The Application of SFL as a Pedagogical Tool in the Undergraduate Translation Classroom

Abstract

This paper reports on a number of benefits of the application of an SFL-based pedagogical approach in the translation classroom on the basis of students’ study logs collected over a semester. A register analysis, based on SFL’s Field, Tenor and Mode, was introduced to undergraduate students taking a Korean into English translation course. The analysis contained the categories of ‘Purpose’ (Field), ‘Target audience’ (Tenor) and ‘Mode’ (Mode/Channel of communication), and was intended for the purpose of aiding analysis of source and target texts. After initial practice in the first week it was introduced, the students carried out the register analysis each time before beginning a translation task, with the purpose of enabling deeper understanding and interpretation of the source text, and consideration of target text-related aspects such as linguistic choice and style. Data showed that the register analysis enabled deeper understanding of the source text message, the organisation of ideas during the analysis stage prior to translation, the making of translation decisions relating to linguistic and modal factors and also helped in the post-translation stages, such as editing or reflection. Based on these findings, this paper demonstrates the usefulness in the application of the SFL-derived register analysis as a pedagogical tool for the student analysis of source and target texts.