EMPHASIS OF THE DOCUMENTARY STAGE USING GLOSSARIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH- SPANISH TECHNICAL TRANSLATIONS IN SECOND YEAR

TRANSLATION STUDENTS

Daniela Prez Ossa Universidad de Tarapac

MA in The Teaching of English / Action Research seminar Prof. Ramn A. Barrientos Ph.D December 20th, 2010

Presentation This paper presents an action-research project requested as part of the Action-research seminar of the Masters Degree in the Teaching of English, by Professor Ramn Barrientos Ph.D. of the Universidad de Tarapac in Arica, Chile. This paper was delivered on December 20th, 2010 and the grade is equivalent to the 70% of the total grade of the seminar.

INDEX

Abstract ...............................................................................................................2 Introduction .........................................................................................................3 Objectives of the study ........................................................................................4 Literature review .................................................................................................5 Research design ...................................................................................................9 Action-research methodology ..................................................................10 Data analysis.............................................................................................15 Results ......................................................................................................16 Discussion ................................................................................................18 Conclusion .........................................................................................................19 References ........................................................................................................20 Appendix ...........................................................................................................23

Abstract

Despite the rise of translation programs in many universities there are not fixed procedures or methods to teach translation. The following paper presents an action research project that began in September, 2010 and which aim was to improve the technical translations produced by second year translation students of the English- Spanish translator- training program at the Arturo Prat University in Arica, Chile. The data for this research was collected from September 6th to November 29th, 2010. Through the analysis of the translations produced by the students, interviews, questionnaires, case studies and a reflexive journal, the aim of the action research was to reflect, understand and provide a solution to a problem in the translation classroom by planning and executing an action, and also to provide new insights to the researches in the translation field.

Key words: Technical translations English proficiency Documentary stage Glossary

Introduction

Today many universities are imparting translation programs; however there are not fixed procedures or methods to teach translation. Considering the fact that research on translation studies is quite new, this research addresses a topic that has not previously been examined, through several methods to gather data this action research might help teachers to improve the methods they use to teach translation and also can provide new insights to the researches in the translation field, as the action implemented in the research intends to improve the technical translations produced by second year translation students of a English- Spanish translator training program by emphasizing the documentation stage with the use of glossaries created by the students before translating.

This paper was based on the action research process specified by Burns (1999) and Cohen, Manion and Morrison (cited by Mckay,2006) which are: exploring, identifying, consulting with interested parties, reviewing research literature, planning, collecting data, analyzing/reflecting,hyphothesising/speculating,intervening,observing,reporting,writing and finally presenting it.

Following the objectives of the study, revision of the existing literature on translation, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion.

Objectives of the study

This paper is under the action research methodological-theoretical framework seen in Action-research seminar of the Masters Degree in the Teaching of English, by Professor Ramn Barrientos Ph.D. of the Universidad de Tarapac. The objectives are: General objective: To achieve the objectives required by the Action-research seminar, which is to execute an action research in the translation II class at the Arturo Prat University in Arica, Chile, by employing the respective action research methods and techniques.

Specific objectives:

To improve the following features in the technical translations produced by students: Accuracy in the meaning transference. Fluency. Understandability. Coherence.

Selection and use of specialized and technical terms according to the text function, type of reader, register and style.

The declared specific objectives will help to accomplish the general objective.

Literary review

Translation is an ancient activity that paradoxically has developed in the last decades because of rising international trade, increased migration, globalization, the recognition of linguistic minorities, and the expansion of the mass media and technology. This has made translators to play an important role as a bilingual or multi-lingual cross-cultural transmitter of culture and truths by attempting to interpret concepts and speech in a variety of texts. The translation market is among those that have changed most rapidly and dramatically following the consolidation of the use of the computer and the advent of the World Wide Web and globalization (Kiraly, 2000).

The relevance of translation in our society can be seen in the fact that many universities are now imparting translation programs. However, according to Hurtado (1999) not until recently there has been any systematic study of translation; the few existing studies are a descriptive study done by Collados As (1993) which refers to the errors in translation, a study done by Toury (1995) on norms and strategies, socio cultural studies related with the role of the translator/interpreter as cultural mediator, studies related with the translation processes (Newmark, 1988) and the translator competence by Kelly (2002, 2005).

Despite the fact that there are not fixed classroom procedures or methods within the teaching of translation (Kiraly, 2000), there are three basic stages within the translation process (Newmark, 1988) that are taught as base of the translator education:

a. the interpretation and analysis of the SL text;

b. the translation procedure (choosing equivalents for words and sentences in the TL), and c. the reformulation of the text according to the writer's intention, the reader's expectation, the appropriate norms of the TL, etc.

It is also important to mention the documentary stage which consist in consulting different written sources in order to acquire terminological and thematic knowledge

necessary to translate (Delisle,1993), this stage has no fix order and it is usually taught as part of the translation procedure, however in the practice this is no emphasized.

Currently, the teaching of translation considers the steps proposed by Newmark and follows a functionalist approach to go hand in hand with the current market tendency. Functionalism opposes to the traditional definition of translation which aim is to reproduce in the target language the nearest equivalent to the message in the source language, in the first place in the semantic aspect and, in the second place, in the stylistic aspect (Nida and Taber, 1974).

The functional approach was born from Hans J. Vermeers Skopos theory, in which Skopos is the technical term for the aim or purpose of a translation (Vermeer, 2000), therefore, the translator working under this approach must interpret the source text information by selecting those features which most closely correspond to the requirements of the target situation (Shuttleworth & Cowie, 1997) and not the exact equivalence of the word (as it will appear in a bilingual dictionary). From this point of view, the translation process is not necessarily determined by the source text, its effects on its addressees, or the intention of its author, but by the skopos of the target text as determined by the client or the teacher`s requirements. The translation then is the production of a functionally appropriate target text based on an existing source text. According to this, if the aim is to fulfill a client`s requirements, documentary research must be performed to obtain enough information about the topic in order to know what words corresponds to a specific field, its register, style, etc. For example, the word crush has the following direct equivalence in a bilingual dictionary1 : aplastar, machacar, pisar, arrugar. However, in the mining field its equivalence would be chancar. That is why with the onset of groundbreaking technological advances it is natural that many translation scholars stress the need for online information resources as part of the modern translator education, as this resources are wider and updated, the necessary to acquire terminological and thematic knowledge.
1. According to a Collins English- Spanish bilingual dictionary.

In relation to this, Kiraly (1995, 2000) is particularly critical of the traditional translation classroom, where in his view the students role is that of passive absorption, and where the teacher is little more than a dispenser of correct answers, or better, a repository of translation equivalents and strategies that are to be made available to the entire class when one student displays a gap in his or her knowledge by suggesting a faulty translation (2000). This means that the instruction is teacher-centred, and the teacher itself is seen as a source of knowledge and students roles are passive; they are supposed to learn by being exposed to the expert knowledge the teacher possesses.

Despite the previous, it has been said that translation is not teachable, or that it depends closely of the language proficiency of the source and target language (according to this logic all bilinguals will be translators), however according to Kelly (2002) translation is teachable craft defined as macro competence constituted by a set of abilities, skills, knowledge and attitudes. These can be broken down into the following sub competencies intimately related to each other: communicative and textual, cultural, thematic, psychophysiological, interpersonal professional instrumental and strategic. Being this two last related with the use of documentary sources and with resolution of problems, self evaluation and revision. Besides teaching the previous sub competences, when evaluating translations with the skopos approach we have to consider if they are successful by fulfilling the objectives of a translation briefs. However, this does not mean that the skopos does not have dimensions or criterions for its evaluation and verification, this means that in order to evaluate

translations, especially in a classroom context, it is necessary the use of a rubric that considers accuracy in transference, coherence, language and style among other features. In relation to the evaluation of translation, according to Nord an error is defined as a failure to carry out the instructions implied in the translation brief and as an inadequate solution to a translation problem(1991), then the following errors in translations can be mentioned: pragmatic translation errors, which are the result of lack of

receiver orientation, cultural translation errors, which are due to an inadequate decision with regard to reproduction or adaptation of culture-specific conventions, text-specific translation errors, which are related to a text-specific translation problem and linguistic translation errors, caused by an inadequate language structures.

According to Nord (1997) errors are in most cases "due to deficiencies in the translator's source- or target-language competence, however, such errors may also be made by translators who are linguistically competent, but have low ethical standards, for example, translator that do not know anything about the topic they are translating.

Nord argues that for students with poor language abilities translating becomes "an instrument for foreign-language learning, with the focus on linguistic correctness rather than communicative or functional appropriateness", therefore, it is important that a person should have attained adequate language proficiency before embarking on a translator's career and Mikoyan (2000) believes that translation skills proper should not be neglected [] but should come after serious language competence training, and some scholars take the view that training into a foreign language should be undertaken only after a high level of proficiency in the foreign language has been achieved. However, as we know, this is not always possible, as usually the translator competences are taught at the same time with a foreign language, therefore it is important to help students to achieve successful translations without relaying completely on the foreign language proficiency.

The previous provides sufficient rationale for the current investigation.

Research Design

Background information

The class in which this research was performed corresponds to the Translation II course of the English- Spanish translator - training program at the Arturo Prat University in Arica. This program lasts 2 years and a half. Its curriculum is mainly based on English and translation classes; however it also has information information technology and organizational management classes. The syllabus of the specific course I teach is based on technical translations i.e. translation of texts which relate to technological subject areas (medicine, mining, engineering, ecology, etc). The class itself is constituted by 7 students (4 women and 3 men) of diverse socio cultural backgrounds (some students are from other cities, some of them have previous studies, etc), their ages vary from 20 to 28, being 22 the average. All of them work during the day. The class meets 3 times a week, on Monday and Wednesday (from 7 pm to 9 pm) and on Thursday (from 7 pm to 10 pm). According to my conversations with the program coordinator and the students during the first and second semester, the teacher of translation my students had on the first year never had translations studies nor experience as translator, this was noticed by the students which according to them never give them feedback of their translations (they only received the grade, but no comments) and all doubts regarding specific vocabulary had to be asked directly to him; sometimes he just limited to write some vocabulary words he chose on the board. Eventually the teacher was dismissed by time incompatibility and the students` repetitive complains. In relation to the previous point, it can be said that the former teacher did not have the necessary competences to teach and to provide useful resources and mediums for the students.

None of my students had previous knowledge of English (according to them they did not learn in school), therefore they have learned English at the university; currently students`

English proficiency can be classified as intermediate2 in listening comprehension and reading comprehension, according to the parameters of TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), an English language test designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment. The two English courses they have in the program prepare them to take that exam. According to TOEIC, the intermediate level (between 405-600 points) implies that one can: understand basic technical manuals for beginners, use a dictionary to understand more highly technical documents, read agenda for a meeting, write with short memos, letters of complaint, description of processes and fill out simple application forms.

Action-research methodology

As it was pointed out this research was under action research, which according to Nunan (1992) and Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) is a type of research that has three defining characteristics: it is carried out by practitioners, it is collaborative and it is aimed to change things; specifically in this case these changes aim to improve classroom practice (Berthoff, cited by Cochran-Smith, 1993). In order to have a more precise methodology, the processes of action research followed in this research were the one proposed by Burns (1999) and Cohen, Manion and Morrison (cited by Mckay, 2006) which are: exploring, identifying, consulting with interested

parties, reviewing research literature, planning, collecting data, analyzing/reflecting, hypothesizing /speculating, intervening, observing, reporting, writing and presenting the research.

2.

Data provided by the coordinator of the program and the English teacher. This data was corroborated on http://www.ets.org/toeic

The techniques to gather data in this research were qualitative in nature, however this does not exclude quantitative techniques to express results. This approach was adopted in order to allow an in-depth exploration of the class: Observation and field notes of the class during 75 hours, from September 6th to November 29th, 2010. Analysis of 3 translations tasks (21 translations) of the same length and difficulty (formal descriptive texts with technical language and clear grammar structures) with a rubric (see Appendix) before and after the implementation of the action (42 translations in total) Reflexive journal (See Appendix). 2 anonymous semi- structured questionnaires (See Appendix for the translated questionnaires). Semi structured interviews (See Appendix). Case study of 3 students (See Appendix)

Following a description of the process carried out in this research:

This action research began by exploring the class in which I teach translation. I began to take notes of the observable behaviors and conversations with my students and other teachers; I also began to write a reflexive journal. With the previous I noticed the main issue that worried me: considering that my students are finishing their program, their translations did not reach a level of acceptability; of course, this also worried them as it was reflected in their grades (average 4.5). The three first translations we did on the semester were evaluated with a rubric based on the basic principles of the functionalist approach proposed by Vermeer and supported by Nord

(1994) which was developed years ago by Eduardo Vliz Ojeda, professor of translations of the Universidad de Tarapac, and which I use since I began teaching translation.

Through the preliminary observation and data gathering of the class during the first weeks of September I identified the following:

Despite the fact that in the first semester I taught the steps within the translation process, considering the documentary stage, my students just limited to read and translate directly.

After the analysis of 21 translations, I notice that students did not produce acceptable translations due to pragmatic errors, problems in the election (or total absence) of accurate equivalences , i.e. students tended to select equivalences that were not appropriate for the register, field or style of the text.

Student did not have the tools to look for more information of the topic they were translating, as the library is too small and limited and there is no access to internet in the classroom.

Bilingual dictionaries are not helpful enough for the translation of technical translations. Student level of English can be classified as intermediate according to TOEIC. Considering time, students must produce acceptable translation without relaying completely in their English proficiency.

Therefore the question of this action research was formed considering the level of English of my students, the translations they produced, the lack of time on the program (considering the last semester in 2011, 9 months) and the opinion of the interested parties: What can be done to improve second year students ` translation in such little time?

At the third week of preliminary observation I proceed to develop a plan of action for gathering data, in which I decided to use qualitative data gathering techniques in order to have a more rich understanding. On Monday 27th September, 2010 I applied an anonymous semi- structured questionnaire in Spanish, it was anonymous in order to not influence the learners response and semi- structured in order to avoid the bias of introducing or

imposing my own opinion, along with this I interviewed 3 random students the second week of October, in order to get more information and triangulate the answers from the questionnaires. This two gathering data techniques were created considering three variables: students` needs regarding infrastructure, tools, students needs regarding methodology and student`s perceptions about their performance, development, skills and proficiency. I also performed 3 case studies considering the students with the highest, average and lowest grade in order to study the particularity and complexity of a single case (Stake cited by Drney, 2007). Subsequently, I reached a point of saturation i.e. a point in which further data does not seem to add new information (Nunan, 1992), therefore having already reviewed the existing literature, I began to analyze the data from the case study, interviews, reflexive journal, questionnaires and translations done so far (See Data analysis and Results), which led me to hypothesize considering that we could not rely on the English proficiency, time and that according students` perception they error only relied on word selection due ignorance of the translated topic and not other factors: The confection of glossaries and reading of parallels texts3 in Spanish will improve the accuracy in the meaning transference, text fluency, understandability, coherence, selection and use of specialized and technical terms according to the text function, type of reader, register and style in the translations produced by the second year translation students of the translation II class. The next phase was to implement a pedagogical procedure to emphasize the documentary stage, with the use of glossaries and Spanish parallel texts. In order to do that, I needed a much bigger source of information than a bilingual dictionary; therefore, I had to request the computer laboratory formally to the university. My aim was to have the three weekly sessions there, however due the high demand of the classroom I was only granted 2 hours a week, on Mondays. As part of the intervention I explained my students the relevance of the documentary stage in order to acquire terminological and thematic knowledge. I proceed to ask my students to read the source text, underline the words of technical character they did not known and then create a glossary. This glossary had to be ready within the 2 hours we used the computer

laboratory, and also they had to look for parallel texts in Spanish in order to have a depth understanding of the subject. The glossary and the texts had to the base for the translations and they should be used in the other sessions. Along with this I continued with my reflexive journal, now in order to record the outcomes of the intervention. As I rapidly noticed that my students were not bringing parallel texts (as according to them it was a time-consuming task) and that their glossaries were not complete (just the word and its equivalence ), I proceeded to design a glossary chart that considered the unknown word, its equivalence, the Spanish definition and source (See Appendix), which they had to fill in according to their void on certain topic. This was an obligatory process that had to be performed before translating which would provide them the necessary documentation to translate a technical text. After the individual confection of the glossary charts, the findings were compared and shared in form of unstructured oral discussions by the students. On Thursday 25th November, I applied a second questionnaire, after the 3 translations tasks using the glossary. I also analyzed and evaluated those 3 translations tasks with the same rubric previously used and the evolution of the case studies.

Following the results of this action-research.

Data analysis

In order to make an analysis I compiled the data obtained from the reflexive journal, interviews, case studies and the first questionnaire into four categories:

Types of errors in translations

Students needs regarding infrastructure and tools

Students needs regarding methodology

Students` perceptions (on performance, development, skills and proficiency)

The translations were analyzed with a rubric (See Appendix).

Then I proceeded to find patterns in the answers, analyzed translations and observable behaviors.

Results

The preliminary results provided by the data analysis were the following:

1. All students agreed on 100% that translation should be taught considering the use of computers and updated online data bases, encyclopedias and dictionaries (bilingual and monolingual). 2. 6 out of 7 students agreed on that their errors on translations were due their ignorance on the topic which led to errors in word selection.

After the implementation of the confection of glossary through a chart, the results were the following:

1. The emphasis of a documentary stage with the confection of glossaries according to the students` needs improved the accuracy in the meaning transference, text fluency, understandability, coherence, use of specialized and technical terms and the language employed of translations according to the text function, type of reader, register and style. This was reflected on the increase of course average grade from 4.5 to 5.6, that means an increase of 24%.

2. The improvement on the understanding of the translated topic and word management was also reflected on classroom participation with discussions about certain ideas regarding the translations. This could be attributable to the fact that each student satisfied their needs regarding specialized and technical vocabulary which lead to the comparison, and therefore discussion of the different and unique glossaries.

Discussion

The previous sections of this paper showed the processes and results of an action research performed in a translation class at the Arturo Prat University in Arica, Chile, which aim was to improve the technical translations produced by the students. According to the obtained results from the gathered data it is possible to affirm that the confection of glossaries according to the students needs (and not a glossary imposed by the teacher) was successful in the improvement of the translation, this means, the translations were understandable, fluent, coherent, presented all the points of the source text and showed word selection appropriate with the text function, type of reader, register and field. Also this was reflected in the increase of the course average grade and the students participation in class. However, this success can be attributable to the interest and ethic of the translator student as sometimes one or two just limited to copy and paste information without reading, this maintained the ignorance in certain topic and maintained the errors in the translations. It is possible to say that the class began to have a constructivist approach, as the confection of glossaries took into account the learners` knowledge without imposing which words they had to look for, therefore students themselves had to shape their own knowledge. It is important to mention that constructivism is opposite to the traditionalist teaching methods in that the first requires a dynamic interaction in which the student is an active interpreter that has to reflect on meanings and not passive recipient information, therefore constructivism led to the transformation of the classroom, allowing students empowerment to act responsibly, autonomously and competently. The classroom itself can facilitate the process through which these future translators join the profession. The total agreement of students in the need for a computer laboratory available emphasizes the proposal done by Kiraly (2000) of a translator as a multilingual and multicultural communication expert, and this also calls for the attention of the university itself as it should considers a rigorous selection of the teachers with proper competences and the infrastructural needs for the maintenance and development of the program.

Conclusion

The presented action research had as an aim to improve the technical translations of second year students of the translation training-program at the Universidad Arturo Prat in Arica, Chile, by working collaboratively with them in order to understand the learning environment. The aim of this action research was to reflect, understand and provide a solution to a problem in a classroom by planning and executing an action, and also to provide new insights into the translation field. The hypothesis of this action-research cannot be partially confirmed as the use of parallel text was dismissed, however the initial research question (what can be done to improve second year students` translations in such little time?) was answered and achieved good results, as on the basis of the data collected the findings showed that translations can be improved with the emphasis of the documentary stage through glossaries made by each student according to their needs and voids about a topic. The use of a computer laboratory prove to be a great tool for the confection of this glossaries, and showed that the university do not provide the necessary conditions for the development of the program, as it should consider a rigorous selection of the teachers with proper competences and a proper infrastructure. Finally, this investigation might help translation teachers to reflect on their performance and especially on the methodologies and techniques they employ in translation classes translation and universities or program coordinators to provide the necessary for the development of a translation program. Further investigation is required to have a complete picture of the phenomenon.

References

Allwright, D.(2003). Exploratory Practice: rethinking practitioner research in language teaching. Language Teaching Research, 7,2: Arnold Allwright, D. & K.M. Bailey. (1991). Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language Teachers. Chapters 2 and 3. Cambridge : CUP. Altrichter, H., Posch,P. & Somekh B. (1993). Teachers Investigate their Work: An Introduction to Methods of Action Research. Chapter 7. Baker, M. (2001) Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London: Routledge Bassnett, S. (2002). Translation Studies. London: Routledge. Bassnett, S. (1991) Translation Studies. Revised edition London and New York: Routledge. Burns,A. (1999) Collaborative action research for English language teachers.Chapters 1, 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cochran-Smith, M. & S.L. Lythe. (1993). Inside Outside: Teacher Research and Knowledge. Chapter 2. New York/London. Teachers College Press. Costello, J.M.( 2003). Action Research. Chapter 6. London/NY: Continuum. Crookes, G. (1993). Action Research for Second Language Teachers: Going Beyond Teacher Research. Applied Linguistics, Vol. 14, 2 : OUP. Delisle, J. (1993): La Traduction Raisone, Canada: Ottawa. Drnyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Chapters 2,3, 6, 7, 8 ,10, 11, 13.Oxford; OUP Douglas R. (2003) Becoming a Translator: An Introduction Cochran-Smith, M. and Lythe S. 1993. Inside Outside: Teacher Research and Knowledge. Chapter 2. New York/London. Teachers College Press. Freeman, D. (1998). Doing Teacher Research. Appendix. Boston: Heinle and Heinle. Hernandez,R., Fernandez,C., & Baptista,P. (2006). Metodologa de la investigacin. Mxico: McGraw-Hill.

Hurtado ,A. (1999) Ensear a traducir: metodologa en la formacin de traductores e interpretes. Madrid: Edelsa. Hurtado,A. (1996) La enseanza de la traduccin. Madrid: Edelsa James, P. (2001). Teachers in Action: Tasks for In-service Language Teacher Education and Development. Chapter 4. Cambridge: CUP. Kelly,D. (2002).Un modelo de competencia traductora: bases para el diseo curricular, Puentes. Hacia nuevas investigaciones en la mediacin intercultural. 1,9-20 Kiraly,D. (2000) A Social Constructivist Approach to Translator Education. UK. St.Jerome Publishing. Kiraly, D. (1995) Pathways to Translation: Pedagogy and Process. Kent, Ohio and London: Kent State University Press. Mckey, S. (2006). Researching Second Language Classroom. New Jersey: Erlbaum Mikoyan, A. (2000) Target language competence in translation: Priorities in training translators into the non-mother tongue (Russian-English). In M. Grosman et al., eds., 205209. Newmark, P (1988)., A Text Book on Translation, London, Prentice Hall. Nida, E. (1964) Towards a Science of Translating. Leiden: Brill. Nida.E and Taber C.(1974) The Theory and Practice of Translation, Leiden, E.J. Brill Nord, C. (1991) Text Analysis in Translation: Theory, Methodology, and Didactic Application of a Model for Translation-Oriented Text Analysis. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Nord, C. (1994). Translation as a process of linguistic and cultural adaptation in C. Dollerup and A. Lindegaard (eds.). Teaching translation and interpreting 2. Insights, aims, visions, Amsterdam-Philadelphia, John Benjamins. Nord, C. (1997). Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained. Manchester: St. Jerome. Nunan, D. 1992. Research Methods in Language Teaching. Chapters 1 and 10. Cambridge: CUP. Richards, J. (ed.) (1998). Teaching in Action. Case Studies from Second Language Classrooms. Alexandria Va: TESOL.

Shuttleworth, M. & M. Cowie. (1997). Dictionary of Translation Studies. Manchester, UK: St Jerome Publishing Vermeer, H. J. (2000). Skopos and commission in translational action (A. Chesterman, Trans.). In L. Venuti (Ed.) The translation studies reader(pp. 221-32). London: Routledge. Wallace, M.J. (1998). Action Research for Language Teachers. Chapters 2, 3, and 8. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wright, T. (1990). Understanding Classroom Role Relationships. In Jack Richards and D. Nunes (eds.) Second Language Teacher Education. Cambridge; CUP

APPENDIX
1. Rubric

Student`s name: Translation Project`s name: Dimension

Criterion

Unsatisfactory 1,0-3,9

Satisfactory 4,0-5,0

Good 5,1-6,0

Very good 6,1-7,0

Accuracy in the meaning transference:

(30%)

The translation shows with accuracy the message of the source text. The translation presents all the points or sections of the source text and, in case of omission this are justified. The target text present a logic secuence of ideas and cohesive elements that grant it coherence. There are no contradiction, senseless ideas or conceptual, factual, mathematical or chronological errors. The text can be read with fluency. There are clear connections between sentences and the different sections of the text. The language employed is appropriate to the reader`s profile and the function of the translated text. Accurate use of specialized and technical terms The employed phraseology in the target text is equivalent to the one employed in texts of the same genre of the source language. Besides, the rhetoric preferences of the target

Content:

(15%)

Lenguage and style:

(25%)

Use of theories and technical knowlegde of translation: (20%)

language are respected. Appropriate use of translation procedures. The translation is coherent with the given instructions y the needs of the context. Use of translation strategies to solve problems.

Mechanic and presentation:

(10%)

The translation project adheres to the official norms established by the program, faculty and university. The translation project respects the norms of spelling, punctuation, accentuation and other mechanical aspects of a written document. There are no problems in relation with the format of the text (indentation, margins, typography, etc). There are no problems in relation with the organization of the information (page numeration, figures, graphics, pictures, titles and subtitles, index, footnotes, etc)

2. Questionnaires:
Following translations of the applied semi- structured questionnaires: Questionnaire I (Applied on Monday 27th September, 2010)

1. How would you qualify your translations? (e.g. bad, good, so-so, improving, good, very good) Why?

2. What are the steps that you employ to translate?

3. What difficulties do you encounter in the translation tasks? (e.g. , syntax, unknown words, lack of information, etc)

4. What do you think helps you translate? (e.g., English proficiency, writing skills, a good dictionary, etc)

5. What do you think it is necessary to translate in classes and improve your translations? (e.g., more bilingual dictionaries, computers, internet connection, encyclopedias, more teacher assistance, etc)

Questionnaire II

(Applied on Thursday 25th November, 2010)

1. Currently, how would you qualify your translations? (e.g. , bad, good, so-so, good, very good)

2. If they have improved this time, do you think the use of Spanish parallel texts or glossaries has helped you to accomplish that?

3. Currently, what difficulties do you encounter in the translation tasks?

4. What other factors have helped you to improve your translations?

3. Interview

Following the translation of the most important question of the semi structured interview:

1.What do you think about your performance in the translation class?

2.What are the common errors or difficulties that you face when translating?

3.How do you feel when you face those errors?

4.How do you think they can be solved?

5.What do you think is necessary to change in order to improve your grades?

6.Do you think your level of English if a relevant factor in translation?

4. Case studies

Constanza Constanza is 22 years old; she is the most quiet of my students. She works as secretary in a private office, however she wants to work as a fly attendant or anything related to airplanes. She hardly ever misses classes and she is very responsible. According to her TOEIC results so far she has an intermediate level of English. She is the best student in the class, even thought her average grade in translation was 5.6. At the beginning of the semester, her main problem when translating were the selection of accurate words according to the contexts and sometimes incoherence in some sentences, according to her this incoherence was attributable to the fact she did not know anything about the subject she was translating. Constanza was receptive to the use of parallel texts and confection of glossaries before translating, and made lots of negative comments regarding the previous teachers; however, I noticed that she limited to the confection of glossaries, as it was a way of advancing and delivering the translations faster. Despite this, her translations on the following 3 translations (with the application of the glossary chart) were very good, especially in the selection of terms and coherence, finally getting a 6.7 as average grade at the end of the semester.

Daniel Daniel is a very quiet student. He is 33 years old and he works as manager of a tourism agency. He usually missed my classes and the times he attended had to fight for not falling sleep. According to his TOEIC results so far he has not reach an intermediate level yet. At the beginning of the semester his translations were really poor, presenting high degrees of incoherence, inadequate language structures and inaccuracy, I even suspected that that could have been product of automatic online translator; however his production in class gave the same results. His average grade was the lowest of the class (3.4). We had some discussions regarding his grades, as he thought I was very intolerant with word selection, spelling and punctuation mistakes and in his word I did not negotiate the grades.

As Daniel missed my classes he was always behind schedule and missed the instructions therefore he always delivered his translation days or a week after even if they only had to send them by e- mail. After the implementation of glossaries, especially the glossary chart, his translations improved, especially in the selection of words according to the context and register, getting a 4.2 as average grade after 3 translations. However, a few times he delivered poorly confectioned glossaries (apparently done in 5 minutes) and until the last date of observation he delivered his translation out of time.

Diego Diego has 23 years old. He works at the counter of an airline company. He is very friendly and he is always asking me questions regarding the translator`s career and translations theories. According to his TOEIC results so far he has an intermediate level of English. Considering the three first translation projects his average grade was 4.4; his main errors were selection of inaccurate words according to the contexts structures. The implementation of the computer laboratory on Mondays affected Diego as he was distracted with social networks (e.g. , facebook) and instant online messaging programs and sometimes he did not perform the tasks asked, however several times he used successfully online dictionaries or language forums to solve translation problems, along with this, the confection of glossaries helped him to improve the accuracy of his translations, getting a 5.6 as average grade of the three translations made with the glossary chart. His translation still presented some minor word order errors, which I attribute to his lack of concentration in the classroom. and inadequate language

5. Reflexive journal
Following an extract of most relevant parts of the reflective journal written between September 6th to November 29th, 2010. September 6th, 2010 It worries me to think that my students only work with basic bilingual dictionaries that obviously do not provide them the base for translating Is it possible to translate without having an advanced proficiency in English? I think the campus does not have the appropriate infrastructure for this program; the library is ridiculously small and there is only one classroom with computers that is used by the whole campus []translation students must have computers available every day. September 8th, 2010 After talking with the program coordinator and see students results on TOEIC, I cannot blame students English proficiency of affecting totally their translationsIt is much important how they express themselves in Spanish, they should be good in their mother tongue in order to be good English-Spanish translator as the finality of the target text is to be understood by the reader October1st, 2010 I notice that students are not sure of the words they select I wish the three two notebooks (brought by the students) I see in class were helpful, however there is not internet signal .

October 8th, 2010 despite the fact the first semester I taught the translation process and their steps, I see that my students do not do that, they limit to read and translate, without considering the type of text or complexity of that they are translating October 9th, 2010 Discussions in class is almost inexistent and strangely I have noticed that despite the fast that my students talk a lot outside the classroom, when they are translating they do not normally address each other, if I were them I would be discussing terms with my classmates [] Curious about that, I thought about their previous teacher so I asked them how they thought he was as a teacher, how did he teach and what they learnt (I asked the first semester, however I repeated the question again in order to triangulate the information). Student told me that the teacher not always gave them technical translations and that he was the source of all knowledge, all doubts regarding vocabulary should be asked to him. Considering that I began to compare my teaching style with his; definitively I do not attempt to be the source of knowledge in my classroom, I wish to give my students the tools for a better translation, other way is absurd, they will not count with me always! October 14th 2010 After having implemented the confection of glossaries as an obligatory process I have seen that student more dedicated in class. Surprisingly I have noticed that students are beginning to talk a little bit more, there is no total silence as before, however I have not noticed the use of parallel texts. October 21st, 2010 The glossary chart is really useful for students, they seem more confident, apparently the format itself is not so threatening for them and with the use of online resources they advance really quick in filling it.

November 10th, 2010 I hear students talk and discuss about the translations frequently and I notice them more secure about the word selection. November 25th, 2010 ...the three students that come regularly to class and confection larger glossaries have shown a great improvement their translations; I am surprised despite the spelling mistakes

6. Glossary chart
Word Retina Equivalence Retina Spanish definition Membrana interior del ojo en la cual se forman las imgenes. Est constituida por una serie de capas de clulas de forma y funcin muy variadas, entre las que destacamos las fotorreceptoras (conos y bastones) y las componentes del nervio ptico. Source http://www.tuvisual.com/diccionario/1 01-retina.php

Photoreceptors

Fotoreceptores

Rod

Bastn

Cone

Cono

Batten`s disease

Enfermedad de Batten

Los fotorreceptores son las clulas visuales que estn situadas en la retina, formando parte de la primera neurona. Clula cuya funcin principal es: la visin de noche (Escotpica), la visin perifrica (Indirecta) y la visin en medio ambiente con iluminacin deficiente. Clula cuya funcin principal es: la visin diurna (Mespica), la visin central (Directa), la visin de colores (Cromtica), la visin de profundidad e identificacin de los cambios de relieves en la superficie. forma ms comn de un grupo de raros trastornos conocidos como lipofuscinosis ceroides neuronales (NCL). La enfermedad de Batten es un trastorno gentico heredado que causa una acumulacin de lipopigmentos en el tejido corporal. Enfermedad de Batten se refiere a la forma juvenil de NCL

http://www.retina.sld.cu/retinosis.html

http://www.retina.sld.cu/retinosis.html

http://www.retina.sld.cu/retinosis.html

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetCon tent.aspx?token=c905f6c8-fb81-4c5f9ac557abe8fde16b&chunkiid=104056

Rod-Cone Dystrophy

Distrofia de cono-bastn

Pertenece a las distrofias hereditarias de retina, tiene diferentes formas de transmisin y una prevalencia de 1 en 40000, diez veces menos que la retinitis pigmentosa. Sus principales manifestaciones clnicas son fotofobia, disminucin de agudeza visual central, hemeralopia, discromatopsia y, en estadios avanzados, prdida de visin perifrica y nicatalopia

http://www.imbiomed.com.mx/1/1/arti culos.php?method=showDetail&id_ar ticulo=49732&id_seccion=851&id_eje mplar=5034&id_revista=31