Teleworking and collaborative work environments in translation training

Abstract

The professional translation work is highly influenced by new communication opportunities, reason why teleworking must occupy its rightful place in translator training at tertiary level. In addition, the ideal translation process should be divided into different stages (as already occurs in major translation agencies), each task being assigned to a different team member with a different role. This paper presents the results of a research study on translation students’ disposition towards and level of satisfaction with the use of a collaborative work environment. We propose a “Professional Approach to Translator Training”, our didactic model combines elements of roleplay, team-based task learning, simulation and case study in an innovative e-learning environment that functions via a collaborative platform (BSCW). Questionnaires were designed and used as evaluation tools before and after the experience of working in a collaborative environment. The aim of these evaluation tools was to measure students’ knowledge of the following skills: computing, tele- and teamwork, and translation tasks. The internal global consistency was adequate (Cronbach’s alpha in the pre-course questionnaire is 0.902 and the value for the post-course questionnaire is 0.802). Results show that collaborative work environments make the learning process easier, maintain students’ pre-existing positive disposition towards teamwork, and improve students’ self-confidence with regard to computers and translation tasks. The data obtained from this study suggest that using a collaborative work platform in translation course is beneficial, enabling students to gain confidence and feel satisfied with their work.