The Application of Mobile Devices in the Translation Classroom

Abstract

While the presence of mobile electronic devices in the classroom has posed real challenges to instructors, a growing number of teachers believe they should seize the chance to improve the quality of instruction. The advent of new mobile technologies (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.) in the translation classroom has opened up new opportunities for translator trainers to facilitate the process of translator education. The present paper investigates the use of mobile devices in the classroom particularly for translation pedagogy. A focus group interview of translation instructors with experience in using mobile tools in their translation classes was followed by a survey sent to a group of English Persian translation instructors of which 26 people filled out the questionnaire completely. The participants of the study provided both qualitative and quantitative data regarding the application of mobile devices in their translation classes. The results showed that the majority of teachers encouraged their advanced level students to use mobile tools for doing classroom assignments followed by note-taking, using terminology databases, searching the Internet, using language resources and contacting their group members. The findings highlight the potentials of mobile devices to have a positive impact on the translation classroom activities and underline the need for their systematic integration into the translation curriculum as part of the tools contributing to the development of technological competence. Keywords: application, mobile devices, translation classroom, translator education