Corpus-based contrastive analysis and ­translation universals

Babel ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Rabadán ◽  
Belén Labrador ◽  
Noelia Ramón

Project) developed at the University of León (Spain) for identifying instances of low-quality rendering of grammatical features when translating from English into Spanish using translation universals. The analysis provides information about: i) the resources available (or absence thereof) in each of the languages to express a given meaning and their relative centrality; ii) the solutions favored by translators to bridge the cross-linguistic disparities and/or gaps; iii) the erroneous or non-existent uses and structures transferred from the source language into the target language. These results can be systematized in terms of simplification, interference, or unique grammatical features. Additional areas that can benefit from this type of research are translation practice, translator training and foreign language teaching (FLT). Assessing translation quality is generally seen as a difficult task because of the inadequacy of the tools available. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of a corpus-based contrastive methodology (ACTRES

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Penka Kuneva ◽  
◽  
◽  

A new book for teaching German as a foreign language is presented in the paper. The author, Yanka Koeva, writes about the modern dimensions of some methodological issues since learners, educational policy and social demands have changed. Considering the latest achievement in neurodidactics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics as well as the European dimensions of education policy allows the author to define the goals, principles and content of the modern foreign language teaching. Well-known traditional teaching methods are presented followed by some recently developed alternative methods. Yanka Koeva gives special attention to teaching and acquiring linguistic knowledge and skills, necessary for learners to be able to use the target language for communication; she also systematizes modern views of the teachers’ professional competencies and gives useful ideas for organizing the process of foreign language teaching.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taina M Wewer

This practice-oriented article, also applicable for general foreign and second language instruction, outlines experiences and classroom practices recognized as functional and effective in CLIL (content and language integrated learning) contexts. CLIL can be defined as a comprehensive approach to foreign language teaching because it aims at learning language through various content across the curriculum. Since one of the guidelines in the Finnish basic education is teacher autonomy, the fluctuation in materials, practices and methods is notable. Therefore, there is no sole authenticated model of CLIL implementation, but the practices rather vary significantly from one classroom to another. Furthermore, the extent of the target language (TL) exposure has an impact on the instructional choices as well as the pre-negotiated and defined learning objectives. In most cases, the primary aim is that the child learns to read and write in the mother tongue or the main language of instruction (most often Finnish in Finland), and the target language (in this case English) is gradually and increasingly incorporated into the everyday classroom practice. Hence, instruction is bilingual. Research on foreign language teaching and learning helps to formulate some of the recurring linguistic practices in CLIL classrooms which is important in shaping the language used for social purposes. The integration of language and content and academic language need special attention in CLIL. In a similar manner, assessment of the target language, has to be specifically addressed. I will touch upon all these issues in the three main sections drawing on CLIL instruction with approximately 25% English exposure of total instruction.  


Author(s):  
О.И. Уланович

В статье представлены результаты концептуализации ключевых положений дискурсного подхода как современной дидактической технологии в обучении иностранному языку в вузе в целом и в дидактике перевода в частности. Знание и владение иностранным языком для участия в межкультурном диалоге оценивается автором в параметрах владения дискурсом как единством деятельности, действительности и соответствующих коммуникативных жанров и речевых форм. Автором осуществлен понятийный анализ ключевых категорий и предлагаются дефиниции конститутивных понятий - «дискурсивный подход», «дискурсный подход», «дискурсивная компетенция», «дискурс-компетенция», «дискурсная компетенция», что позволило концептуализировать содержательное пространство дискурсного подхода в языковом образовании и унифицировать специализированный предметный язык для его дальнейшего системного описания и методического моделирования. Как частный случай дискурсного подхода в языковом образовании рассматривается его проекция в дидактике перевода, содержательное пространство которого предстает в аналогичных концептуальных категориях. Специфика переводческой деятельности акцентирует специфичные компоненты в структуре дискурсной переводческой компетенции: владение жанровым многообразием текстов в дискурсивном пространстве профессионального перевод, владение технологиями транскодирования дискурсообразующих элементов переводимого текста, знание социальной реальности в актуальных сферах современной переводческой практики. The results of conceptualization of key provisions of discourse approach as a modern didactic technology in teaching a foreign language in a university as a whole and in didactics of translation in particular are presented in the article. Knowledge and proficiency in a foreign language for participating in intercultural dialogue is assessed by the author in terms of discourse mastery, where discourse is viewed as a consistency of activity, reality, and corresponding communicative genres and speech forms. The author carried out conceptual analysis of key categories - discursive approach, discourse approach, discourse competence, discursive skills, discourse knowledge, which allowed to substantialize the existential content of discourse approach in language education and unify a particular subject language for its further systemic description and methodological modeling. As a particular case of discourse approach in language education is considered its actualization in didactics of translation, the framework of which is determined by the same conceptual categories. Specificity of translation as professional practice emphasizes specific components in the structure of discourse translation competence: mastery in genre diversity of texts in the discursive area of professional translation, skills of transcoding technologies application (for rendering key discourse-forming elements of the translated text), knowledge of social reality in timely areas of modern translation practice.


1977 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 58-71
Author(s):  
Maria Oud-de Glas

At the Institute for Applied Sociology of the University of Nijmegen, an investigation into foreign language needs of several groups in Dutch society has been carried out in 1975 through 1977. Questionnaires were submitted to these different groups, e.g. to former pupils of secondary schools. The questionnaire consisted mainly of a list of 24 descriptions of situations in which foreign languages are used. In these descriptions the significant features of language situations are systematically varied. For each situa-tion we asked if and how frequently it occurs and if the knowledge of the languages learnt is sufficient for this kind of situation. The results of the investigation show large differences in language needs (defined as actual use of the foreign language and shortcomings in the knowledge of that language in certain situations) both between the former pupils of the different types of secondary schools as well as between the languages most commonly taught in Dutch schools, French, German and English. More specifically it was found that the actual use of foreign languages occurs more frequently among former pupils of certain vocational schools (especially technical schools) than among former pupils of general secondary schools. French appears to be used less frequently than German and English. English is used by a somewhat larger group than German, but this does not hold for all groups. Former pupils of technical schools use German as much as English. The resulting data can be used to choose objectives for foreign language teaching. There is however no simple and direct way from language needs to objectives. In choosing objectives on the basis of findings on language needs, one will have to decide which measure of language needs is taken into account and how this measure (or these measures) is (are) used. If we decide for example to take the size of the group that has actually used a foreign language in one of the situations as a criterion for the choice of that situation as a part of the objectives of language teaching, we will then have to decide where we draw the line between situations that are and situations that are not important enough to be chosen. In other words, we have to decide how large the group of language users must be. It is evident that there is no shorter way from language needs to objectives than a carefully argued choice of measures and of the use of these measures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Conti

IT In seguito allo spostamento delle attività didattiche online al fine di contenere la diffusione della malattia da nuovo Coronavirus, il Gruppo di Ricerca e azione sull’Apprendimento delle Lingue ha diffuso un questionario volto a valutare l’impatto della didattica a distanza sull’insegnamento delle lingue straniere durante. All’indagine hanno partecipato 136 docenti e 241 studenti, sia universitari che di scuola secondaria. Scopo del presente contributo è quello di descrivere la composizione del questionario e del campione dei rispondenti, e di riportare i principali risultati. In particolare, dall’indagine sono emersi: (i) una mancanza di chiare direttive da parte delle istituzioni scolastiche, sintomo del carattere emergenziale delle misure intraprese; (ii) una generale resistenza a sperimentare formati didattici inediti e più adeguati al mezzo digitale; (iii) il maggiore svantaggio nello sviluppo delle abilità interazionali e di produzione orale; (iv) un alto grado di criticità nel garantire l’affidabilità e l’integrità delle prove di valutazione. Parole chiave: DIDATTICA A DISTANZA; COVID-19; DIDATTICA DELLE LINGUE STRANIERE EN The shift to online teaching aimed at containing the spread of Coronavirus has led the group of Research and Action on Foreign Language Teaching to release a survey with the purpose of assessing the impact of remote instruction on foreign language teaching. 136 teachers and 241 students at both the university and secondary level have participated in this survey. The aim of this article is to describe the content of the survey and the make-up of the participants and to present the main findings. Of particular note from this survey is (i) the lack of clear directives from their educational institutions, which is a symptom of the immediate nature of the measures put into place; (ii) a generalized resistance to experiment with new pedagogical resources that are better suited for the digital format; (iii) the greatest challenge in developing the ability to interact and to communicate orally; (iv) a high level of difficulty in guaranteeing the trustworthiness and the integrity of the assessments. Key words: REMOTE TEACHING; COVID-19; FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING ES El cambio a la enseñanza en línea que se ha producido para contener la propagación del Coronavirus ha llevado al Grupo de Investigación y Acción sobre la Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras a publicar una encuesta con el objetivo de evaluar el impacto de la instrucción a distancia en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras. En dicha encuesta participaron 136 profesores y 241 estudiantes de nivel universitario y secundario. El objetivo de este artículo es describir el contenido de la encuesta y la composición de la muestra, así como presentar los principales hallazgos. De esta encuesta cabe destacar (i) la falta de directrices claras por parte de las instituciones educativas, lo que es un síntoma del carácter contingente de las medidas implementadas; (ii) una resistencia generalizada a experimentar con nuevos recursos pedagógicos mejor adaptados al formato digital; (iii) una gran desventaja en el desarrollo de la capacidad de interacción y comunicación orales; (iv) un alto nivel de dificultad para garantizar la fiabilidad y la integridad de las evaluaciones. Palabras clave: ENSEÑANZA A DISTANCIA; COVID-19; ENSEÑANZA DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (XXII) ◽  
pp. 171-186
Author(s):  
Anna Godzich

This paper discusses the presence of food-related phraseology in Italian football language and Italian football chronicles and its Polish functional equivalents. The study demonstrates the significance of the relation between contrastive linguistics and applied phraseology as brodino and mozzarella have more than one functional equivalent in Polish. Brodino can be translated as strzał tylko do statystyk, zbyt lekki strzał, zbyt lekki strzał w sam środek bramki and mozzarella as niesatysfakcjonujący remis, niedosyt, ciężkostrawny podział punktów, zwycięstwo potrzebne z uwagi na trudną sytuację w tabeli, trzy cenne punkty. As the author indicates, the presence of food-related phraseological units in Italian football terminology proves that culture-related aspects are crucial to master the target language. Hence, the role of such terminology in transla-tion of specialist and journalistic texts and the role of phraseological competences in the process of foreign language teaching should be highly important in educational processes.


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