teaching english translation to indonesian tertiary students with the support of online resources: a...

Teaching English translation to Indonesian tertiary students with the support of online resources: A

case study of the development of translation competencies

Rina AngrainiPhD Student

University of South AustraliaAugust 11, 2012

If you, you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day

If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

Confucius (551-479)

o Autonomous learner:the ability to take charge of one’s own learning’. To take charge of one’s own learning means to have, and to hold, the responsibility for all the decisions concerning all the following aspects of learning:1. Defining the contents and progressions;2. Selecting methods and techniques to be used;3. Monitoring the procedures of acquisition …;4. Evaluating what has been acquired

Definition of termsTranslation:Translation is to reproduce the closest natural meaning of source language information in target languageTranslation competence [Pacte, 2003]

• Bilingual competence: Grammar, re-expression, problems to deviate from the source text form.

• Extra-linguistic competence: general world knowledge, domain-specific knowledge, bicultural and encyclopaedic knowledge.

• Knowledge about translation competence: guiding the translator through the translation process from source text reception to target text production.

• Instrumental competence: use of all kinds of documentation sources and new technologies, knowledge of the work market (translation briefs, etc.) and how to behave as a professional translator, especially in relation to professional ethics.

• Strategic Competence: used to solve the problems found during the translation process.

• Psycho-physiological competence refers to the ability to use various psychomotor, cognitive and attitudinal resources to facilitate, for example, reading, writing, cognitive functions such as memory, attention and problem-solving.

Background of the context:1. EFL students2. Teacher approachSpoon feedingLimited resourcesDated referencesPassive students

For more than a decade now, web-based resources have become an indispensable tool for both professional translators and student translators, often replacing more traditional online and offline reference works. Given the ubiquity of the web, with its ease of access to online data and the apparent comprehensiveness of the resources it offers, it represents a natural choice for translators to support their cognitive and knowledge based activity (cf. Austermühl 2001).

Information Communication Technology (ICT) may contribute to the development of learner autonomy especially when ICT is taken in the broadest sense and learner autonomy as a super-ordinate term (Motteram, 1997).

Little has been reported in the literature about the utilisation of online resources in the teaching of Translation in TESOL to foster learner autonomy and to improve tertiary EFL students’ translation competence. This research intends to address this gap specifically in regard to teaching setting in Indonesia.

Background

Literature review

Translation Competence:Pacte, 2003ICT in language learning: Warschauer, 2000David Little, 1983Benson, 2003

Methodology:Participants

26 students who have enrolled for Translation I in the Polytechnic Andalas University in 2010

Instruments for data collection

(1) a pre-test and a post-test Specialize text

(2) questionnaire(3) Interview(4) classroom observation

Data analysis:•Use both quantitative and qualitative data analyses. •Quantitative data analysis:

quantitative questionnaire survey•Qualitative data analysis:

pre test and post test•Thematic analysis:

classroom observation interviews

Research questions:In what ways could online resources help students develop their translation competence and foster their autonomy in learning?

◦ What were the difficulties students encountered while working on translation tasks?

◦ What were the online resources that students used to address their difficulties?

◦ In what ways could online resources influence the development of translation competences during the course?

◦ In what ways could online resources foster students’ autonomy in the translation classroom?

The matrix for summarizing the data generation methods and their corresponding data analyses methods in view of the research questions they will address:

Research questions Data source Learners’ indicators

Tools Data analysis

Translation competenceSix translation competences proposed by PACTE (2003)

Benson (2003)Little (1983)

Six translation competences proposed by PACTE (2003)

Benson (2003)Little (1983)Six translation competences proposed by PACTE (2003)


Six translation competences proposed by PACTE (2003)

Benson (2003)Little (1983)Six translation competences proposed by PACTE (2003)


1. What were the difficulties students encountered while working on translation exercises?

1. Weekly questionnaire surveys.

2. Post-course questionnaire survey.

3. Interviews.

Qualitative.Quantitative.

2. What were resources that students used to address their difficulties?



3. Interviews.


3. In what ways did they use them? What was their reasoning?



3. Interviews.


4) In what ways did they use online resources? What were their reasoning?


2. Interviews.


5) In what ways did online resources influence the development of translation competences during the course?



3. Interviews.4. Pre and post-test


6) In what ways can online resources foster students’ autonomy in the translation classroom?



3. Interviews.4. Classroom observation.


Six translation competences proposed by PACTE (2003)Benson (2003)Little (1983)

Pre-test result

No. Error categories Number of errorsfrom English Text to Indonesian Text

Number of errorsfrom to Indonesian Text English Text

1. verb 367 278

2. Noun and noun phrase

168 157

3. pronoun 47 -

4. preposition 78 98

5. article 78 114

6. Word order 134 166

The total number of errors 872 813

Identification of the reported causes of errors:• Insufficiency in bilingual competence

Lack of vocabulary Lack of grammar Lack of lexical competence

• Insufficiency in extra linguistic competence Lack of background knowledge Lack of cultural knowledge

• Insufficiency in knowledge about translation competence Difficulties in re-expression Difficulties in de-verbalization Difficulties in choosing translation method

• Insufficiency in instrumental competence Limited resources: limited range of dictionary unable to maximalised the use of resources which can support their translation work: grammar

correcting tools, translation tools (CAT)• Insufficiency in strategic competence

deficiencies in four sub-competencies cause students difficult in identifying translation problems and applying procedures to solve them.

Post-test resultNo. Error categories Number of errors

from English Text to Indonesian Text

Number of errorsfrom to Indonesian Text English Text

Verbs 47 98

noun and noun

phrase

36 34

pronoun 2 -

preposition 14 23

article 37 45

Word order 28 46

The total number of errors 164 246

The effect of online resources on the improvement of translation competence

• 55% solved•Understand the text•Find the way to solve the problem

•50% solved•Correcting the grammar•Correcting the spelling•Word consistency•Effective work

•60%solved• Background knowledge• Cultural knowledge

•70% solved:• Vocabulary• Grammar• Lexical

Bilingual competence

Extra-linguistic

competence

Knowledge about

translation competence

Instrumental competence

Strategic competence

Students’ impression on the role of online resources in developing students’ autonomy in learning

Strongly agree

agree disagree Strongly disagree

Online resources stimulate my interest in learning translation. 46% 30% 24%Using online resource materials helps me to learn on my own. 37% 42% 21%Using resources of information is a more meaningful method for my own progress 48% 32% 20%Using resources of information is relevant to my needs in this course 68% 24% 8%When translating a text, it is easier to get information from online resources than from traditional resources like books and dictionaries.

89% 11% -Through using online resources, I could have a better control the time to spend on each translation activity 58% 34% 8%Materials offered in online resources are relevant to my needs in translation. 46% 42% 12%

From the data, it is indicated that students improved their translation competence significantly after utilizing online resources as the aids to help them overcome their translation problems in five translation competences . The findings also showed online resources had made the learning experience more interesting, engaging and exciting.

Thank youComment and suggestion are most

welcome

teaching english translation to indonesian tertiary students with the support of online resources: a...

Documents