Aspects of translation pedagogy: the grammatical, cultural and interpretive teaching models

Abstract

This study examines the theoretical basis of various methods of training translators, and proposes an overall view of translation pedagogy. As translation teaching (TT) Is evolving from local practices based on random individual experience to a professional and scientific discipline, the study attempts to show how the translation educator can benefit from the fruits of modern translation theories. language studies, and related disciplines, such as anthropology, semantics, and language philosophy.

After defining the scope of, and identifying the main issues in, TT (chapter 1), the study reviews existing writings on the subject (chapter 2), and demonstrates the relation between language studies, translation theories, and TT (chapter 3). This is followed by the proposal of dividing TT into Grammatical, Cultural, and Interpretive aspects which, it is argued, are based on different views of language, and are at the same time the foci of attention of the translator in his work, keys to identify problems in inadequate translations, as well as what can be taught and learnt formally in translating, and should therefore be the main components of translation curricula. Teaching models and methods are set up according to these aspects (chapter 4). An exemplary curriculum is designed to introduce some possible teaching elements belonging to each aspect (chapter 5).

To verify the effects and implications of these TT models, an experiment with groups of translation learners in Hong Kong is described (chapter 6). A test which measures the subjects, Grammatical, Cultural, and Interpretive competence was designed and administered to these groups and other learners. The result thus gained throws light on the relative usefulness of and the relation between these models (chapter 7). The thesis ends with a critique of the tripartite scheme proposed, and an assessment of the development of TT in the coming years (chapter 8).