Translation Skills for Intercultural Purposes: An On-line Course for Non-specialist Learners of Spanish

Abstract

This article discusses some preliminary results of an ongoing investigation into the development of intercultural competence in the context of distance language teaching and learning. A search for appropriate practical approaches led us to the design of an on-line pilot course, the main objective of which was to develop intercultural competence through translation activities. The course involved English speakers learning Spanish. Our conclusions suggest that since translation tasks involve the negotiation of a meeting point between two cultures, they can be used as a didactic means to facilitate students' encounter with the concepts, ideas, values and attitudes of others and demand a revision of their own. Therefore, we propose that translation could be recovered for general language courses to play a meaningful role in the development of students' intercultural competence.