Cross-curricular Training of Specialized Translators: an Interdisciplinary Didactic Experience in Economic and Technical Translation

Abstract

The recent changes in the translation market call for a review of the teaching and learning methods used to train new professionals. The rigid traditional division of specialized translation into fields of knowledge does not correspond to market needs, which often involve working with texts that combine content from different disciplines. In this paper, we present an interdisciplinary didactic experience carried out during two consecutive academic years in which students and teachers of two specialized translation modules cooperated in an economic and technical translation project. Specifically, a research article on economic growth and human capital that combined economic content with statistical analysis methods was chosen as the source text. The design of the project required considering the competencies and learning outcomes planned for each module in order to enhance the establishment of connections between specialties. In addition, it was necessary to consider a variety of aspects related to the planning and development of the different project phases, because not all students were enrolled in both modules. For evaluation, a rubric was constructed with five criteria that were adjusted to the requirements of specialized translation and the translated genre. For each criterion, five levels of achievement were defined, four associated with the levels of evaluation of research articles, and a fifth one aimed at rewarding excellence. Both the academic results of students and their evaluation of the learning experience suggest that the method used could be a good option for meeting their interdisciplinary training needs and enhancing their motivation and involvement in learning. For the above reasons, the relevance of including modules based on the development of cross-curricular translation projects in future translation and interpreting curricula should be assessed.