Mirroring, reformulation and functional translation. A complementary TEFL model for advanced learners

Abstract

Within a cognitive linguistics perspective, language learning is a mental phenomenon that involves establishing conceptual links between symbols and functions. In view of the nature of language as a set of unique, arbitrary constraints on hearers’ inference, learning a foreign language means learning its particular set of constraints. Using the mother tongue and translating aid language learning, but mirroring (literal translation) alone is not adequate. Both literal and functional translation are needed to facilitate the learners’ conscious efforts to compare, contrast and internalise the L2’s particular constraints and conceptual links in connection with those of L1. Since comparing and contrasting requires a firmly rooted mother tongue conceptual system and a fair amount of knowledge of L2, only advanced learners are suitable candidates for this methodology. As any L2 pedagogy that produces advanced learners still works well, the tripartite translation model that we propose and illustrate here is intended to complement communicative English language teaching methodologies, to fine-tune their accuracy and appropriateness. This model consists of L1 mirroring, L1 reformulation and functional translation back into the L2.