attitudes towards English as an Academic Lingua Franca in Translation

Abstract

While the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been extensively researched in applied linguistics, the issue has so far received relatively little attention in translation studies and translator training, although the translation of specialized texts often involves an encounter with ELF in a variety of contexts, ranging from business to academic settings. For pedagogical purposes, understanding how trainee translators perceive the role of ELF in academic settings can be particularly useful. This paper examines trainee translators’ attitudes towards academic ELF, comparing them with those of scholars from various disciplines who have extensive experience with reading and writing academic texts. Qualitative data on the attitudes of trainee translators and scholars were collected in a study involving 9 trainee translators and 9 scholars who participated in semi-structured interviews. Further quantitative data on trainee translators’ attitudes were obtained through questionnaires distributed to a group of 75 trainee translators. The results reveal that the views of trainee translators and scholars diverge on several issues, which provides a basis for identifying potential problem areas to be addressed in scientific translation courses.