One of the leading topics in translator and interpreter education is how to match the educational vision of the educators with that of the market and that of the students. The debate has been going on for more than two decades now, and it seems it is likely to occupy the researchers and practitioners in the nearest future. One aspect of the educational aspirations to make students active and successful players on the Language Service Provision market is entrepreneurship. The aim of this paper is to promote effective operationalization of this concept to help graduates not only find a job, but first of all make them self-directed in significant life choices.
PL
Próba powiązania koncepcji dydaktyki translacji z potrzebami kształcenia odpowiadającymi wymaganiom rynku usług tłumaczeniowych oraz potrzebom rozwojowym samych studentów stanowi jeden z wiodących wątków toczącej się obecnie dyskusji w obszarze akademickiego kształcenia tłumaczy. Debata ta trwa już od ćwierćwiecza i wydaje się, że nadal będzie podejmowana przez teoretyków i praktyków dydaktyki translacji. Jednym z aspektów tak pojętej edukacji są cechy i umiejętności określane mianem przedsiębiorczości. Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu promowanie skutecznej operacjonalizacji pojęcia przedsiębiorczości tak, by absolwenci studiów tłumaczeniowych (i innych związanych z komunikacją specjalistyczną) nie tylko potrafili znaleźć pracę, ale by – przede wszystkim – stawali się podmiotami swoich znaczących działań życiowych.
Cultural, educational and professional frameworks recognised by our civilization have been formulated as texts. Translation is the only method allowing for their global dissemination. Religions, literatures, learning theories and organizational cultures are products of translation. Yet, the relevance of translation is not only a matter of the past. It is argued in this article that translation is relevant today. In its educational aspect, translation can help realize that language differences are a resource in text comprehension and meaning making. Professional benefits of translating include language fluency that is more than a technical skill: it enables recognising nuances of meaning and sense, allowing for realistic language use. It can be a core advantage for specialists in creative industry, for industry analysts and for lots of other professionals engaging in cross-cultural interactions. Finally, being a translator one has a transversal competence of service provision.
This article rests on the assumption that self-regulation of trainee translators/interpreters can be significantly enhanced by moderating classroom communication practices. This concerns, in particular, the communication exchange relating to assessment. It is argued that assessment-related communication activates complex psychological mechanisms, which can either empower or disempower self-regulation. To illustrate such mechanisms, the author briefly discusses the theory of Transactional Analysis. It is a conceptual framework proposed originally by Eric Berne to explain the intricacies of how people communicate to attain their psychological goals. Berne’s observations are adapted to the micro-cosmos of the translation/interpreting classroom in order offer its participants tools of regulating their communicative interactions. The article ends with a handful of recommended activities intended to inspire the readers to research further and train the skills discussed in the article.
PL
Niniejszy artykuł opiera się na założeniu, że sprawności samoregulacyjne kształcących się tłumaczy pisemnych i ustnych można znacząco poprawić poprzez zarządzanie procesami komunikacji interpersonalnej w procesie edukacyjnym. W sposób szczególny dotyczy to komunikatów w funkcji oceny. Autor stawia tezę, że ten typ komunikacji wyzwala złożone mechanizmy psychologiczne (postawy i zachowania) jej uczestników, które mogą prowadzić do wzmocnienia lub osłabienia sprawności samoregulacyjnych. Aby przyjrzeć się tym mechanizmom, autor omawia skrótowo teorię Analizy Transakcyjnej. Jest to koncepcja autorstwa Erica Berne’a, za której pomocą wyjaśnia on złożoność procesów komunikacji jako niezbędnej do osiągania przez ludzi ich celów życiowych. Poczynione przez Berne’a obserwacje znajdują w artykule zastosowanie w mikroskali programu kształcenia tłumaczy. Ich celem jest wyposażenie uczestników procesu dydaktycznego w narzędzia sterowania interakcjami komunikacyjnymi. Na końcu artykułu autor zamieszcza kilka ćwiczeń, których celem jest zachęcenie czytelnika do podjęcia dalszych studiów i samokształcenia się w zakresie omawianej tematyki.
This paper draws upon the cardinal assumption that most relations between compound components may be regarded as specific manifestations of iconicity. It manifests itself in compound formation as a phenomenon named “apperception” (apercepcja). The concept of apperception – proposed in Polish linguistics by Jan Rozwadowski, strongly influenced by Wundt – is a powerful tool in the description and functional explanation of word and sentence structure. In a nutshell, apperception may be defined as a cognitive process comprising two functional strategies speakers undertake during meaningful utterance construction: a) they establish similarity links between the already existent utterances (and their meanings); b) they establish distinction points between the already existent utterances and the new one. A proposal to view apperception as a manifestation of iconicity follows an observation that apperception helps discern how formal organization of compounds mirrors the cognitive (functional) strategies of encoding their meaning. The text also includes solutions which, are indispensable if Rozwadowski’s theory is to handle a wider spectrum of lexical data.
This article is a proposal to think about translation service portfolio in categories of contemporary service provision. As observed in the recent literature of the field, today’s services rely more and more on customisation, interactivity and relation-building. This article presents examples of opening a standard portfolio to opportunities identified by the translator through direct communication with the client. Benefits and limitations of such portfolio modifications are also discussed. The article is an invitation for the readers to rethink their portfolio strategies in search of competitive market advantages.
This article discusses how machine translation software can be used in developing users’ language and communicative skills in the workplace. The case in point is the neural machine engine DeepL, whose primary functionality is text translation; yet when one thinks about modern workplaces, it turns out that professionals other than translators may be in need of urgent text creation in a foreign language. Knowledge of the target language is an indisputable prerequisite for effective specialist communication. Nonetheless, with the use of a machine translator like DeepL Translator or machine text composer like DeepL Write creating texts in the target language (formal emails, minutes or summaries) may take less time and give a more satisfactory effect both in terms of text quality and authors’ foreign language practice.
The author of the following article propounds that when planning the general translation teaching program for students of translation studies, the methodologists should not narrow it only to the formal curriculum used during regular classes. The author does not refer here to the possibility of broadening the formal program to include practices, internships or meetings with various experts in the field, however, but rather to the redei nition of the notion of curriculum, so that it always includes both formal and informal aspects of the translation studies. The co-existence of the two modules indicates their interdependence in the process of teaching. The primary goal of the informal module is to complement the formal teaching curriculum with various supplementary subject matters, teaching and learning methods as well as interactions that are difficult to implement within the basic frames of the educational program. What is more, the informal initiatives are supposed to give students of translation a chance to take part in various self development programs and events even after they graduate from university, which, as a consequence, provides the students with the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the notion of lifelong learning and, simultaneously, makes them realise how necessary and vital the process is.
Niniejszy artykuł zawiera analizę odpowiedzi studentów na pytania o to, w jaki sposób oceniają swoje przygotowanie do pracy zawodowej jako specjaliści językowi (tłumacze). W przeprowadzonych z nimi wywiadach mówią też o swojej percepcji nauczycieli przekładu i wpływie, jaki mają oni na zdobywane przez studentów umiejętności. Pytania stawiane studentom w wywiadach dotyczyły także postrzeganych przez nich problemów i trudności związanych z rozwojem umiejętności profesjonalnych tłumacza, a także z funkcjonowaniem na rynku usług tłumaczeniowych. Przeprowadzone badanie pokazują z jednej strony wyraźne zaangażowanie studentów w proces samokształcenia i samorozwoju, z drugiej zaś wskazują obszary, w których oddziaływanie dydaktyczne nauczycieli mogłoby mocniej wspomagać studentów w przechodzeniu do wyższych stadiów rozwojowych w budowaniu tzw. potencjału kariery.
EN
This article presents the researched students’ answers to the questions concerning how they assess their own readiness to function as language specialists (translators). The interviewed students talk about their perception of their translation teachers and the influence the latter have on the students’ pathway towards new skills and competences. The questions posed to the students also pertained to the problems and difficulties that they see on their way to becoming professional translators and effective entrepreneurs on the translation market. The research results show, on the one hand, that the students are engaged into the processes of self-education and self-realization. On the other hand, also noticeable are such educational areas in which the teachers guidance and facilitation could empower the students more in their transition to higher levels of development in building their career potential.
This article outlines the main tenets and the working cycle of Design Thinking, which is a problem-solving methodology. We argue that this methodology helps train qualities and skills that are particularly beneficial for students of translator education programmes. We recommend Design Thinking for translation teachers who subscribe to post-positivist, constructivist and other problem-based, participatory and collaborative educational approaches. The latter part of the article presents examples of classroom activities developed with the use of Design Thinking methodology. The activities focus mostly on communicative interactions between participants, since we believe that the major advantage of Design Thinking for the translation classroom is that it offers a structured scaffolding to improve classroom communication.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.