Anabel Galán-Mañas

Learning portfolio in translator training: the tool of choice for competence development and assessment

ABSTRACT This article presents a practical example of the implementation of learning portfolios as a means to assessing competence in translator training. Details are given of how a portfolio may be used for both formative and summative assessment; the stages of competence development at which assessment should take place; and the criteria used for assessing the outcome of activities designed to develop translation competence. The results obtained are presented and discussed. The example presented shows that learning portfolios are the instruments of choice for assessing the progressive development of competence in trainee translators. They encourage learner autonomy, reflective and critical thinking and self-assessment, and the tasks set mobilise all the competences required to successfully develop translation competence. The use of learning portfolios, however, requires close collaboration between trainers and trainees, and a sustained effort to establish, and apply, effective competence assessment criteria.

Competence assessment procedures in translator training

The aim of this article is to present assessment procedures, instruments and assessment tasks, for use in translation teaching. First, we establish the current conception of assessment in teaching and the different types of assessment that exist, and indicate the aspects involved in assessment planning. Second, we provide a brief overview of assessment in translation teaching. Last, we propose instruments for such assessment and, taking competence-based training as a starting point, set out a number of tasks for assessing the specific competences involved in the learning process of translation. With the procedures we describe, great importance can be attributed to formative assessment, and assessment can be regarded as a tool that aids learning rather than as a mere grading system. The procedures in question also highlight that assessment in translation teaching should not consist solely of appraising a translation, but rather of performing a variety of tasks to assess the process and not just its end product.

Blended learning in translator training

Abstract 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.

Contrastive rhetoric in teaching how to translate legal texts

Abstract In this article I put forward a methodological model for training legal translators, based on the premise that translation is a cross-text operation, and that texts can be classified into genres according to structural characteristics and linguistic conventions which are more or less stable. Text conventions, however, can change from one culture to another, which means that translators must be familiar with both source and target text conventions and modify them accordingly to meet the requirements of the translation brief. In the case of legal genres, these are characterised by the fact that their text conventions are more stable than those found in other fields, a fact which can facilitate learning how to translate legal texts. Subsequently, I propose two teaching units based on the use of contrastive rhetoric. The units are organised from a task-based approach which allows for the staging of tasks with increasing degrees of difficulty. These teaching units could be used as a model for translation instructors teaching introductory courses on legal translation.

Um estudo sobre a formação de tradutores e intérpretes de línguas de sinais

De acordo com o censo brasileiro de 2010, 5,1% da populacao possui algum tipo de deficiencia auditiva. Ainda, dados de 2016 mostram que apenas 0,08% dos matriculados no ensino superior sao surdos, surdo-cegos ou deficientes auditivos. A nova Lei de Cotas n. 13.409/2016, aprovada pelo governo brasileiro, a qual reserva vagas para pessoas com deficiencia nas instituicoes publicas de educacao superior, e uma medida de politica afirmativa que visa incluir os surdos socialmente, sobretudo na educacao superior. Como consequencia, existe uma demanda crescente de novos postos de trabalho para tradutores e interpretes de lingua de sinais. Dada a complexidade das funcoes estabelecidas na Lei 12.319/2010 e a exigencia de profissionais qualificados, justificam-se estudos sobre a formacao de tradutores e interpretes de lingua de sinais no Brasil. O objetivo deste artigo e apresentar um estudo exploratorio que visa tracar uma comparacao entre proposta de formacao de tradutores e interpretes de lingua de sinais e linguas orais. A metodologia do estudo possui uma abordagem qualitativa. Analisam-se dois cursos: um curso que forma profissionais de linguas orais e outro curso que forma profissionais de lingua de sinais, da Universidade Autonoma de Barcelona, na Espanha, e Universidade Federal de Goias, no Brasil, respectivamente. Os elementos analisados sao: objetivos de formacao, perfil do egresso e disciplinas do curso no que se refere a temas abordados e tipo de formacao (estudo de lingua, pratico-operativo ou teorico-conceitual). Os resultados demonstram que a proposta do curso de formacao de tradutores e interpretes de linguas de sinais ofertado na UFG possui um vies mais teorico e conceitual se comparado a proposta de formacao de tradutores e interpretes de linguas orais ofertado na UAB, o qual possui um vies mais pratico, baseado na formacao por competencias.

Competence levels in translation : working towards a European framework

ABSTRACT This paper presents the research project the PACTE group is carrying out on ‘Establishing Competence Levels in the Acquisition of Translation Competence in Written Translation’. A continuation of PACTE’s previous experimental research on translation competence and its acquisition, the project aims to propose level descriptors as a first step towards developing a common European framework of reference for translation’s academic and professional arenas, both of which are represented among its participants. The project is organized into three stages, the first of which involved the production of a first level descriptor proposal, including a three-level scale with sub-levels and five descriptive categories (language competence; cultural, world knowledge and thematic competence; instrumental competence; translation service provision competence; and translation problem solving competence). In the second stage, the proposal produced is to be evaluated by experts from the academic and professional arenas. In the third stage, the data obtained through the expert judgement process will be analysed and the proposal revised. This paper sets out the project’s objectives, our grounds for undertaking it, its conceptual framework and its methodology, as well as the results obtained in the first stage and the future direction of the research.