Cover not available
Article published In:
T&I pedagogy in dialogue with other disciplines
Edited by Sonia Colina and Claudia V. Angelelli
[Translation and Interpreting Studies 10:1] 2015
► pp. 58–86

Applying Task-Based Learning to translator education

Assisting the development of novice translators’ problem-solving expertise

This paper reports and discusses the outcomes of an innovative pilot training program using Task-Based Learning (TBL) in the context of translator education. The objectives were twofold: to investigate the extent to which the use of TBL helped novice participants develop their problem-solving skills, and to examine learner perceptions of the usefulness of TBL. The training program incorporates key characteristics of TBL, including tasks consisting of pedagogically sequenced stages, guided by the overall objective of achieving learner autonomy. In this study, six postgraduate students majoring in translation and interpreting in Australian universities participated in the program. The process and product of five tasks were evaluated by two professional translators using a set of rubrics. A series of interviews was conducted to identify learner perceptions of the usefulness of TBL. Overall, learners showed progress in recognizing differences between novices and professionals and in solving key problems. In terms of the second research objective, the learners perceived TBL to be a useful learning methodology, facilitating awareness of novice-professional differences, appreciation of the critical consequences derived from risks and problems, and development of interpersonal skills, including the discovery of new approaches to resolving translation challenges through peer interaction.
Keywords: translator competence, Task-Based Learning, problem-solving, translator education
Published online: 15 June 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.10.1.04ino
References (34)
Aula Int. 2005. “Translator Training and Modern Market Demands.” Perspectives 13 (2): 132–142. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boshuizen, Henry P.A., and Henk Schmidt. 1992. “On the Role of Biomedical Knowledge in Clinical Reasoning by Experts, Intermediates, and Novices.” Cognitive Science 16 (2): 153–184. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bowker, Lynne. 2004. “What Does It Take to Working the Translation Profession in Canada in the 21st Century? Exploring a Database of Job Advertisements.” Meta 49 (1): 960–972. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Breen, Michael P. 1987. “Learner Contributions to Task Design.” In Language Learning Tasks, ed. by Christopher N. Candlin, and Dermot Murphy, 23–46. London: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Bruffee, Kenneth A. 1993. Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge. London: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Candlin, Christopher. 1984. “Syllabus Design as a Critical Process.” ELT Documents No. 118, 29–46. London: Pergamon and The British Council.Google Scholar
. 2009. “Task Based Language Learning.” In Task-Based Language Teaching: A Reader, ed. by Kris Van den Branden, Martin Bygate, and John M. Norris, 21–40. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2012. “Some Questions about Advising.” In Autonomy in Language Learning: Advising in Action, ed. by Christian Ludwig, and Jo Mynard. Canterbury: University of Kent, IATEFL.Google Scholar
Candlin, Christopher, and Christoph Edelhoff. 1982. Challenges: Teachers’ Guide. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Chesterman, Andrew. 2000. Memes of Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chesterman, Andrew, and Emma Wagner. 2004. Can Theory Help Translators? A Dialogue between the Ivory Tower and the Wordface. Manchester: St. Jerome.Google Scholar
Ellis, Rod. 2003. Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Folaron, Deborah. 2006. “A Discipline Coming of Age in the Digital Age.” In Perspectives on Localization, ed. by Keiran Dunne, 195–219. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Galán-Mañas, Anabel. 2011. “Translating Authentic Technical Documents in Specialised Translation Classes.” The Journal of Specialised Translation 161: 109–125.Google Scholar
Gile, Daniel. 2004. “Integrated Problem and Decision Reporting as a Translator Training Tool.” The Journal of Specialised Translation 21: 2–20.Google Scholar
González Davies, Maria. 2003. “Translating Children’s Literature on the Web: An Authentic Project.” In Traducción y Literatura Infantil, ed. by Isabel Pascua, 23–26. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: Anaga.Google Scholar
. 2004. Multiple Voices in the Translation Classroom. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gouadec, Daniel. 2007. Translation as a Profession. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Inoue, Izumi. 2012. Novice-professional Differences in Addressing Translating Challenges: The Development of an Effective Pedagogical Approach to Translator Education. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation. Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
Kelly, Dorothy. 2000. “Text Selection for Developing Translator Competence: Why Texts from the Tourist Sector Constitute Suitable Material.” In Developing Translation Competence, ed. by Christina Schäffner, and Beverly Adab, 157–170. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2005. A Handbook for Translator Trainers. Manchester: St. Jerome.Google Scholar
Kiraly, Don. 2000. A Social Constructivist Approach to Translator Education. Manchester: St Jerome.Google Scholar
. 2005. “Project-Based Learning: A Case for Situated Translation.” Meta 50 (4): 1098–1111. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Koby, Geoffrey, and Brian James Baer. 2003. “Task-Based Instruction and the New Technology: Training Translators for the Modern Language Industry.” In Beyond the Ivory Tower, ATA Scholarly Monograph Series XII, ed. by Brian James Baer, and Geoffrey Koby, 211–228. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mackenzie, Rosemary. 2004. “The Competencies Required by the Translator’s Roles as a Professional.” In Translation in Undergraduate Degree Programmes, ed. by Kirsten Malmkjær, 31–38. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
NAATI. 2012. “Why is NAATI Accreditation Important in Australia.” [URL]. Last accessed 5 January 2015.
Nunan, David. 2004. Task-based Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
PACTE. 2008. “First Results of a Translation Competence Experiment: ‘Knowledge of Translation’ and ‘Efficacy of the Translation Process.’” In Translator and Interpreter Training. Issues, Methods and Debates, ed. by John Kearns, 104–126. London: Continuum.Google Scholar
. 2011. “Results of the Validation of the PACTE Translation Competence Model: Translation Problems and Translation Competence.” In Methods and Strategies of Process Research: Integrative Approaches in Translation Studies, ed. by Cecilia Alvstad, Adelina Hild, and Elisabet Tiselius, 317–343. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pym, Anthony. 2003. “Redefining Translation Competence in an Electronic Age: In Defense of a Minimalist Approach.” Meta 48 (4): 481–497. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2009. “Translator Training.” [URL]. Last accessed 5 January 2015.
Samuda, Virginia, and Martin Bygate. 2008. Tasks in Second Language Learning. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Van den Branden, Kris, Martin Bygate, and John M. Norris. 2009. “Task-Based Language Teaching: Introducing the Reader.” In Task-Based Language Teaching: A Reader, ed. by Kris Van den Branden, Martin Bygate, and John M. Norris, 1–14. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Willis, Jane. 1996. A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Harlow: Longman.Google Scholar
Cited by (3)

Cited by three other publications

Wang, Xueyu & Jian Wang
2023. Implementing an interactive approach in translator education. Interactive Learning Environments 31:4 ► pp. 2288 ff. DOI logo
García, Álvaro Marín
2021. Bridging the epistemological gap. Cognitive Linguistic Studies 8:2 ► pp. 462 ff. DOI logo
Abdel Latif, Muhammad M. M.
2018. Towards a typology of pedagogy-oriented translation and interpreting research. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 12:3 ► pp. 322 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 10 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.