Translation in the language classroom: Multilingualism, diversity, collaboration

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.9.140

Keywords:

TRANSLATION, MULTILINGUALISM, COLLABORATION, ITALIAN PEDAGOGY

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the ways in which translation can be used to foster multilingual competence and intercultural awareness in the foreign language classroom. While translation was described as a vital skill for foreign language learners in a European Commission study (2013), it has also been criticised for hindering the objectives of communicative approaches. This article draws on a number of examples and strategies to examine the potential of translation and, ultimately, to demonstrate how translation can play a key role in language teaching. The translation activities that have been selected place emphasis on collaboration and are designed to challenge cultural stereotypes, as well as monolingual and monocultural assumptions. Translation is presented both as a skill in itself and as a versatile pedagogical tool to improve learners’ confidence, critical thinking, and intercultural competence, both in curricular and in extra-curricular settings.

Author Biographies

Gioia Panzarella, University of Warwick

Gioia Panzarella has recently completed a Ph.D. in Italian (Warwick, 2018). Between 2014 and 2018 she has been a Language tutor at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of the University of Warwick. She specialises in contemporary migration writings in the Italian language and foreign language teaching. In 2016-2017, she coordinated the project, “Collaborative Translation: A Model for Inclusion,” in collaboration with Monash University (Australia), with a focus on the uses of collaborative translation in the language classroom.

Caterina Sinibaldi, University of Warwick

Caterina Sinibaldi is Teaching Fellow and Italian Language Coordinator at the University of Warwick. She holds a PhD in Italian Studies (2013) and an MA in Translation Studies (2008). Her areas of teaching and research include Translation Studies, Italian Fascism, Children’s Literature, and Foreign Language Pedagogy. Previously, she was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Bath, a Lecturer at the University of Manchester, and worked in the Sales and Rights Department of Penguin Random House (London).

Published

2018-12-31

How to Cite

Panzarella, G., & Sinibaldi, C. (2018). Translation in the language classroom: Multilingualism, diversity, collaboration. EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages, 5(2), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.9.140

Issue

Section

Research Articles - Regular Issue

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