This document discusses various methodological issues in teaching translation. It outlines the key differences between pedagogical translation done by students versus real translation done by professionals. It proposes creating more life-like situations in translation classes by having the teacher take on the role of client and asking authentic questions. The document also examines different approaches to error correction, such as process-oriented versus product-oriented methods. It argues that correction strategies should resemble those used by professional editors and revisers.

1. Translation Studies
11. Methodological issues
in the teaching of
translation
Krisztina Károly, Spring, 2006
Source: Klaudy, 2003

2. Pedagogical translation  real
translation
Different
function,
object,
addressee

3. Pedagogical translation:
function: translation is a tool (to
improve L proficiency: consciousness
raising, practice, test)
object: learner provides information
about his/her proficiency
addressee: teacher/examiner,
wanting to find out about the L
proficiency of the learner (compelled
to find mistakes

4. Real translation:
function: translation is the goal of real
translations (to develop translation
skills)
object: the translator communicates
information about reality
addressee: reader, wanting
information about reality
 real translator training starts where
FL teaching ends

5. Creating life-like situations in the
teaching of translation
paradox: the teaching situation itself
makes real translation impossible
(teacher is not a real customer or
consumer)
question: How to bring teaching
closer to life, i.e. how to create life-like
situations in the translation class?

6. Solution 1: in translation classes realistic
situations should be created, in which the
teacher acts as a “requester”. Can act as a
client and answer questions, like:
Who wrote the source text?
Who are the target group?
What is the context of use?
Has the source text been translated into
other languages?
What is the status of these translations?”
etc.
Solution 2: real translation situations can be
created through the selection of authentic
texts.

7. Solution 3: realistic communicative
needs should be translated, i.e. texts
that are commonly translated in the
case of a particular language pair in
either direction (e.g., the users'
manual of a car is obviously more
often translated from German to
Portuguese than vice versa)
Solution 4: not only teachers should
read translations, but they should be
exchanged among students and
assessed together in groups

8. Teacher vs. editor or reviser
if the end-point of the "translation chain" is
the teacher, then we cannot speak of real
translation
teacher should act as a reader or editor
difference between editors and teachers: in
error correction strategies
aim of teachers' error-correction strategies
= to develop students' translation skills
(process- or product-oriented approach)
aim of editors' error-correction strategies =
to make sure that communication between
the SL writer and the TL consumer is
achieved (always product-oriented
approach)

9. Different approaches to error
correction
Process-oriented approach:
radically denies the importance of
error correction;
teachers do not expect perfect end
products from students, but use
translations to gain insights into the
process of translation and raise
questions rather than criticise.

10. Different approaches to error correction cont.
Product-oriented model:
3 methods:
(1) method of systematic feedback
(2) method of student-centred
correction,
(3) humanistic approach to students’
errors.

11. Different approaches to error correction cont.
Method of systematic feedback
(Dollerup, 1994):
corrections in translations which the
students have handed in
oral discussion in the class covering
adequate as well as inadequate
renditions,
feedback form assessing strengths
and weaknesses with each student

12. Different approaches to error correction cont.
Student-centred approach (Sainz, 1994):
(1) the human rights of students should not
be disregarded in error correction, that is,
students have the right to know the criteria
according to which their translations are
evaluated and also who assessed their
translations, etc.
(2) error correction should not be
aggressive (recommendation: Correction
Card, filled in by the students for self-
assessment)

13. Different approaches to error correction cont.
Humanistic approach (Seguinot,
1989):
regards errors committed by
translators not as violations of
linguistic norm, but rather as valuable
pieces of information: "…the surface
manifestations of the phenomena
which are the object of study” (p.74).

14. Different strategies in error
correction
strategies NOT for PROFESSIONAL
translator training
strategies for PROFESSIONAL
translator training

15. Strategies NOT for PROFESSIONAL
translator training (would be misleading,
professional editor is not so tactful):
Teachers should avoid
(1) making corrections in the text they should write
their suggestions on the margin.
(2) making corrections in the text they should attach
their remarks on a separate sheet of paper.
(3) making a list of the mistakes and attach it to the
translation.
(4) correcting errors they should appreciate good
solutions, and disregard incorrect ones.
(5) including their correct solutions in the text,
because this would suggest that those are the only
correct solutions, and it is well known that all
translation problems have several possible good
solutions.

16. Strategies for PROFESSIONAL translator
training:
(1) The work of teachers of translation should resemble
the work of revisers and editors in publishing houses,
which is of course only possible if the teacher has
practice and experience in translation, revising and
editing.
(2) The teacher-student relationship should resemble the
relationship between an experienced translator
(reviser, editor) and a beginner translator.
(3) Pedagogical corrections should be similar to revisers’
corrections (teachers should use the standard
correction symbols and not wavy, dotted or broken
lines).
(4) All errors should be corrected, and not only those that
are interesting from the pedagogical point of view.
(5) Corrections must be included in the text.
(6) Corrections must be made not only on the sentence
level but on the discourse level as well, the outcome of
which should be a coherent, publishable text.
(7) Each and every text should be of publishable quality.

17. Assessment criterion of
translations:
= how much work (correction, editing)
is needed to obtain a publishable
translation.
If revising and editing takes more
time than the translating itself, then
the translation is obviously
unusable as a translation.

18. Difference between revising/editing
and marking tests:
Marking tests = underline mistakes
and indicate them on the margins to
prepare a subsequent pedagogical
discussion,
Editing/revising = making the text
publishable

19. Types of translation tasks
Text-preparation tasks
Aim: familiarising students with the texts before
translating them
students should be taught to read as translators
do: asking questions like
(1) Could you make a guess as to who ordered the
translation of the above article and with what
purpose?
(2) Is it for internal use or for publication?
(3) Is it for the radio or for the printed media?
(4) To what extent does the supposed use of the
translation affect the translator's solutions?
(5) What is the text about?
(6) Mark the key words of the paragraphs. (“sign-
posting”)
(7) On the basis of the key words, summarise briefly (in
5-10 sentences) the main points in the text, etc.

20. Types of translation tasks cont.
Lexical preparation
= consists of dictionary research
separate genre-specific general
vocabulary and topic-specific special
vocabulary. Both can give rise to
problems
work with various dictionary types
(monolingual, bilingual, specialised,
dictionaries of synonyms, slang, etc.)

21. Types of translation tasks cont.
Suggested translation with variants
students begin to translate
to help them in translations, they are
sometimes given "multi-option"
translations, in which several different but
possible translation options can be found
students are required to evaluate the
options offered, and with this help they can
choose their own version of the text.

22. E.g., (Bart, Klaudy and Szőllősy 1996, p.149)
THIRTY YEARS OF ROCK
Suggested translation with variants
The (highly) popular singer Kati Kovács will
celebrate thirty years as performer tonight at a
gala concert to be held at the Buda Park Theatre
(...) The singer is against / not enthusiastic/ far
from enthusiastic/ less than enthusiastic about the
commercialisation of today’s pop culture. She is
planning nevertheless two new CDs.
Within a few short months /the space of just a
couple of months/ within a couple of months /
within a matter of months, in the mid-sixties Kati
Kovács, a doctor’s assistant from Eger became a
nationally known singer, a real star. (...) In the
wake of Kati Kovács’s first/ early successes there
soon came film offers too/ in addition / as well.
(...)

23. Types of translation tasks cont.
Guided translation
= certain parts of some TL sentences have
been translated in advance by one of the
authors of the book., and the authors ask
the trainee translators to include them in
their translations.
Aim: to develop translators' word selection
and sentence construction skills by making
them do things they would not have done
otherwise.

24. E.g., (Bart, Klaudy and Szőllősy 1996, p.75)
THE GREAT BRITISH BANGER
Guided translation
The sausage (1) is one of the oldest forms of processed
food (2). The name is derived from Latin “salus”, meaning
salted - and thereby preserved - meat or mixtures of
meat encased in animal gut (3). The first authentical
reference (4) appears in the Greek poet Homer’s
Odyssey, written (5) around the 9th century BC. Later (6),
Greek literature frequently mentions(7) sausages using
the term oraye (8).
1. a virsli- vagy kolbász (készítés)
2. az élelmiszer feldolgozásának
3. ami ... (és ezáltal ... ) ... töltött húst jelent
4. hiteles említés / utalás .... (kolbászra)
5. íródott
6. a későbbiekben
7. esik/ történik említés
8. .... néven/ -nak neveznek

25. Types of translation tasks cont.
Revising
= comparison with the original
It is by no means easy to correct
somebody else's translation: many would
rather translate the text instead of
bothering with corrections.
Translators must learn to do corrections
"with the least possible effort", which does
not involve rewriting the text, but "mending"
it to make it functionally "usable".
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