Teaching Translation Techniques in a University Setting: Problems and Solutions

Abstract

Translation is an activity of mediating meaning from a source language into a target language. The ability to choose the correct translation technique is an indispensable skill to translators; therefore it is essential for translation students to be aware of why a particular technique is used. Past literatures in translation studies have shown that although much has been written about the translation process and product, there is very little research done on class dynamics in a translation classroom (Gonzales Davis 2004). This research focuses on the teaching of translation techniques in a translation classroom from the cooperative learning perspective. Preliminary observations discovered that students tend to use the wrong translation techniques when translating from English into Malay. As an intervention, a methodology that is called ‘Cooperative Work Procedure’ (Gerding-Salas, 2000) is adopted in the teaching of translation in a basic translation course offered by the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The ‘Cooperative Work Procedure’ promotes positive team work from students and it consists of workshop activities that help translation students to acquire appropriate translation techniques when translating a variety type of texts.