Cambridge, 9th September 2019

Translation in language teaching is currently undergoing a process of reassessment and revival. The increasingly diverse linguistic background of today’s populations has led to new needs and challenges in the foreign language classroom, with the mother tongue (L1) and foreign language (L2) occupying different positions to those they were accorded previously. Thus, the strict monolingualism in the target language that became dogma in the latter part of the 20th century has been replaced today by bi-, multi- and plurilingual approaches. In this context, the reintroduction of translation in the foreign language classroom needs to take account of a changed and changing landscape. The inclusion of the notion of mediation as one of the core language activities in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR 2001, Volume Companion, 2018) has provided further basis for normalising the use of translation in language teaching. While there is now wide consensus that translation has an important role to play in language learning, much work remains to be done on the design and implementation of mediation and translation-based activities in the language classroom, and in the language curriculum more broadly.

This conference aims to provide a forum for specialists in the areas of translation pedagogy, language teaching, education, and professional translation to exchange ideas and approaches on the role of translation in language teaching and learning. By engaging with current research and practices coming from a range of disciplinary areas, we hope to bring in a fresh critical dimension to the question that might lead to transformation in the way we view—and operationalise—translation for language learning.

The topics to be discussed will include among others: theoretical and empirical considerations on the role of translation in second language acquisition, the notion of mediation and its pedagogical applications, curricular design at school and higher education level, the multilingual classroom, audiovisual translation for language learning, and teacher training.

Registration

Please click here to register and book your place online.

The standard fee is £30 with a reduced fee of £15 for students (proof of student status will need to be presented). This includes lunch and refreshments at the conference.

A limited number of bursaries are available for state school teachers. Bursary applicants should email organisers (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with a request in advance of their online registration.

A conference dinner will be held at Sidney Sussex College on 9th September (7pm for 7.30pm) for a separate charge of £45.

For more information, visit https://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/tltl-conference