The Interpreter and Translator Trainer

Volume 2, Number 1, 2008

Skill Acquisition in Interpreting: A Human Performance Perspective, pp. 1-28 Barbara Moser-Mercer, Ecole de traduction et d’interprétation (ETI), Université de Genève, Switzerland Performance is central to interpreting, both at the professional level and in the classroom. Successful expert performance that meets the standards set for entry into the profession allows students to transition into the world of professional practice. Past research on the cognitive dimensions of interpreting has led to modelling the interpreting process of the hypothetical expert interpreter with solid professional experience. However, skill acquisition in interpreting and the various stages learners pass through towards more expert performance cannot readily be explained with the models developed for expert interpreters. There are numerous factors that co-determine successful expert performance; many of them, however, are not replicated in novice performance; also, the learning environment produces additional factors that will not transition into professional practice. This paper attempts to look at skill acquisition in interpreting from a performance psychology perspective, with particular reference to the development of adaptive expertise. Additional data are presented to provide a first performance psychology look at the ageing interpreting student. The author seeks to model the interpreting student’s learning environment as it has evolved in the 21st century as well as the skill acquisition process in the age of new technologies. Admission Testing for Interpreting Courses, pp. 29-46 Šárka Timarová, Charles University, Czech Republic & Lessius University College, Belgium, and Harry Ungoed-Thomas, Ecole de traduction et d’interprétation (ETI), Université de Genève, Switzerland Admission testing is an integral part of interpreter training, yet it is surrounded by much controversy and scepticism. This paper first looks into some general principles of designing an admission test (its purpose, link with curriculum, effectiveness and efficiency of testing), emphasizing the dissociation between skills to be tested and tests used for tapping them. The authors then present data from a small-scale study in which 18 interpreting schools provided information on their admission testing practice and answered questions related to the skills tested and tests employed, and to the overall efficiency of their admission procedure. Based on this analysis, they conclude that there is a reasonable consensus among schools in terms of which tests are best suited to test which skill, but that new approaches to admission testing are needed to improve their efficiency. More specifically, the authors suggest that schools improve their recording systems, that soft skills are included in formal testing, and that new testing methods are explored. Towards User-centred Information Literacy Instruction in Translation: The View of Trainers, pp. 47-74 María Pinto, University of Granada, Spain and Dora Sales, University Jaume I, Spain This paper is part of a broader research project currently in progress, the main goal of which is to provide translators and interpreters with a solid grounding in information literacy. To this end, the broader project attempts to describe students’ conceptions of information needs, search and use (that is, their information behaviour), and also the views of both the community of translator trainers and the community of professional translators and interpreters. The results analyzed here provide the view of trainers, by means of a qualitative case study (using a semi-structured questionnaire for data gathering). They highlight the strengths and weaknesses indicated by the translator trainers regarding students’ actual information competences and the importance of each in their overall training needs. It is hoped that these results, when fully complemented with the views of students and the profession, will provide a more sound, more empirically-grounded basis on which to build efficient syllabuses, and teaching and learning practices for information literacy in translator training. A Reflection on Action Research Processes in Translator Training: Project on Group Work in Level 2 Translation Classes, pp. 75-92 Séverine Hubscher-Davidson, university of Salford, UK Trainers commonly use group work in translation classes, as it is thought to provide a beneficial learning experience for students. However, according to informal feedback from undergraduate students gathered in 2006, working in groups is not perceived by all to be a positive experience or useful method of learning. The aim of this project, carried out in 2006-2007, was to gain a better understanding of both trainers’ and students’ perspectives on – and perceptions of – group work, and assess its generally unchallenged use in the classroom, to the detriment of other methods of working. In order to gather feedback from participants, the author chose to use questionnaires and to video-record a translation class. Although the Action Research produced mixed results, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data made it possible to reflect on the processes inherent in Action Research. Methodology, power relationships, perceptions and expectations of participants are discussed, with a view to understanding the benefits and drawbacks of this type of research, and to encouraging translation studies trainers to engage in continual reflection on their practice. FEATURES SECTION The Subtitle Project: A Vocational Education Initiative, pp. 93-114 Chris Rundle, Università di Bologna, Italy This article discusses the pedagogical relevance of a research project into professional subtitling practices in Italy which is coordinated by the author at the University of Bologna. The key feature of this initiative relates to its collaborative dynamics: research is carried out by students writing their final dissertations, working together as a team and pooling their resources and findings. The author contends that taking part in this collective enquiry-based experience is as important for the students as the actual results of their investigation and discusses in detail the pedagogical benefits of this approach. The article begins by describing the inception stages of the project, conceived as an attempt to capitalize on the traditionally high weighting of the final dissertation within Italian degree programmes − and hence on the important amount of effort that students are likely to put into it. After describing the pedagogical and research tools used in the project, the paper goes on to present the results achieved in the first 2-3 years of the project’s life; illustrate how the students’ work has influenced the author’s teaching practices as a subtitler trainer; and evaluate the implications of this experience for translator training in general. REVIEWS Martin Forstner and Hannelore Lee-Jahnke (eds). CIUTI-Forum Paris 2005: Regards sur les aspects culturels de la communication. Reviewed by Christina Schäffner, University of Aston, UK Christiane Nord. Text Analysis in Translation: Theory, Methodology, and Didactic Application of a Model for Translation-oriented Text Analysis (Amsterdamer Publikationen zur Sprache und Literatur, vol. 94). Second edition Reviewed by Jeremy Munday, University of Leeds, UK Jean Delisle. La traduction raisonnée, 2e édition. (Collection: Pédagogie de la traduction / Didactics of Translation). Reviewed by Elisabeth Lavault-Olléon, Université Stendhal Grenoble 3, France Jesús de Manuel Jerez (ed.). Nuevas tecnologías y formación de intérpretes Reviewed by Richard Samson, University of Vic, Spain THESIS ABSTRACTS Mary Ann Kenny: Discussion, Cooperation and Collaboration: Group Learning in an Online Translation Classroom Inmaculada Soriano García: Evaluación de un programa de movilidad en la formación de traductores: expectativas, experiencias y grado de satisfacción de los participantes, profesores y gestores del intercambio MGLU-UGR-ULPGC María Estalayo: La creatividad y la formación de traductores Maria Kasandrinou: Training for Translation: The Case of Specialized Translation Training and Art Texts Suzanne Ehrlich-Martin: A Case Study of an American Sign Language Course Taught via Videoconferencing

Posted by Federico Zanettin on 6th Mar 2008
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