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Monday, 18 April 2011 17:40

The Interpreter and Translator Trainer Volume 4, Number 2, 2010

Improving Interpreting Performance through Theatrical Training
Pages: 151-171
Authors: Jinhyun Cho and Peter Roger
Aspiring interpreting professionals need to possess skills which allow them to think quickly in order to deal with unexpected situations that will inevitably arise in the course of interpreting assignments. The complex and inherently unpredictable nature of interpreting can be a major source of anxiety for student interpreters, particularly when they are called upon to perform in a language in which their proficiency and confidence levels are limited. Specific techniques for managing this anxiety, however, are often lacking in interpreter training programmes. This study examines the effects of a programme based on theatrical techniques commonly used in the training of professional actors but tailored specifically for novice interpreters. Two groups of interpreting students each received seven weeks of training in a sequential manner, allowing an external rating of the participants' performance to be carried out before and after the training took place. Results of the external ratings and the participants' own evaluation of their learning revealed significant benefits, with gains particularly evident in the areas of confidence, delivery and rapid problem solving abilities.
Keywords: Interpreting, Theatrical training, Improvisation, Anxiety, Self-confidence

Learner Factors, Self-perceived Language Ability and Interpreter Learning
An Investigation of Hong Kong Tertiary Interpreting Classes
Pages: 173-196
Authors: Jackie Xiu Yan, Jun Pan and Honghua Wang
Numerous interpreter training programmes have been developed to meet the demands for high quality interpreting. Most, if not all, universities of Hong Kong offer interpreting courses. However, empirical studies on interpreting pedagogy are extremely limited. This paper explores the interplay between learner factors, language ability (self-perceived) and interpreting learning in Hong Kong tertiary classrooms. A learner information cluster was developed by the authors to collect information on individual learner factors. It was found that learner factors such as gender, motivation and personal habits, are closely related to students? language learning and interpreting learning. Female students tend to perform better than male students in interpreting classrooms. Personal habits, for example, the habit of reading English- and Chinese-language newspapers, have an impact on students? self-perceived language abilities (in English and Chinese) and their learning of interpreting. The results also indicate that language abilities and interpreting ability are closely connected. Furthermore, in interpreting between English and Chinese, learners? self-perceived overall competence in the English language is the most important predictor of their success in interpreting learning, while their self-perceived English writing ability is the second-most important predictor.
Keywords: Individual differences, Learner factor, Language learning, Interpreter training, Interpreting achievement

Blended Learning in Translator Training
Methodology and Results of an Empirical Validation
Pages: 197-231
Authors: Anabel Galán-Mañas and Amparo Hurtado Albir
This article presents research which aims to evaluate the validity of two teaching proposals for translator training in a blended learning mode: Introduction to translation and Technical-scientific translation. Details are given of the teaching theory from which the design of the proposals is drawn (competence-based training and task based approach), of the concept of blended learning, and of the tools that might be used. Next, the methodology employed to conduct the research and the selection process for the teaching units under investigation is presented. Finally, the research phases are described (pilot study and experiment), along with the data collection instruments, data analysis and results obtained. The validity of the teaching proposal and the multiple advantages of blended learning are established by the research: it permits timetable flexibility and the freedom to organize the workload, it encourages group work and promotes student autonomy and responsibility.
Keywords: Translator training, Blended learning, Assessment, Task and project based learning, Action-research
How Effective is Teaching Note-taking to Trainee Interpreters?
Pages: 233-250
Author: Agnieszka Chmiel
This paper examines the effectiveness of teaching note-taking to trainee interpreters. It first identifies layout, symbols and visualizations as aspects assumed to contribute to more successful consecutive interpreting and then presents contents of a note-taking course. The experimental study described in the paper features interpreting trainees who had previously completed this course as participants. The students were asked to interpret a text into their B language consecutively, submit their notes to the conductor of the experiment and complete a questionnaire. The analysis focuses on certain elements of the source text (concepts to be noted down as symbols, figures, easy to visualize excerpts, etc.) as reflected in the notes and in the questionnaire. The results show that the majority of students focus on correctly writing down numbers, apply visualizations as mnemonics and adhere to well-structured layout principles. However, such elements as symbols are not readily transferable to the students? individual note-taking systems.
Keywords: Note-taking, Consecutive interpreting, Visualization, Note-taking symbols, Layout
FEATURE ARTICLE

Electronic Corpora and Other Information and Communication Technology Tools
Pages: 251-282
Author: Patricia Rodríguez-Inés
Integrating corpora and other related Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications into the translation classroom is not simply about explaining how these tools work or using them to translate. A successful integration requires the acquisition of translation competence in the highly structured and contextualized pedagogical environment that proponents of the task-based approach to translator training advocate. This paper focuses on the development of trainees? (sub)competence to use electronic corpora to translate, one of the (sub)competences that make up the wider construct of translation competence. The purpose of the article is twofold: to showcase the advantages of using electronic corpora when undertaking a specialized translation project at different levels of linguistic and textual organization and to illustrate how the synergies between electronic corpora/ICT tools and other instructional resources can be exploited to maximum pedagogical effect. The author begins by placing the (sub)competence to use electronic corpora to translate within the broader conceptual map of translation competence and delimiting its scope vis-à-vis other instrumental competences. This is followed by an explanation of how different types of electronic corpora are currently used in translation teaching, with emphasis on those that, rather than simply furnishing ready-made solutions, encourage trainees? critical reflection. The final section outlines a sample teaching unit on specialized translation in an attempt to illustrate how trainees? (sub)competence to use electronic corpora to translate can be developed in a task-based environment through a number of sequentially interrelated activities involving the use of corpora and other related ICT tools
Keywords: Corpus-based translation studies, Translation competence, Task-based translator training, Parallel corpora, Bilingual corpora, Comparable corpora, Multilingual corpora, Ad hoc corpora, DIY corpora
REVIEWS

Daniel Gile. Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training
Pages: 283-294
Reviewed by Haidee Kruger

Gyde Hansen, Andrew Chesterman and Heidrun Gerzymisch-Arbogast (eds). Efforts and Models in Interpreting and Translation Research: A Tribute to Daniel Gile
Pages: 295-299
Reviewed by Agnieszka Chmiel

Allison Beeby, Patricia Rodríguez Inés and Pilar Sánchez-Gijón (eds). Corpus Use and Translating: Corpus Use for Learning to Translate and Learning Corpus Use to Translate (Benjamins Translation Library Volume 82)
Pages: 300-306
Reviewed by Dorothy Kenny

Frank Austermühl and Joachim Kornelius (eds). Learning Theories and Practice in Translation Studies
Pages: 306-310
Reviewed by Daryl R. Hague

Brian Mossop. Revising and Editing for Translators, 2nd Edition (Translation Practices Explained)
Pages: 310-314
Reviewed by Michail Sachinis

Edna Andrews and Elena A. Maksimova. Russian Translation: Theory and Practice
Pages: 315-317
Reviewed by Andrew Jameson
Theses Abstracts

 

Type of Publication: Journal issue
Author/Editor:
Year of publication: 2010
Keywords:
Place of Publication & Publisher: Manchester: St Jerome Publishing
Publisher URL: http://www.stjerome.co.uk/periodicals/journal.php?j=107&v=719&i=748
ISBN/ISSN: ISSN: 1757-0417 (Online) / 1750-399X (Print)
Price and ordering information: http://www.stjerome.co.uk/periodicals/journal.php?j=107&v=719&i=748

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