Translation exercises
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2
-
Sally Olsen
- Posts: 1322
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Canada,France, Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Greenland, Canada, Mongolia, Ethiopia next
Translation exercises
What do students learn from translation exercises and do you think that they can learn a third language through their second language using translation exercises?
Hi Sally,
Regarding your first question, IMHO translation is a very enriching exercise for students. In my experience, it is an area that is often disregarded by many teachers. At the very least, the students learn to look at a sentence and translate the idea, rather than simply translating word by word. It helps them analyse a parts of sentences in order to find the right translation (in a recent exercise, my students were completely thrown by the word 'can' appearing as a noun). It also gives them an opportunity to learn how to use a bilingual dictionary. And last, but not least, they learn something about the art of translation!
As for your second question, I don't have any experience of teaching this. However, I imagine skills learned for one language would certainly help for another.
Regarding your first question, IMHO translation is a very enriching exercise for students. In my experience, it is an area that is often disregarded by many teachers. At the very least, the students learn to look at a sentence and translate the idea, rather than simply translating word by word. It helps them analyse a parts of sentences in order to find the right translation (in a recent exercise, my students were completely thrown by the word 'can' appearing as a noun). It also gives them an opportunity to learn how to use a bilingual dictionary. And last, but not least, they learn something about the art of translation!
As for your second question, I don't have any experience of teaching this. However, I imagine skills learned for one language would certainly help for another.
I have no teaching experience using translation as an intentional exercise, since I've always taught classes with mixed language backgrounds. However, I do have one experience as a language learner with an old-time part-time community college Chinese language teacher whose only method of instruction was "grammar-translation." At this stage of my career (after 35 years of teaching) I am sure that almost any approach can be successful if properly used. However, I must admit that that particular class was of the most deadly variety. It consisted of having the students take turns going around the room, reading a sentence and translating it. There was no interaction, no conversation, no spontaneity. I mostly remember thinking how pleasant it would be if teachers of "foreign" language in the U.S. had ESL training. (This was thirty years ago, by the way, so hopefully those types of language teachers aren't still teaching.)
-
Sally Olsen
- Posts: 1322
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Canada,France, Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Greenland, Canada, Mongolia, Ethiopia next
What is IHMO translation?
Yes, Lorikeet, this method of teaching is alive and well and continuing in Greenland at least. Not only for Danish where they translate to Greenlandic and vice versa but also for English where they translate to Danish and vice versa. So if you don't know Danish.....
The method you described of having one child read and then translate and so on around the room is still going on as well. It is called "The Black School". The kids get used to it and are upset if you change the structure and think they are not learning. It depends on the teacher but it does work because a lot of people have learned Danish and English here and well. If they respect the teacher and the teacher is nice, it seems to work well. The class is quiet and orderly.
Of course, I can't stand it and only did it for one lesson. The other kids in the room were not paying attention in my view until it was their turn. They practiced their bit and they could count ahead to find out what they were supposed to read and then after they read it, they just tuned out. There was no sense of knowing what the whole reading was about at the end. They complained mightily when I didn't do it and often wrote in class assessments that "she didn't let us read" (they were reading in pairs, on the tape, silently with questions to answer, etc). Of course, being a native English speaker with no Danish, I couldn't get them to translate. I couldn't even do the crosswords the other teachers were doing by translation. I couldn't use the teacher's manual or the worksheets provided by the textbook. I think that the translation exercises reinforce the Danish here and so are valuable for the Danish learning and they get extra time in Danish through the English periods. Since the Danish provide for their further education it makes a lot of sense but they also need the English because most of the higher education classes are held in English and they will have English textbooks. It will be interesting to see if the Danish scores of my students were lower than expected. Of course, one year does not a reliable experiment make.
Yes, Lorikeet, this method of teaching is alive and well and continuing in Greenland at least. Not only for Danish where they translate to Greenlandic and vice versa but also for English where they translate to Danish and vice versa. So if you don't know Danish.....
The method you described of having one child read and then translate and so on around the room is still going on as well. It is called "The Black School". The kids get used to it and are upset if you change the structure and think they are not learning. It depends on the teacher but it does work because a lot of people have learned Danish and English here and well. If they respect the teacher and the teacher is nice, it seems to work well. The class is quiet and orderly.
Of course, I can't stand it and only did it for one lesson. The other kids in the room were not paying attention in my view until it was their turn. They practiced their bit and they could count ahead to find out what they were supposed to read and then after they read it, they just tuned out. There was no sense of knowing what the whole reading was about at the end. They complained mightily when I didn't do it and often wrote in class assessments that "she didn't let us read" (they were reading in pairs, on the tape, silently with questions to answer, etc). Of course, being a native English speaker with no Danish, I couldn't get them to translate. I couldn't even do the crosswords the other teachers were doing by translation. I couldn't use the teacher's manual or the worksheets provided by the textbook. I think that the translation exercises reinforce the Danish here and so are valuable for the Danish learning and they get extra time in Danish through the English periods. Since the Danish provide for their further education it makes a lot of sense but they also need the English because most of the higher education classes are held in English and they will have English textbooks. It will be interesting to see if the Danish scores of my students were lower than expected. Of course, one year does not a reliable experiment make.
Wow Sally, I had no idea.....btw (By the way) IMHO means "in my humble opinion". I am so poor at these abbreviations, I'm surprised I actually knew one of them. I think it comes from being able to type and spellSally Olsen wrote:What is IHMO translation?
Yes, Lorikeet, this method of teaching is alive and well and continuing in Greenland at least.
. I sometimes can't believe what is written as "on-line English" these days, but then again, I'm one of the old folks.There is a wonderful new book of exercises for language teaching I used last semester called Using the Mother Tongue. As the title indicates, this book allows students to use their mother tongue in the classroom. There is an entire section on translation, but also exercises for learning vocabulary, grammar, input (listening and reading) and output (speaking and writing). I used it in my Introduction to Interpretation class last semester and the students enjoyed the unusual language work.
You can go here:
http://www.hltmag.co.uk/nov02/teach.htm
and here:
http://www.hltmag.co.uk/jan02/teach.htm
to see a few examples of these activities.
Here are a couple of reviews of the book:
http://www.developingteachers.com/books/review_utmt.htm
http://www.tefl.net/reviews/Using_the_Mother_Tongue.htm
Finally you can order the book through Delta Publishing
Looking for more language teaching games and activities? go to:
http://www.geocities.com/allhou/lessgames.htm
You can go here:
http://www.hltmag.co.uk/nov02/teach.htm
and here:
http://www.hltmag.co.uk/jan02/teach.htm
to see a few examples of these activities.
Here are a couple of reviews of the book:
http://www.developingteachers.com/books/review_utmt.htm
http://www.tefl.net/reviews/Using_the_Mother_Tongue.htm
Finally you can order the book through Delta Publishing
Looking for more language teaching games and activities? go to:
http://www.geocities.com/allhou/lessgames.htm