The Reasoned Use of Digital Documentation Resources for the Development of Instrumental Sub-competence in the Teaching of Specialised Translation: Feedback and Perspectives in a LANSAD context
 Within the framework of university teaching, the practice of translation takes the form of an activity essentially based on solving problems involving linguistic knowledge. In the last two decades, the theoretical-experimental studies proposed by textual linguistics and pragmalinguistics have made essential contributions to translation didactics through methodological proposals based on an operational vision of interlinguistic communication, according to which the act of translation must be considered as an act of enunciation carried out for a given purpose, addressed to a specific addressee and inscribed in a particular socio-cultural context. A similar conception is found in sociolinguistic and functionalist approaches that focus on the expectations of the hypothetical client and on the analysis of the source text (ST) at the textual and pragmatic-communicative level. The practical dimension of translation as well as the contextualisation of the assigned tasks are also emphasised in methodological proposals inspired by the principles of task-based language teaching, an approach centred on the realisation of linguistic tasks that emphasise the pragmatic aspect. Similarly, cognitivist approaches to translation, which have emphasised the value of metacognitive sub-competence, aspire to the active participation of learners in the teaching/learning process. To achieve this goal, they are encouraged to reflect on the different preparatory phases of the translation work in which the strategy to be followed in writing the CT is chosen based on certain criteria, such as the purpose, the target audience, the function of the text and its structure. The development of theoretical-methodological competence is thus encouraged, whereby the transition from declarative knowledge, i.e. being aware of the problems a learner may encounter, to procedural knowledge (know-how), i.e. being able to find the most appropriate solution, takes place. Within the framework of translation studies, the practice of translation thus takes the form of an activity essentially based on the resolution of problems involving linguistic, cultural, cognitive, and metacognitive knowledge. Beyond the different perspectives, it seems to us that the most recent approaches to the didactics of translation have identified common training needs and methodological criteria that can be applied in an integrated way in all university courses, whether in LLCE courses for students of foreign languages, literature, and translation or in common or professional language courses for specialists in other disciplines (LANSAD). In this contribution we propose a reflection on the acquisition of skills related to the documentation phase of the translation process in a university context, through the study of a text translated from French into Italian by students of a French Language course for specialists of other disciplines (LANSAD). After reviewing the concept of translational competence and its various subcategories, we present an experimental didactic path based on the use of digital documentary resources and corpora applied to specialised translation, with particular attention to the development of the instrumental sub-competence.
Read full abstract
Jan 1, 2023
Damir Ilić + 1
Open Access
