Content and Language Integrated Learning in Teaching Translators for Professional Communication

Abstract

Expanding boarders of the globalized world increase demands in cross-cultural professional communication, which encourages higher school professionals to face the challenge of educating future specialists with bilingual subject-specific competencies that allow them to participate successfully in different spheres of cross-cultural professional communication. A methodological technology of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is a response to this challenge. The objective of the research is to show the prospects of implementing CLIL into the curriculum of the additional education program Translator in the Sphere of Professional Communication. Experimental teaching based on the integration of two academic disciplines Translation Practice from English into Russian and Psychology of Business Communication was carried out in the form of a teaching module conceptualized as self-contained unit of content and techniques. The integrated module Psychology of Conflicts & Translation Practice was designed and introduced into the course Translation Practice from English into Russian within the additional education program Translator in the Sphere of Professional Communication. The authors give a description of the structure of the integrated module illustrating its content with a complex of exercises based on CLIL activities. The structure and content of the module can serve as an algorithm for designing CLIL modules integrating any chosen disciplines. The experimental teaching demonstrates the opportunities of implementing CLIL technology in the form of integrated teaching modules into the system of training translators of professional discourse. The authors conclude that CLIL contributes to acquiring bilingual subject-specific competence by the future translators in the sphere of professional communication.