Bridging Languages in Agriculture and Forestry Translation Studies Academic Courses

Abstract

The growing demand for professional translation in translators’ training in universities requires a safe teaching model needed for a development of a successful professional translation course. Therefore educational institutions must accommodate a number of changes that would enable building student- and teacher-friendly learning environment crucial for an advanced translation academic course. The present paper discusses three domains where these changes are of critical importance: lexicon, thesaurus and pragmatics. The units of verbal level are separate words. For example: balance, birchbark, log. Ideas, concepts and notions are units of the thesaurus level. For example, the term cross-cutting is associated with a number of other notions as felling, assortment, sawcutetc. Pragmatic level requires a wide knowledge of the national and cultural peculiarities of communication. Methodological base of the research is language personality theory, as well as personal teaching and learning experience in translation study of texts in Agriculture and Forestry. The authors examine each of these domains and offer a range of recommendations for institutions developing a model of building professional competence in a foreign language, English in particular. Differences in learners’ languages and home cultures are taken into account and ways to respond to them in terms of teaching techniques are produced.