Translation Course Research Articles

Developing Subtitling Skills. On the Use of TED-ED Lessons as Audiovisual Translation Tools in Students’ Training

Abstract The paper details on the use of TED video-based material as a didactic tool in developing subtitling skills in university students. Focus is laid on the training of language specialists in audiovisual translation courses taught at G.E. Palade UMPhST of Targu Mures, with a triggered civic engagement by means of taking part in a community subtitling project while contributing to making “ideas worth spreading” accessible to viewership.

Retracted: Analysis of the Needs of English-Chinese Translation Courses and Research on Teaching Strategies under the Background of Wireless Communication and Big Data

Retracted: Analysis of the Needs of English-Chinese Translation Courses and Research on Teaching Strategies under the Background of Wireless Communication and Big Data

Subtitling short films to improve writing and translation skills

Abstract This paper presents the results of SUBFILM, a teaching innovation project that studied the benefits of reverse didactic subtitling to improve both foreign language learning writing skills and general translation skills. Didactic subtitling is to be understood here as the active production of subtitles by the students within a guided online task. SUBFILM made use of complete short films as basic audiovisual resources, and students of a Translation course within the degree of English Studies at a Spanish university were asked to subtitle them from Spanish into English over a period of one and a half months. A total of 26 students finished the project, where interdisciplinary individual and collaborative learning were constantly being stressed. A quasi-experimental research design including diverse data gathering tools has provided sufficient evidence to prove the benefits of reverse subtitling of complete short films for the enhancement of translation skills and writing production, as well as for vocabulary and grammar proficiency. Hence, the conclusions derived from the study complement previous research and open new related paths for didactic subtitling research and practice.

Translation quality assessment practices of faculty members of colleges of languages and translation in Arab countries: an exploratory study

The investigation and understanding of the process of assessing translation quality in translation courses have attracted some attention. However, only a few studies have explored general assessment (GA) and specialised Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) practices used by different translation instructors. This study explores the assessment practices of 98 faculty members of the translation departments of various universities in Arab countries. In this exploratory study, data were collected using an adapted version of the Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory instrument. In addition, the authors designed a Translation Quality Assessment Practices Inventory aimed specifically for the investigation of TQA practices adopted by the faculty members. Data collected from the three-part survey were subjected to descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, one-way analysis of variance, an independent samples t-test, and the chi-square test. The study reveals that the participants highly endorsed GA and TQA practices equally. The results indicate that three major TQA themes are particularly prioritised: the significance of errors; the use of particular assessment methods; and the primacy of objectivity. This research shows that there is an urgent need for more training aimed at improving TQA literacy among faculty members teaching translation courses. It contributes to the efforts to improve translation training and to design more effective curricula.

Bi-Directionality in English-Arabic-English translation of relativization

Bi directionality, a common practice in translation industry, refers to the transfer from L2 to L1 (direct translation) or L1 to L2 (inverse translation). Several studies have investigated relativization in direct or inverse translations, but few studies have considered relativization in the two translation directions. Following a hypothesis–based observational design, this study investigated the Arab undergraduates' performance on the direct and inverse translation of relativization. The study sample comprised undergraduates in the College of Languages and Translation (n = 36) and was divided into two groups (students of English and students of translation). The results showed statistically significant differences between students' performance on direct and on inverse translation (t (35) = 14.906, ≤0.05), indicating that inverse translation was more difficult than direct translation. The independent-sample t-test revealed that the students of translation outperformed the English students in direct and inverse translations. Despite the two groups' low performance on inverse translation, both considered that direct and inverse translations were equally 'somewhat difficult’. The paper concluded with suggestions that could guide the design of the translation courses and selecting teaching methods that could improve students’ translation of relativization.

Optimisation of Master’s Degree Programmes in Translation Based on Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Approach

Abstract In this paper, first of all, in the quality assessment of the teaching quality of the translation course, it is proposed to use a multi-attribute decision model to assess the quality of the set of alternatives for all the courses and to use the existing decision ideal points to rank and select the best of a set of optimized solutions for the translation course through the hesitant fuzzy number and objective optimization model. Finally, to explore the optimization problem of the curriculum, a research analysis was conducted on MTI master’s students who recently graduated from the institution. The results show that by optimizing the MTI course specifically, the students’ positive interest (p 1 = 0.03) and independent inquiry interest (p 2 = 0.01) are less than 0.05, showing significant differences (p<0.05). The special optimization scheme of the MTI course proposed in this paper can reflect some problems worth pondering in the curriculum and provide a guiding reference for optimizing the MTI course in schools.

Enhancing Translation Students’ Intercultural Competence: Affordances of Online Transnational Collaboration

Intercultural communication has evolved considerably throughout the digital era thanks to the availability and diversity of virtual communication platforms. Few research studies have explored the potential role of digital spaces in teaching translation courses. This paper reports an empirical study that explores the affordances of online transnational collaboration in reconstructing the identities of translation students. The study tested the potential of telecollaboration in teaching a course on translating literature with particular focus on translating for children. The total number of participants was 28 students from an Omani university. The participants completed translation tasks while involved in international telecollaborative projects with students from an American University. The study adopted the action research method with data collected from the students’ translation tasks and reflections before, during, and after telecollaboration. The findings showed that the participants’ intercultural competence developed following telecollaboration with their counterparts. The students’ translation approach shifted from TT-oriented to ST-oriented with translation strategies that prioritized the cultural paradigms of the other culture. The students embraced the concept of global citizenship and achieved the course learning outcomes and graduate attributes of course syllabus. The results also highlighted the significance of online academic partnerships in improving translation students’ intercultural communication skills.

A Survey of Translation Learners’ Uses and Perceptions of Neural Machine Translation

This paper reports a questionnaire-based survey that was designed to investigate how a group of Chinese translation learners used and perceived Neural Machine Translation (NMT), with a view to providing pedagogical implications for translation instruction which is being confronted with the AI-powered translation technology. 326 second- and third-year college students, who were translation learners as well as English majors from the same university in China participated in the survey. They reported high frequency of NMT use in their translation learning as well as English major learning. Instead of directly borrowing the NMT output, most of them post-edited it and/or used it as inspiration to accomplish their translation tasks. Although they evaluated NMT in a positive way and held an optimistic view toward the future of translation career, they expressed varying degrees of worry and anxiety toward their future employment and toward the use of NMT in the process of the translation learning. They clearly articulated the needs for NMT instruction in translation courses. Based on these findings, this paper proposes several ways to help reduce the learners’ worry and anxiety in translation instruction.

Adopting Project Based Learning in Translation Class to Facilitate Translator Emergent Competences

Background: 
 The teaching of language-related skills in universities and colleges needs to equip students with relevant skills suitable for work after graduation. One way of building students’ skills to meet the related industry’s demands is by adopting project based learning (PBL) in teaching. There have been several studies on the topic of PBL in translation courses, but none of them have provided a step-by-step classroom procedure.
 Methodology: 
 The study was a case study to describe the model of project-based learning adopted in the English Department of one Polytechnic in Java island, Indonesia. The object of the study was the Localization and Transcreation class. The data sources included the teacher and 24 sixth-semester students taking the class. Questionnaires and interview were used for the data collection. The questionnaires were used to know the students’ perceived competences. The interview was used to get more information on how the PBL was conducted and students’ further opinion about it. Before a class was started, the students were asked to fill in the provided questionnaire on the status of their competence at the time. Then, the PBL was employed to teach the class. After the PBL was done, the students were asked to fill in the same questionnaire to report their competences at the time. The researcher analyzed the results. Finally, an interview was conducted with the teacher and three students who answered the questionnaire most comprehensively.
 Findings: 
 The findings of this study show that PBL could be employed to teach translation in vocational higher education and the students saw PBL positively. Based on the students’ opinion, this research found that PBL in the translation class helped students develop their translation skills, teamwork skills, workplace skills, communication skills, and self-confidence.
 Conclusion: 
 In conclusion, PBL employed in the translation class has shown its effectiveness in improving students’ translation and other competences.
 Originality: 
 The Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia has promoted project-based learning. To date, no clear model has been developed for the teaching of translation in Indonesian universities. This article describes project-based learning developed and practiced in a Polytechnic and how students react and the improvement of their competences or skills.

Professional online group discussion proz.com to enhance students’ accuracy in translating legal document

Legal document is a subject matter text which has distinct characteristics and its own system and culture that caused difficulties for translators, especially trainee or semi-professional translator. The most advanced CAT, proZ.com could help the translator to translate legal document with its sophisticated facilities and allowed the translator to search legal terminology quickly and effectively. The purpose of this study was to use professional online group discussion forum, namely proZ.com to improve students’ skill in translating legal document non-disclosure agreement (NDA). This study employed classroom action research (CAR) to 31 students majoring English Education who took translation course as taught by both professional translator and the researcher. The participant was chosen using homogeneous sampling method in which students were selected based on certain characteristics (Creswell, 2012). The instruments used in this study were (1) test to measure students’ achievement in learning, (2) questionnaire to measure students’ attitude toward the implementation of the technique, and (3) in depth interview to gain students’ opinion about the benefit of proZ.com. it is found that proZ.com could improve students’ skill in translating NDA since it helped students to find the most correct translation terms in a target language from its database quickly and practically, since proZ.com offered the translation from the various fields. It is important to teach student to be sensitive in context so that their translation is acceptable.

Maximizing German to English Translation Proficiency: A Bottom-Up Approach Study

In the realm of language education, the adoption of effective teaching methodologies holds paramount importance. This study addresses the discernible gap in the literature concerning the impact of a bottom-up approach on German-to-English translation. By scrutinizing the discrepancy between theories and practices, this research aims to shed light on the transformative potential of this innovative pedagogical approach. Conducted within the German Language Education Study Program at the Faculty of Language and Literature, Makassar State University, this qualitative descriptive research encompasses students enrolled in the Einfuehrung in der Uebersetzungwissenschaft (Introduction to Translation) course during the odd semester of 2020/2021. The study's focal points include assessing students' mastery of translation theory as a foundational element for achieving overarching learning objectives, examining the strategies employed by instructors in implementing the bottom-up approach, developing tailored materials designed to inspire and engage students for optimal learning outcomes, and evaluating students' proficiency in translating German texts into English following the application of the bottom-up approach. Through comprehensive assessments utilizing testing as a primary data collection method, the results unequivocally demonstrate the affirmative impact of the bottom-up approach on the translation proficiency of students in transmuting German texts into English. This study reaffirms the pivotal role of innovative pedagogical approaches in enhancing language learning outcomes and underscores the significance of incorporating the bottom-up approach into German-to-English translation courses.

A Case Study on Blended Teaching Mode of English Major Curricula Based on Ideological and Political Education: Taking the English-Chinese Translation Course as an Example

Ideological and political education of curricula is an inevitable requirement of the national strategy and the goal of educating people in the new era, and the blended teaching mode is an inevitable trend of the development of the Internet era. Because English curricula in higher education are both instrumental and humanistic, teachers need to do a great job of educating students while teaching them. Taking English-Chinese Translation course as an example, this paper explores ideological and political education and increases the input of moral education from before-class, in-class and after-class teaching links through online and offline blended teaching, so as to cultivate students to examine the similarities and differences between Chinese and foreign languages and cultures with a correct outlook, improve their professional ability and enhance their cultural confidence at the same time.

A Study on Blended Teaching Practice of Translation Courses Based on Curriculum Ideology and Politics

From the three elements of education goal system, curriculum ideological and political framework, and teaching activity design, a hybrid teaching model for translation courses is constructed from the perspective of curriculum ideological and political education at the theoretical level. Taking "Culture and Translation" as an example, the practice and effectiveness of the hybrid teaching model are studied. Exploring the methods and implementation paths of ideological and political education in translation courses for English majors in universities, in order to provide useful reference for ideological and political education in foreign language teaching in universities.

Students' Perceptions of Teaching Translation at University of Duhok

This study maintains that learners' perspective and reactions towards learning any subject including Translation is of a vital importance to achieve the objectives and outcomes of that subject. This study aims at drawing a picture of translation teaching from students' point of view and exploring students' skills in translating to assess the existing methods and to reconsider objectives behind teaching this or that translation course. In order to achieve the aims of the study a questionnaire consisting of 22 items was given to 49 students; 40 (20 boys and 20 girls) from the English Department; and nine students (five boys and four girls) from the Translation Department, College of Humanities, University of Duhok, Iraq to find out their reactions on different issues related to the teaching and learning of translation at their departments. The items of the questionnaire tried to explore issues related to culture, courses, texts, exams, teachers and students' reactions and strategies used in translation. Accordingly, it has been found out that students gain benefits from the assigned course as it seems to develop their language and translation skills through their focus on cultural factors and proper equivalents in the process of translation. Translation courses might be considered as a resource for students' vocabulary enrichment, style improving in addition to text type knowledge with reference to strategies adopted for each as well as improving students' skills in both language and translation. Focusing on the daily language is also of vital importance in acquiring language and translation competency.

A study on the multifaceted teaching model of English translation course integrating multimodal discourse analysis method

Abstract The multimodal discourse analysis method is first analyzed in this paper, and a comprehensive framework is established based on it. Secondly, a diversified English translation instruction model is constructed based on the concept of 'human-centered' education. Finally, we integrated multimodal discourse analysis and diversified English translation instruction and conducted a comparative test, which showed that the mean scores of the experimental class in the post-test were 48.56, 29.36, 9.46 and 9.74 for the total vocabulary and different types of vocabulary use, respectively, while the corresponding figures for the control class were 46.16, 27.84, 9.13 and 9.19. The mean post-test scores of the experimental class were higher than those of the control class. This paper's teaching method can guide students' teaching interaction, enhance students' interest in English translation, and enhance the classroom teaching effect.

Audiovisual translation and media accessibility training in the EMT network

The increase in demand for the localisation of audiovisual media content has led to increased incorporation of audiovisual translation and accessibility modules into university curricula in many regions (Bolaños-García-Escribano et al., 2021). This study aims to map part of the audiovisual translation (AVT) and media accessibility (MA) training landscape in Europe, presenting the findings of the 2020 Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility Training Survey conducted among the European Master’s in Translation network. It reflects on the results obtained from 55 European Master’s programmes focused on the training of future translators and shows that the majority provide AVT and some MA training, mainly within broad AVT modules and, to a much lesser extent, in dedicated compulsory modules. The insights gained from this study are relevant to establishing a benchmark that will make it possible to track any developments in the teaching of AVT and MA in the EMT network and beyond. Lay summary In recent years, the need to translate audiovisual content for speakers of other languages and to make it accessible to those with disabilities has increased. This has led to growth in courses in audiovisual translation and accessibility in university programs in many parts of the world. Because of this, we wanted to understand the current situation with regards to audiovisual translation and media accessibility training in Europe. To do so, we conducted a survey focusing on European Master's programs in translation. We focused on programs that belong to the European Master's in Translation network. This network is a partnership between the European Commission's Translation Department and universities. It's a quality stamp for Master's translation programs that meet the high standards of the European Commission's Translation Department. We used a survey to collect data from 55 European Master's programs. We discovered that most of these programs offered some level of training in audiovisual translation, and some of them also trained students in media accessibility (for people with disabilities). Audiovisual translation was mostly taught in more general modules, and media accessibility was less common and was often part of optional modules. We now also understand better what is taught, the extent to which practical and theoretical training in this field is offered, the main working languages, the tools used, and to what extent the programs cooperate with industry professionals. So, why is this study important? It helps us better understand the current status of audiovisual translation and media accessibility education in Europe. By studying these Master's programs, we have created a starting point for tracking future changes in audiovisual translation and media accessibility training in the European Master's in Translation network and beyond. This information is important for educators and policymakers who want to improve existing opportunities and offer more training in audiovisual translation and accessibility. In summary, this research sheds light on how audiovisual translation and media accessibility are taught in European Master's programs. It highlights the need for more structured and comprehensive training in these areas to meet the growing demand for accessible audiovisual content.

Investigating the Use of Online Bilingual Resources by Translation Students: The Vertical/Sequential Model Revisited

Four experiments were carried out in a university translation course after noticing the recurrence of specific errors identical in most target texts produced by students. The purpose was, to identify the errors and verify whether they could be attributed to using online bilingual resources before comprehension of the source text, and, second, to implement a teaching strategy for addressing this problem and later assess its effectiveness. Participants in the study were twenty-seven female students in two groups registered for the course in two semesters: a group in one semester and the other in the following term. They translated two experimental texts from English L2 into Arabic L1. Each text was translated twice: the first time by one group at the beginning of their course, where students were allowed to access all types of resources, and the second by the other group towards the end of their course, after implementation of the teaching strategy. Comparison between the target texts produced before the implementation of the strategy and those made following the strategy reveals that the latter category contained f fewer translation errors -regrouped in the study as inappropriate renderings, with almost no occurrence of the type termed excessive literality. The findings suggest that the use of bilingual resources by translation students before full-text comprehension is the main cause of most otherwise avoidable errors. Consequently, it should be banned at the first phase of the translation process. The teaching strategy, based on the vertical/sequential translating model, is recommended in translation teaching.

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.

The Effect of Discussion-based Evaluative Judgment on the Translation of Narrative Texts

The current quasi-experimental study, examined the effect of discussion-based evaluative judgment on the translation of narrative texts by Iranian university students studying translation studies. To this end, 40 Iranian EFL translation students studying at the Islamic Azad University North Tehran Branch were selected based on convenience sampling. The Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and a translation pretest were administered to ensure the homogeneity of the contributors prior to the treatment. The participants were then assigned to the Evaluative Judgment Translation Group (EJTG n=20) and the Traditional Translation Group (TTG n=20). During 16 sessions, the EJTG was taught translation through evaluative judgments as a treatment, while the TTG experienced translation via the traditional way. After the treatment stage, the participants were given a translation posttest. The overall result implied that the EJTG, taught through evaluative judgment with group discussion, significantly outperformed the TTG. The study has some implications for EFL/ESL students in translation education. For the theoretical phase, it can offer some suggestions for investigators who are attentive in developing a model for the translation course. Regarding the practical phase, all teachers could use evaluative judgment and cooperative discussion in their translation courses. In fact, evaluative judgment and collaborative strategies occupy a prominent role in the translation achievement of students in academic contexts. These strategies could be effective in enhancing EFL students’ decision-making skills.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of King Khalid University Students’ Translation of Untranslatability in Islamic Religious Texts

The present study studies King Khalid University students’, majoring in English language, translation of Islamic religious texts and untranslatability. It explores the interrelation of discourse structures and translational structures of the students’ translation. The study utilizes the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model to unmask the use of translational strategies through Islamic religious texts. It also analyzes the relational values of the language configuration in terms of wordings, equivalence, and grammatical structures of the students’ translation. Furthermore, this study tries to show that there are linguistic traces that depict the strategies of translation. The study is a linguistic study revealing how language is utilized in the translation of Islamic religious texts, and it is based on a descriptive-analytic method adopting the critical discourse analysis model presented by Norman Fairclough and van Dijk’s ideological discourse analysis framework. The study sample includes the students’ translational work. The findings of the present study entail that the students translate untranslated items of abbreviated words in the Quran using transliteration, and they rely on language power modulation. The study recommends that students should be taught a discourse analysis course in the academic program before the course of translation III, which is composed of strategies for the translation of Islamic religious texts.