Development Of Translation Competence Research Articles

“Translating” legal translation training theory into practice: the McGill University experience

ABSTRACT In the fall of 2020, McGill University (Montreal, Canada) launched a graduate diploma that focused on legal translation. The Graduate Diploma in Legal Translation (GDLT) aims to train the next generation of legal translators and jurilinguists in Canada. One of the main pillars of the GDLT is the formal and comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to legal translation competence development (Prieto Ramos 2011, 2015). Based on five core competences (strategic and methodological, communicative and textual, thematic and cultural, instrumental, and interpersonal and professional management), this approach is integrative and process-oriented with the aim of ensuring quality and adequacy in legal translation. McGill University used this approach as a roadmap to create the GDLT structure and plan of study. In this paper, we will offer an overview of McGill University’s initiative, providing critical analysis of the approach proposed by Prieto Ramos and of its interpretation and application for training purposes at McGill University. Our curriculum mapping methodology involves aligning the course-level learning outcomes to the broader programme-level learning outcomes which coincide with the proposed five core competences. Findings on the degree of alignment and an argument for an enriched competence training approach will be discussed in this paper.

Enhancing the Learning-Oriented Assessment for English-Chinese Translation Trainees

This article addresses the imperative need for an enriched learning-oriented assessment framework tailored to the specific needs of English-Chinese translation trainees. Conventional assessment practices in translation education often fall short in capturing the multifaceted skills required in the ever-evolving translation profession. In response, this study introduces a set of innovative enhancements, encompassing reflective practices, project-based assessments, and technology integration. Through a mixed-methods approach involving surveys, interviews, and real-world simulations, the study evaluates the effectiveness of these enhancements in fostering a holistic development of translation competence. Key findings indicate positive outcomes, revealing improvements in metacognitive skills, cultural competency, and adaptability to technology-driven workflows. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on learning-oriented assessment, emphasizing the importance of dynamic, industry-aligned approaches in preparing English-Chinese translation trainees for the complexities of professional practice. The recommendations provided aim to guide the integration of these enhancements into translation education programs, fostering a more engaged and responsive learning experience. As translation studies continue to evolve, this research serves as a catalyst for further exploration of effective assessment practices, ensuring the continual alignment of education with the demands of the translation profession.

Assessing the Development of Translation Competence Acquisition: A Case Study of MTSL Students at Abdelmalek Essaadi University –Tetouan

This study seeks to investigate the evolvement of translation competence acquisition while relating it to the progression in translation training. The assessment of the progress (if any) in translation competence acquisition is conducted through the investigation of the performance and the perception of MA translation students in the Faculty of Letters and Humanities in Tetouan. The study is meant precisely to shed light on trainees’ perspectives on translation assessment and to trace the development in acquiring translation competence via identifying indicators of that development in learners’ translations at different stages of learning. The aim is to reveal areas of translation sub-competences where learners exhibit more progress and to detect sub-competences that they find more challenging to develop. The descriptive method we implemented draws upon questionnaires that were delivered to MA learners to gather data about their perspectives on the acquisition and development of translation competence, and the observation reports that describe the common teaching practices as well as the assessment tools used to gauge the progress of learners’ translation competence. The selection of texts that pose prototypical translation problems allows for the identification of indicators of the trainees’ acquisition of the required sub-competences to deal with these translation problems. The findings of the study reveal that even though establishing specific competencies to be acquired by the end of translation training is a prior step in designing programs, there is always room for adjusting these competencies to align them with the trainees’ profile, the objectives of the course and the curriculum at large. To this end, assessment of the trainees’ proficiency provides useful information, at different stages of learning, on the learners’ achievements and on the learning areas that require enhancement.

The Components and Development of Translation Competence of Translator in the Information Age

The Components and Development of Translation Competence of Translator in the Information Age

TRANSLATION ACTIVITY AND LINGUISTIC THINKING AS A SYSTEM OF HARMONIOUS METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING THE STRUCTURE AND THE CONTENT OF PSYCHO-LINGUISTIC ELEMENTS OF THE TEXT

The purpose of our research is to display translation activity and linguistic thinking as a system of harmonious methods for identifying the structure and the content of psycho-linguistic elements of the text.
 It was shown, that understanding of translation activity allows us to consider the issues, which were the most important for our research in a different way. What it is important is not the distinction of objects of the translation, but the formation of technology for the purpose of constructing translation objects (events, realities, and images), their semantic (semiotic) specification, the discovery of a universal translation algorithm, and the expansion of the methodological base for translation operations. The detection of such operations, their psycholinguistic analysis and structuring become quite important for the development of translation competence of the individual, which is one of the leading factors of active translation activity. In addition, it allows us to consider the process of translation at the level of diachrony and synchrony the text, as a process of generation, use and forgetting of translation techniques, bringing the translation activity closer to the interpretive theory of translation. Within the limits of the latter, it becomes possible for us to define the content of concepts, which are important for translation activity, such as a point of view, composition, a plot and a fable, connotative repertoire, strong positions (semantic milestones) and key words, meanings, senses and representations, referential and text situations, modal worlds of the author, reader’s and text’s expression from the point of view of their interconnection and interpenetration.
 We define linguistic thinking as a system of methods for purposefully identifying the structure and the content of linguistic elements, analyzing the peculiarities of their relationships, revealing the specifics of phonetic, lexical, grammatical and other phenomena and the laws of the language that are being learned. The formation of linguistic thinking ensures a high-quality solution to professional tasks and becomes a necessary condition for the person’s conscious and systematic mastery of a foreign language. So, from our point of view, linguistic thinking involves a thorough examination and study of the language as a system. As a result, this approach requires a detailed analysis of the structure of the language, its mechanisms and principles of the formation from the side of subjects of learning.

Навчальний переклад і лінгводидактика

Due to the increase of the importance of translation in the modern world, the profession of translator has gained some popularity — especially among those who study foreign languages. The article discusses the role of translation in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language, where translation is suggested as the fifth language skill (following speaking, writing, etc). The possibilities for the development of translation competence together with the role of didactic translation in a Ukrainian class for foreign language learners have been analyzed herein. Moreover, the article presents some methodological recommendations for a variety of text types as well as a choice of useful translation exercises for teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language.

A Case Study on Improving MTI Students’ Translation Competence in Project-Based Teaching

The present research taps into the development of a female Chinese MTI student’s translation competence in the course a medical English-Chinese translation project. Following a qualitative approach, we collected her various translation drafts, memos and interviews as the research data. By referring to the translation competence model containing five parts proposed by Zhang and Wang (2020), we conducted detailed analyses on her translation drafts and memos. It is found that her overall translation competence shows an upward trend, with her specialized knowledge competence and instrumental competence improving the most rapidly. Her linguistic abilities and cognitive abilities, particularly in translating complex sentences, have also demonstrated a significant progress. The interview transcripts have been used to explore her identification with the translator’s role. It is hoped that this study would contribute to discussion on translation competence development and shed light on project-based teaching for MTI programs in both China and the world.

Investigating Blended Learning Mode in Translation Competence Development

There has long been a consensus that translation competence is a multi-componential construct, encompassing linguistic, strategic, and extra-linguistic competence. In this digitalized age, when translators are required to work with complex discourses (e.g., multimodal discourses), the cultivation of translation competence also calls for new insights apart from the traditional face-to-face teaching method. To that end, this study applies the blended learning mode to a translation course so as to enhance students’ translation competence. The application of this blended learning mode is detailed in this article. A quasi-experiment is also carried out to assess the influence of this blended course on the development of participants’ translation competence. Participants’ perceptions of this blended learning mode are also examined. Our results suggest that this blended course improves participants’ translation competence, including their knowledge competence, technological competence, and professional competence. On the whole, participants are satisfied with this learning mode, particularly in terms of the appropriateness, sustainability, and multimodality of the blended course.

Effective transfer of safety interventions within and between organizations: Leveraging translation theory to achieve improved outcomes

Safety interventions are often ‘borrowed’ from one organizational setting, where they have worked successfully, to another organizational setting but not necessarily with the same positive outcomes. Translation theory could offer potential insights into the processes through which managers translate safety practices either from one organization to another or from one part to another part of the same organization. To examine this possibility, this study used the framework method of analysis, underpinned by a conceptual framework developed from translation theory, to analyse qualitative data from interviews with experienced managers having responsibility for safety in their organization who shared narratives of eight different safety interventions deployed in a variety of industry sectors ranging from oil and gas to retail from around the world. By inference from the data, analysis shows that interventions of low complexity, low embeddedness and high explicitness which theory characterises as more translatable, were also in practice more successfully translated. Furthermore, interventions with senior management support had higher levels of interpretive viability, thus making them more transformable and ensuring translation success. Also, translations were more successful when the safety interventions received adequate resourcing, were targeted at a narrow rather than a broad organizational scope and where they were integrated into existing work practices. The conceptual elements of the framework adopted in this study have the potential to support the development of translation competence among safety professionals, thus permitting the future deployment of more effective safety interventions in the workplace to reduce accidents and injuries.

Un nuovo modello per l’insegnamento della traduzione russo-italiano nei corsi universitari magistrali attraverso Moodle

The author describes a new didactic model developed on the Moodle platform for teaching Russian‑Italian translation in the university context. The model, aimed at developing the translation competence of learners, is based on the cooperative learning method and general foreign language teaching principles. Using a longitudinal study involving the collection of qualitative and quantitative data, the model was tested in a 42‑hour asynchronous MA course unit. The findings indicate that the proposed didactic model, which brings together translation theory and practice, can successfully promote the development of translation competence in students.

Interpersonal Skills in the Development of Translation Competence

The present study aims at developing students’ interpersonal competencies in the process of translation training. Translators are expected to possess a specific profile including interpersonal competencies that are compatible with the needs of labor market, translation market and employers. Ergo, this study is targeted towards inquiring interpersonal skills (communication, presentation skills, teamwork, stress management, time management, conflict management, flexibility, responsibility, self-motivation, and assertiveness). As a start, the study pinpoints the changes in the labor market, and translation market influenced by the development of new technologies, globalization and needs by employers. Moreover, it highlights some educational consequences and the role of academia in those changes. Therefore, after ascertaining the needs of current employers a feasible model of interpersonal competencies development in the process of acquiring translation competence is devised and designed. The model incorporates both the development of translation competence and the development of interpersonal skills. Thus, the suggested model is deliberated to be a part of a program for teaching specialized translation whose aim is to develop translation competence and interpersonal competencies and in consequence to gain a better position in the labor market.

Interpersonal Skills in the Development of Translation Competence

Interpersonal Skills in the Development of Translation Competence

THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF TRANSLATION COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT IN PRE-SERVICE TRAINING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE TEACHERS

The article highlights some aspects revealing the development of translation competence of prospective foreign language and literature teachers. Attention is focused on internal and external factors necessitating the development of translation competence of pre-service foreign language and literature teachers. The study identifies the needs of the specialized school and the requirements for translation teaching courses in senior classrooms of specialized schools. The author analyzes scholarly perspectives on the concepts of ‘translation’ and ‘translation competence’. On this basis, the essential characteristics of translation competence in pre-service training of foreign language and literature teachers are substantiated. Translation competence has been found to be an integrated characteristic that involves the ability to translate authentic texts at the appropriate level and understand their content, as well as to implement the information received in accordance with the target audience and further use in foreign language education and intercultural communication. It has been proved that developing the translation competence of prospective foreign language and literature teachers requires the introduction of innovative approaches to structuring the professional training content and the implementation of innovative forms and methods of translation teaching. The study outlines controversial issues and problems in undergraduate training of foreign language and literature teachers in terms of the learning outcomes reached as a result of interpretation and translation courses. Ways to improve the content of professional training based on the development and thematic updating for the content of mandatory and optional educational components are proposed. The research provides the analysis of the ways in which unassisted translation work with foreign language texts and native speakers should be organized. Particular attention is paid to the use of innovative methods and technologies of translation training provided to prospective foreign language and literature teachers.

APPROACHES TO ASSESSING TRANSLATION PROFICIENCY

Introduction. An important component of the system of specialized translation competence development is the assessment of its proficiency level, which should be based on the latest developments in the field of translator training methodology, the translation service industry requirements, and current national and international academic standards. The purpose of this paper is to analyze approaches to translation competence assessment and to distinguish those relevant to assessing specialized translation proficiency of 4th-year Philology students. The author applies theoretical research methods: analyzing research papers referring to translation assessment and academic standards namely the CEFR and the PETRA-E Framework, collating and generalizing their key ideas and provisions as well as synthesizing them in order to outline the approaches to specialized translation competence assessment. Discussion. The level-based approach should be implemented through defining the initial and target levels of specialized translation proficiency separately for English-Ukrainian and Ukrainian-English language pairs and taking into account the CEFR global scale descriptors concerning translating a written text in writing, modified with regard to text type, translation variation (full, fragmentary, summary, abstract), and ICT skills; as well as the PETRA-E Framework competence-based descriptors, altered in accordance with specialized translation features, in particular, terminology and subject matter knowledge and relevant skills. The process-oriented approach is better manifested during formative assessment, the purpose of which is to receive feedback on the effect of specialized translation knowledge acquisition and skill formation. It is implemented through the check-list method and translation text analysis. The product-oriented approach involves evaluating the target text using holistic, analytic (analytic proper, error count, check-list, and norm-referenced) and combined methods depending on translation variation, type and purpose of assessment. Conclusions. Assessing specialized translation competence of 4th-year students majoring in Philology is a complex multifaceted process that is grounded on the level-based, process-oriented and product-oriented approaches. Their implementation relies on the modified CEFR and PETRA-E Framework proficiency descriptors and depends on translation variation, assessment type and purpose.

TEACHING SPECIALIZED TRANSLATION: CURRICULUM DESIGN OF AN ONLINE MASTER COURSE IN LEGAL TRANSLATION

In times of the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of online platforms for teaching purposes accelerated, and remote learning and teaching gained ground in the field of Translation & Interpreting Studies (TIS). In this paper, we discuss the curriculum design of JurDist, a master’s course in legal translation, which has been offered as an online course for the language combinations Norwegian – English/French/German/Spanish since 2013. We describe, in detail, today’s curriculum and discuss modifications to the teaching, implemented in the spring semester of 2021. The modifications aim at improving the students’ performance in accordance with current research in translation theory (i.e., translation competence development) and in line with current approaches to learning and teaching (e.g., taxonomies describing different levels and kinds of understanding). Consequently, the curriculum design and the modified approach to teaching aim at enhancing the students’ professional skills in the field of legal translation. Although this teaching approach is applicable to both online teaching and the physical classroom, we describe its implementation in an online teaching environment only. Online teaching in all its facets has come to stay, also within TIS. We contribute to this development with our experience in teaching specialized translation online since 2013, which predates the recent pandemic. Keywords: knowledge in the legal domain, legal genres, translation strategies, cultural awareness, linguistic competence, translation didactics

Contextualizing assessment feedback in translation education: A corpus-assisted ecological approach.

Despite its powerful influence on student learning, assessment feedback has received relatively less attention in translation education. The mainstream assessment practices in translation education have relied mainly on a static approach to translation competence. The consequences of a static approach include a partial representation of translation competence development and a deficit view of students and their learning. Alternatively, this paper argues for an ecological approach to contextualize assessment feedback in translation education. The ecological approach emphasizes the spatial and temporal context for translation assessment. While detailed contextual information is essential to the ecological assessment approach, assessing translation performance across tasks and time is a considerable challenge. In response to such a challenge, this conceptual paper proposes a corpus-assisted approach to translation assessment. It discusses how a longitudinal student translation corpus can be developed to assist ecological assessment feedback on translation performance. A project in progress based on a translation education program is reported as a case in point for illustrative purposes. The paper has suggested ways forward for future assessment feedback practice and research in translation education.

Instruction of the Multi-dimensional Developing Perspective on Translation in Translation Competence Development

Instruction of the Multi-dimensional Developing Perspective on Translation in Translation Competence Development

Development of interpretation skills in future escort interpreters for work in international tourist activity

The rapid development of international cooperation and interethnic contacts entails the need to improve training in the field of tourism, including training of escort interpreters. It is known that escort interpreters must not only have skills and abilities, but also constantly improve their knowledge of foreign languages. Thus, the problem of optimizing the development of translation competence in escort interpreters is gaining importance. The aim of the study is to substantiate the need to optimize the development of translation competence in escort interpreters to work in international tourism. The article involved the following methods: theoretical review and analysis of domestic and foreign literature on the problem of research, pedagogical observation and generalization of the experience of training escort interpreters in universities. It was found that optimization of translation competence in escort interpreters will be more effective in implementing the author’s model and methodology presented in the professional. The theoretical significance of this article is that the theory and methodology of vocational education identified and established the content of translation competence and a model for optimizing its development. The practical significance lies in the focus on optimizing the translation competence in translation guides. Relevant methods and programmes have been identified, which provide for development and application in practice of professionally oriented language situations in improvement of foreign language skills. The results indicate the effectiveness of established models and methods of optimizing development of translation competence in escort interpreters to work in international tourism based on the improvement of foreign language skills.

Translation Competence: Beyond Bilingualism

In translation studies, it is sometimes assumed by some scholars that bilinguals are in possession of an innate competence for translating. In this research, aspects of bilingualism and translation competences are investigated. The questions driving the research are: is being a bilingual enough to be a translator? And what are the competences a translator needs to perform a good translation? This article addresses these questions through a comprehensive literature review and a small-scale empirical study. First, relevant literature on bilingualism and translation competence was reviewed. Second, an empirical investigation was carried out in which bilinguals and professional translators translated a source text to generate empirical data on the use of two languages and relevant translation competences. The results have shown that being a translator is more than being bilingual and going to a translation school is not a guarantee to be a good translator. The subject matter knowledge also matters. The research not only yield insights into the description and development of translation competence, but also provides potential avenues for translators’ self-improvement.

The Effects of Pot-Luck Flipped Classrooms (PFC) on the Development of Translation Competence: A Study of Novice Translators

This study investigates the effect of Pot-luck Flipped Classroom (PFC), meaning the implementation of pot-luck, as an innovative technique, in a flipped classroom (FC), on the development of translation competence (TC). The advances and developments in science and technology and the need to exchange the newly-developed information, knowledge, and technology highlights the demand to train professional translators, and thus, the development of TC becomes an essential skill of 21st. century. FC learning model and pot-luck innovative teaching technique have proven the enhancement of the effective learning. Therefore, in this study, we combined them as PFC to develop TC via collaboration and active involvement in a learner-centered environment. A total of 57 Translation Studies students, including 27 boys and 30 girls took part in this study. We used a quasi-experimental design with an experimental (PFC) and control group. Data were collected via Translation Competence Acquisition Questionnaire before and after the intervention of PFC. Findings showed a statistically significant difference (significant at 0.05) in all TC components in experimental group after the intervention of PFC. Thus, PFC proved to be efficient. Finally, pedagogical implications are discussed and suggestions for further studies are also provided.