Abstracts

Abstracts of Presentations at the 2018 Montclair State University Conference on Translation Pedagogy

Afolabi, Segun, Université Laval
“The Nigeria French Language Village’s Post-Graduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation Program: Context, Content, and Comments”

When, in the early 2000, in response to the dire need of and high demand for the training of professional translators and interpreters in the country, the Nigeria French Language Village (NFLV), a federal government owned inter-university center for French studies located in Lagos State, Nigeria, took the bull by the horn in mounting a Post-Graduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation (PGDT&I) program, it was undoubtedly considered by many stakeholders as a step in the right direction. As at that time, the number of institutions offering similar programs in Nigeria was (and still remains) very scanty. Unfortunately, the NFLV program only lasted for a couple of years because in 2013, the authorities of the institution decided to put it on hold due to certain challenges. The plan was to reform and relaunch the program. Using the NFLV program as a case study and adopting qualitative content analysis as methodological approach, this paper seeks to carry out an appraisal of the impact of such programs on the public they were designed to serve. In doing this, we shall analyze the context in which the program has been run so far, as well as the content of its syllabus, with a view to ascertaining if the set objectives are being met or otherwise. Based on the comments emerging from the appraisal and considering international best practices, recommendations will be offered on ways to revamp the program which, from all indications, is still very much needed in the multilingual Nigeria in particular, and the West African sub-region as a whole.

Brau, Maria, TST (Roundtable Panelist on The Training of Analytic Linguists)
“Enhancing the ILR: Online Teaching of Specialized Language Skills for Analytic Linguists”

Translation Skills Training (TST), the foremost training company serving the field of Analytic Linguists, has extended the International Language Roundtable (ILR) rubric to measure competencies required in the field of Analytic Linguistics. They have designed an online, graduate-level certificate training program, based on sound pedagogical and instructional design frameworks for developing the identified competencies:

a. Define “Analytic Linguist;”

b. Explore the growing need for Analytic Linguists (expanding by 28.7%: 17,500 jobs between 2014-2024);

c. Discuss Analytic Linguists’ jobs and salaries they can earn (per Bureau of Labor Statistics: averaging $46K/year, up to $70K/year);

d. Discuss knowledge and skill gaps common among new hires: how the ILR rubrics were enhanced to address how transcriptions come about;

e. Outline a sequence of specialized transcription, translation and monitoring interventions, addressing these gaps and integrating other related skills. Instructional design at higher Bloom’s taxonomy levels employs auditory, kinesthetic and visual modalities in planned lessons with stated learning objectives, exercises, and assessments;

f. Describe and explore collaborative models for professionals educating Analytic Linguists.

Chávez, Mario, Universidade de Aveiro
“Training for Non-Translators”

Universities offer training on translation, software localization, project management and CAT tools to translation students at the undergraduate and graduate level. Project management includes budgeting, quality control, sourcing of different tasks, cost management, quality control and project planning. In addition, the most comprehensive translation programs incorporate terminology management, MT technologies and other up-to-date tools for the modern translator. Translation quality occupies a predominant place in these training courses as language services providers have long positioned themselves to stand out with ISO quality norms, vying with each other to gain a market advantage. This picture is, however, missing an important factor: the translation user, the individual or community the translation is actually intended for. The communication circuit for a translation usually involves the author, the commissioner of the translation and the translator. The commissioner of a translation project (the client) offers a series of instructions (the briefing, according to Skopos theory) to the translator, all of which the latter has to fulfill in order for the translation to be considered complete and satisfactory by the former. Among these instructions, the client usually states for whom the translation is intended—its audience. The audience is a highly idealized factor in the briefing: the client tends to project his own needs as the translation user’s. The lack of specifics to describe the actual audience usually leads to misunderstandings. Hence, the audience as stated by the client and assumed by the translator conceals the actual user of a translation. Instead of viewing the translator’s client as an adversarial partner in translation, this paper suggests a different perspective: to explore ways to invite translators and non-translators (clients, project managers and other language services staff) to sit on the same side of the table under the unifying narrative wherein the role of the translation user is the driving force.

Citrano, Joseph, TST (Roundtable Panelist on The Training of Analytic Linguists)
“Enhancing the ILR: Online Teaching of Specialized Language Skills for Analytic Linguists”

a. Define “Analytic Linguist;”

b. Explore the growing need for Analytic Linguists (expanding by 28.7%: 17,500 jobs between 2014-2024);

c. Discuss Analytic Linguists’ jobs and salaries they can earn (per Bureau of Labor Statistics: averaging $46K/year, up to $70K/year);

d. Discuss knowledge and skill gaps common among new hires: how the ILR rubrics were enhanced to address how transcriptions come about;

f. Describe and explore collaborative models for professionals educating Analytic Linguists.

Dmitrienko, Gleb, Université de Montréal
“Teaching translation to undergraduate students and to adult learners: contemporary challenges and possible solutions”

The ubiquity of market influence on modern education is undeniable as nowadays the latter is more often regarded as a functional system interacting with other social systems including the economic one (Luhmann 1995). As such, education becomes closely associated with a specific product represented by educational programs which seem to be dependent, in terms of their design and delivery, on the actual demand of the labour market, as well as on the level of competition between educational institutions offering similar products. While such market orientation may not be highly visible in case of ‘traditional’ undergraduate and graduate programs of higher professional training, it becomes more apparent when it comes to customizable training programs which usually fall within the scope of the schools of continuing education. In our presentation, we will explore the interface between the principal factors of market-driven economy and the contemporary educational products which develop in the sphere of translation in response to the market demand. By framing our discourse within the context of higher professional education, we will analyze two modern approaches to translation as a stand-alone profession and as a ‘complementary’ set of paraprofessional skills (Tyulenev 2014). We will then outline the key elements of the ‘prototypical’ translation programs of the undergraduate university level and compare them with the characteristic features of the customizable programs of translator training offered within the framework of continuing education and short-term professional training. From that perspective, we will discuss three major factors – availability, accessibility, and affordability – which, we believe, play a substantial role in shaping contemporary educational products in terms of their design and delivery methods. Building upon our cross-cultural comparative methodology in the assessment of translator training programs (Dmitrienko 2017), we will demonstrate how these market-oriented principles have been implemented for the development of various programs of professional education and training for translators in bilingual Canada and monolingual Russia.

Ertel, Emmanuelle, New York University
“The Art and Craft of Subtitling”

I will present an undergraduate class session designed as an introduction to the art and craft of subtitling. This class session is part of an undergraduate first course in translation offered as an advanced French language course. The session is twofold. It is based on sequences from Abdellatif Kechiche’s film L’Esquive or Games of Love and Chance (2004). Working with the dialogue transcription published in L’Avant-scène cinéma 542 (May 2005), I first have the students translate a sequence as if it were a scene in a play. Set and shot in the banlieue (in the Francs-Moisins projects, outside of Paris) among young high schoolers, the initial challenge is one of language register: a language filled with expletives, verlan (words with inverted syllables), repetitions, emphatic expressions, words from various origins, some a-grammatical clauses, etc. The script thus offers a chance to delve into cultural and sociological aspects of present-day France, as well as linguistic ones, and, ultimately, to raise the question in translation of how much do you decide to retain from the original (sociolinguistic) setting of the scene. Then I select a few shots from the scene (four or five) that the students translated. I give them the number of seconds each shot lasts and I explain to them the different technical constraints subtitling implies, in terms of space, time, and spotting. Now, one of the other critical aspects of Kechiche’s movie is that the characters speak extremely fast. This “rustic” approach to the art and craft of subtitling, combined with the complexity of a high-speed dialogue, is a way for the students to realize how much the task of subtitling can have to do with reducing the dialogue to its main informational core, very far from a literary rendition of the dialogue in a translated play.

Fiore, Teresa, Montclair State University (Roundtable on Curriculum Development)
“From Hands-on Audiovisual Translation Projects to Visualizing a New Path for the Italian Program and Beyond”

The contributions of Teresa Fiore and Marisa Trubiano to the roundtable will address the Montclair State Italian Program’s take on the conference theme by focusing on the Italian Translation Curriculum, Grants and Internship Project:
(http://www.montclair.edu/chss/inserra-chair/opportunities- for-students/italian- titling/)
With a longstanding interest in translation, our more recent embracement of the AVT field is the result of ad hoc collaborations with private agencies and festivals (Prescott, Macerata Opera Festival) and major Italian theaters (Arena of Verona, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Bellini in Catania) as well as individual directors (Andrea Segre) for various titling projects. Confident in the efficacy of empowering language learners and young translators through authentic project-work, Teresa Fiore and Marisa Trubiano have regularly involved undergraduate students in translation projects as part of paid assistantships on campus or overseas internships (Florence and Macerata), cooperative education courses, special projects, and projects within the context of traditional courses. Supported in various forms by the Italian government, private commissions, donations and the Inserra Endowment for Italian and Italian American Studies on campus, these endeavors have created increasing opportunities to incorporate AVT projects into the classroom and have therefore prompted a re-design of the curriculum with creation of new translation-focused classes and integration of translation into pre-existing ones. A recent international agreement with the University of Macerata, whose established Translation Program is offering opportunities for co-teaching and student exchanges — including at the post-BA level and with an eye to accessibility at large — has further expanded our vision. Yet, this process has prompted a pressing question: How can these pre-professional projects and courses in Translation be turned into established degrees with the full support of the administration, given the growing but not always understood the need for qualified translators in all job sectors? While we operate in this field with the belief that Translation is a crucial tool in the revitalization of the study of Italian, we have become increasingly aware of how it has the potential to function as a binding factor across disciplines on campus and even a new epistemology for learning (see https://www.transnationalmodernlanguages.ac.uk/ and https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/working-with- translation).

García Vizcaíno, María José, Montclair State University
“Audio description as a pedagogical tool to promote critical and creative thinking in translation classes”

Audio description (AD, hereinafter) is a type of audiovisual translation consisting of a verbal narration of visual details that offers blind and legally blind individuals an understanding of what happens on the screen. The golden rule of AD is “what you see is what you say” (Snyder, 2008). Yet, audio describers cannot say everything they see. Instead, they need to observe and select the most relevant visual details of a scene (unlike close captions, for example, where everything is transcribed). Therefore, AD involves an exercise in critical thinking on the part of the audio describer who has to decide what to include and what not to include.
Apart from observation and selection, the other two principles of AD are language and verbal skills. These two guidelines are closely connected to translation practice since audio describers need to use lexical choices that are precise and vivid as time is a factor and one has only a few seconds to describe a scene. For instance, in English verbs are lexically more detailed oriented than in Spanish and hence, we find, for example, a wide range of verbs to describe the action of looking (to stare, to gaze, to peek, to peer), whereas in Spanish we would describe that action using adverbs or noun phrases instead (mirar fijamente, mirar con detenimiento, mirar por encima, mirar con atención). Therefore, it is precisely because AD involves acute perception of the visual component, attention to detail, and linguistic precision that this practice can be used as a pedagogical tool when training students in translation courses. AD can make translation students become critical and creative thinkers. Accordingly, translation professors can design exercises and activities that help students be acute observers, expand their vocabulary, refine their semantic skills, and be aware of the connotations and values of lexical choices.

Guével, Zélie, Université Laval, Québec (Guest speaker)
1. “Translation Curriculum and Program Design: The Canadian Model, Past and Future”

Canadian translation programs have evolved since the 1970’s, primarily in order to meet domestic societal needs and address issues linked to official bilingualism and the promotion of the French language. With the goal of preparing students for the profession, undergraduate curricula have adopted a practical approach, with a focus at the end of the curriculum on specialized fields that are on demand on the employment market. An additional important field of study is terminology, with the goal of ensuring the quality of specialized texts (LSP). Furthermore, a more theoretical approach has finally emerged with the creation of graduate programs, while translator training and pedagogy are becoming part of translation studies (“traductology”) as well as a vibrant theme in dissertations and academic publications. The paper will offer a descriptive overview of the language professions – translators, terminologists and interpreters in Canada -, as well as the role of the Canadian Association of Schools of Translation (CAST), founded in 1973 to unite universities offering translation training. We shall identify the main components of Canadian programs and examine the evolution of course syllabi through time and the way they have been able to integrate professional and academic aims. In conclusion, we shall address future issues and challenges from the professional and academic points of view and suggest some aspects of the Canadian experience that may be transferable elsewhere.

2. “Training Students for Legal Translation”

Legal translation is an important component of specialized translation within translation curricula since there is a huge demand for such tasks for practitioners. Professional practice entails two levels of specialization: “paralegal texts”, i.e. reports, studies or analyses of all kinds pertaining to a variety of legal topics, with informative purposes, and “legal texts” relating to the translation of international documents or domestic legal texts as well as private documents, with a normative function, within the common law or civil law frameworks. How can we optimize such teaching? How to define clear learning objectives and competencies? What themes related to law, the language of law and legal translation should be presented to students and in what sequence? As will be discussed, a typology of legal texts in relation with paralegal texts, and an examination of the very common hypertextuality or intertextuality phenomena may be central to a pedagogical approach. Moreover, what can be learned from the Canadian experience in legal translation that could be generalized to other contexts?

Hillinger, Alexandra, Université Laval, Québec (Guest speaker)
1. “The History of Translation in Canada”
Although not well-known Canada has a long and complex translation history. In this talk, our starting point will the European explorations of the 16th century. We will first discuss the interpretation practices of New France. Indeed, French explorers such as Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain were confronted to language barriers when trying to communicate with Indigenous people. Interpretation has been at the center of relationships between the French and Indigenous nations since the first colonization attempts. Jumping in time, the Conquest of New France by British Forces in 1763, disrupted language dynamics in the territory. Yet, until the Union Act of 1840, linguistic and religious rights of French Canadians were largely protected. We will examine in greater details the years following the Union Act, as for the first time English was declared the sole language of Canada. This created a time of great uncertainty during which French Canadians fought for their language (and translational) rights. The survival of the French language would later be guaranteed by the Canadian Confederation of 1867. Finally, we will conclude with the birth of professional translation associations and institutions in the early 19th century.
2. “Outward Translation: Teaching English Translation to Francophone Students”
What is “outward translation?” Simply put, it means translating OUT of your mother tongue. In Canada, such a practice can be seen as unconventional. Traditionally, Canadian students have been encouraging to practice in only one direction and into their mother tongue—English into French being by far the most popular combination. To begin this talk I will discuss the lack of terminological consensus within Translation Studies for defining the practice on translation out of one’s mother tongue and into a second language (inverse translation, prose translation, etc.). I will also explain why I choose the term “outward translation.” Secondly, I will reflect on the reasons why Francophone students at Université Laval choose to take French into English translation as an elective class. This will lead me to reflect on the demand for French into English translation in the Quebec City region. Finally, based on my personal experience, I plan on discussing strategies for teaching outward, with an emphasis on “idiomatic translation.” I will expose concrete tips for building idiomacy in the texts of students who are translating into their second language.

Iloh, Ngozi, University of Benin in Benin City
“Translation Studies at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria: Retrospection and Prospection’’

This paper showcases the teaching of translation courses in the undergraduate level as well as the teaching of literary translation at the postgraduate level at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. Translation courses are embedded as language courses in the Department of Foreign Languages since the 80s even though the University had been founded in the early 70s while the Foreign Languages Department started as a Department of French in 1975. This study is historical in nature as it offers a retrospection of the early beginnings of translation studies at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Its present status at both levels is also critically evaluated and a prospection is undertaken to see what could be done to improve on its relevance and market demand regionally, nationally and internationally. The ideal translation studies will be examined in order to improve the curriculum as the demand for translators is on the rise. Translation pedagogy in general in Nigeria needs to be critically examined especially as it is taught in the universities and interdisciplinary approach needs to be taken to include indigenous languages.

Jiménez-Crespo, Miguel, Rutgers University
“The role of online feedback for the development of translation competence in online courses”

From a Cognitive Translatology approach, the acquisition of translation competence in university programs entails acquiring “expert knowledge” (Shreve 2006) that develops through structured “deliberate practice” with different levels of difficulty and appropriate feedback loops (Ericsson 2000). The type of feedback that can be provided in training situations, from the red-pen error marking settings (Muzii 2014) to elaborate holistic models, all the way to peer feedback (Wang and Hang 2013; Massey and Brändli 2015), represent a complex issue and it is interrelated with the type of pedagogical model adopted. This presentation focuses on the provision of meaningful feedback in the design of online courses that will lead to optimal translation competence acquisition. It will describe how it applied the findings of the only empirical study on translation feedback for online courses (Neunzig and Tanqueiro 2005) to design the online translation courses offered Rutgers University. The study offered a useful classification of possible formative feedback for online environments and their effectiveness; from “anticipatory feedback” before translations are carried out, to the different types of feedback students can receive once translations are completed (individual or collective feedback, contiguous or delayed feedback). The different types of feedback loops included in the design of the translations courses (general, medical and legal) will be described and the experiences from instructors will be shared.

Jolicoeur, Louis, Université Laval, Québec (Guest Speaker)
1. “Why Literary Translation is Pertinent in a Translation Curriculum – The case of the Quebec Declaration on Literary Translation and Translators”

PEN International adopted the Quebec Declaration on Literary Translation and Translators at its annual congress in Quebec City in October 2015. The Quebec Declaration is founded on the principles set out in a series of documents that include the ‘Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works’ (1886-1979), the ‘Universal Copyright Convention’ (1952) and the ‘Recommendation on the Legal Protection of Translators and Translations and the Practical Means to improve the Status of Translators’ (Nairobi Recommendations, 1976). The French, English and Spanish texts were finalized during the course of the Quebec Congress, and all the other translations are the result of the work carried out by the PEN Centers and their supporters. The aim is to ensure that the Declaration can be read in the highest possible number of languages and that other institutions and organizations will adopt its principles and help to defend and disseminate them. The Quebec Declaration forms part of PEN International’s broad strategy to promote literary creativity and collaboration between cultures. It is a fine example of how literary translation plays a key role in our society and is thus highly pertinent in a translation curriculum. The Declaration also illustrates the numerous social issues at stake in translation and how important it is to use and explain them in the classroom.

2.“Translating Juan Carlos Onetti : How to Deal with Ambiguity in Translation”
There are two types of ambiguity inherent in any work of art, especially a literary work: structural ambiguity associated with the logic of the work as a whole, and immediate ambiguity, associated with style and the author’s personality. The difficulties encountered in translating the work of Juan Carlos Onetti are an illustration par excellence of the distinction that needs to be made between these two types of ambiguity. Emphasis will further be put on the links between literary and general translation and on how to use the concept of ambiguity as a pedagogical tool in the classroom.

Larkosh, Christopher, UMass Dartmouth (Roundtable on Not Becoming Translators and Interpreters)
“Me importa un carajo la traducción oficial”: Towards a Queer Translation Pedagogy

For some time, numerous translation studies scholars have been asking important questions on what it might mean to translate queerly and how we might theorize this inherent queerness of translation. What has yet to be explored, at least to my knowledge, is how this act of queer translation is incorporated into our pedagogical practice as teachers. How does the intersection of queer theory and translation practice encourage the development of various modes of identifiable queer translation, if translation’s queerness may well be continually subject to debate and disagreement for it to merit this ever-elusive signifier? This presentation will focus on an advanced mini-seminar in queer theory and translation of the 20th-century US queer poets (Ginsburg, O’Hara, Bidart, Doty) from English into Spanish, usually one specific to the River Plate region of South America, given in August 2017 at the National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. Under the sign “Queer en traducción,” it created an intertextual space that brought together seminal works of US-based queer theory (Butler, Halberstam) with texts from Argentine and other Southern Cone literary traditions (esp. Brazilian novelist Wilson Bueno’s 1992 work Mar paraguayo). The continuing questions for discussion: How can this kind of linguistically diverse textual corpus challenge still persistent notions of definitive or official translation, to leave space for the understandings that every translation is simply another transitive mode of understanding? And how can the translation classroom provide a dialogic space that affirms this resistant queerness in/between languages?

Marczak, Mariusz, Jagiellonian University in Kraków
“Emergentist Translator Education: A Data-Mining Approach to Competence Assessment in Telecollaborative Translation Projects”

Kiraly’s (2000) seminal publication A Social Constructivist Approach to Translator Education marked a two-pronged shift in translator education. On an epistemological plane, it postulated the enrichment – or perhaps even replacement – of the positivist paradigm with a social-constructivist view of learning, while also diversifying classroom practices through the introduction of learner-centered, collaborative learning modes. The social-constructivist twist has found epistemological endorsement and practical following (cf. Klimkowski, 2015; Gonzales-Davies, 2005; 2017), but it has been taken another step forward; this time, towards an emergentist view of translator education (Risku, 2002; 2010; Kiraly, 2006; 2013; 2015), which finds reflection in the implementation of authentic (tele)collaborative translation projects within Translation Studies programmes at university level (cf. Risku, 2014; Massey, 2017). As a result, a need appeared to modify assessment modes so that they permit course instructors to tap into the emergent competences which are occasioned (Kiraly and Hofmann, 2016) by telecollaborative translation practices that students are currently supposed to be involved in. This paper examines how effective assessment can be performed through the use of data-mining and research-based techniques in order to find evidenced learning outcomes and assess students on the basis of actual performance rather than anecdotal accounts or presuppositions. The author examines the data collection and analysis modes to be implemented, together with the affordances they offer and the limitations they have.

Martínez-Gómez, Aída, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)
“New Approaches to Interpreter Training: The Case of Young Language Brokers”

Young bilinguals in multilingual environments frequently act as language brokers for members of their communities, often from an early age. It is thus not surprising that growing numbers of young language brokers are drawn to formal translation/interpreting education programs. Nevertheless, when they join, they often encounter pedagogies that are rooted in traditional approaches, that tend to focus on elective sequential bilinguals (i.e., individuals who purposefully acquired their L2 after childhood), and that fail to acknowledge previous interpreting experiences. In fact, tensions are bound to emerge as language brokering experiences clash with long-established assumptions about interpreter-mediated interaction – for instance, between the conflict-mediator roles often adopted by these youngsters (e.g., Katz 2014: 53-54, Valdés 2003: 139-143) and the neutral independent position endorsed by interpreting theory, training, and practice. This project explores the specific needs of young language brokers as they become apparent in their accounts of previous interpreting experiences, in order to inform more effective training models. It examines the ontological narratives (Baker 2006: 28-32) of 70 young language brokers currently living in the United States. In this presentation, I will review the factors that contribute to successful and unsuccessful language brokering experiences, as emerging from a bottom-up cluster-based qualitative analysis of the narratives. I will then discuss these factors in the framework of current interpreter education models, assessing the degree of overlap between the needs and expectations voiced by these young language brokers and widely-accepted pedagogical principles. By highlighting convergences and divergences between them, I aim to demonstrate that the study of language brokering can successfully inform more inclusive curricular designs that go beyond prescriptive conceptualizations of the interpreting act, are sensitive to students’ backgrounds, and build upon these formative life experiences (see Angelelli et al. 2002).

Mazei, Cristiano, UMass Amherst (Roundtable on Not Becoming Translators and Interpreters)
“Working with Trained Interpreters”

This paper will focus on the experience of teaching different professions how to work with spoken language interpreters. Based on my own professional experience as an interpreter, anecdotal evidence, and qualitative surveys, language-mediated communication is more successful and effective when all participants know about and understand the roles of the interpreter in the interaction, and the skills and processes necessary for effective spoken language interpretation. Moreover, teaching various professionals about the work of translators and interpreters enhances their sensitivity to translated and interpreted interactions and improves the overall “visibility” of language mediators. I will discuss the different iterations of a grant-funded project to educate dental students of the University of Minnesota about how interpreters perform language mediation in professional contexts, the curriculum design of various workshops (online and offline), the importance of external funding for interprofessional experiences, and survey results from participants. The presentation will also include an overview of the design of a new online course at UMass Amherst targeted at students from various careers and disciplines titled “Working with Trained Interpreters,” with emphasis on its syllabus and specific areas of knowledge covered. Moreover, I will discuss different activities and assignments applicable to the online environment, and strategies that can be used when encountering speakers of languages other than English and their interpreters, or lack thereof. As most of us in the field know, misconceptions about the skills and knowledge necessary to perform translation and interpreting abound among other professions and public opinion in general. This presentation will argue that specific courses and collaborations, such as the ones mentioned above, focused on educating others, not only about the importance of translation and interpreting in cross-cultural communication but also about the skills and knowledge necessary for their performance, are essential for improved interactions with speakers of languages other than English.

Ngono Tonga, Dorothee, Université Laval
“Towards Improved Collaboration among Translators’ Trainers in Africa”

In Africa, translation studies as a discipline though relatively new is, no doubt, gaining more ground in the current dispensation with research activities being carried out by scholars across the continent (Bandia, 2005; Inggs & Meintjes, 2009; Asobele, 2016). In the same vein, the collaborative efforts being deployed by major international organizations, especially the European Commission’s Directorate-General of Translation and Interpretation, through the flagship Pan-African Consortium Masters in Conference Interpreting and Translation (PAMCIT) initiative are all a welcome development aimed at training future professional translators and interpreters in and for Africa. However, one is yet to notice such collaborative efforts being carried out directly and specifically by translators and interpreters’ trainers in Africa, especially in the area of knowledge sharing through research and publication, the type that is common in other parts of the world. A good example of this is the PACTE group in Spain, as well as the Association Canadienne des écoles de traduction (ACET) in Canada. This presentation, therefore, seeks to draw the attention of those interested and involved in translation pedagogy in Africa to the dire need and immense benefits of networking and collaborating in an organized manner. To this end, a case is being made for the creation of a research group on translation pedagogy in Africa. The objectives, modus operandi and benefits of the proposed group are all that we intend to highlight and share during the presentation.

Oye, Adetola, Lagos State University
“Translation Study in Select Nigerian Universities: Challenges and Perspectives”

Translation pedagogy in universities in Nigeria has existed since the 70s and 80s but within the framework of French as foreign language in most universities offering French. It exists as part of teaching methods of foreign languages. Translation as graduate course like Masters and Postgraduate programmes started about 20 to 25 years back, in the 90s. In the first 5 years of the programme, only about 3 universities were offering it at Masters level and PhD programmes started gradually. In this paper, we are going to analyze the curricula of some of the universities offering translation with a view to ascertaining first, if the programmes are aligned with any concrete pedagogical method as it is done normally in teaching and learning situation and what these methods are. We then proceed to see whether the methods conform with the objectives being pursued. Christine Durieux (2005) identified four objectives in translation pedagogy which are: teaching of foreign languages, training future teachers of languages, training professional translators and interpreters and training future teachers of translators. If the objectives are not put into consideration, there are definitely some challenges preventing this. To produce professional translators and interpreters for the demand of the West African sub-region, Africa and indeed globally, curricula must be adapted to the objectives. This leads us into looking into the prospects of Nigerian trained graduate translators and interpreters. Finally, from our experience as teacher-researcher and Freelance in Translation, we also seek to know through the finding of this paper and what obtains on the field whether undergoing graduate training courses make better translators and interpreters. We may be able to arrive at new methods of training translators and interpreters by comparing the prospects of trained Nigerian translators/ interpreters with their counterparts in USA and globally.

Palermo, Lynn, Susquehanna University
“Teaching Translation in the L2 Language Classroom: When Translation has to double- or triple-time”

According to the 2016 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, demand for translators is expected to grow by 17 percent over the next ten years, a rate of growth much higher than average. Paradoxically, at this historical moment when translation is gaining a foothold in the United States as professional work valuable to a broad array of commercial, professional, artistic/literary, and intellectual fields, many university language departments have seen instructional personnel who would support translation studies cut to the bone. The challenge for small language programs, then, becomes how to integrate translation, the “fifth language skill,” into the L2 classroom in ways that will help language learners develop the thinking and skills necessary to understand, practice, and take advantage of growing professional opportunities, when a course entirely devoted to translation can be offered only rarely. Guy Cook (2010) and others have argued in favor of moving away from the monolingual (exclusively Target Language) L2 classroom, in favor of integrating “pedagogical translation” into a dual-language classroom in which translation will further language learning. However, compromising the commitment made by students and instructors to use only the Target Language in class creates its own challenges for language learning. This presentation will offer for discussion one example of a small undergraduate L2 curriculum that attempts to integrate “pedagogical translation” at all levels of language study into a monolingual classroom. The goal is to have students learn to approach language more analytically and explore questions of culture while performing specific tasks to strengthen their skills in translation.

Polansky, Susan, Carnegie Mellon University (Roundtable on Curriculum Development)
“Program and Curriculum Development: An Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental Collaboration at Carnegie Mellon University”

In this presentation, we will share information about the curriculum design process of a joint effort of the Departments of English and Modern Languages at Carnegie Mellon University. Our two departments, over the course of several semesters, have worked together to develop a new M.A. Program in Global Communication and Applied Translation. Our approach has involved much interdepartmental collaboration and planning for partnerships with other academic units on campus as well as with partners in the local community. Our process started with a survey of local resources, needs, and existing translation programs, based on which we determined the viability and the desirability of proceeding. The department heads along with a steering committee of faculty members from both departments began developing a proposal. We addressed key questions about program foci, language and culture areas, faculty course loads, staffing of new courses and their impact on departmental resources, and the distribution of administrative responsibilities across the two departments. To seek input about approval processes at the university, to create a list of viable electives, to explore avenues for ensuring our ability to implement the curriculum, and to initiate networking and possibilities for internships, we have consulted with representatives of central administration, department heads and colleagues from other departments, individuals with expertise in translation technologies, and community partners. We have received strong positive input in and outside of our campus community, and this semester we will be submitting our proposal for approval. We aim to have the proposal approved during this spring semester and then build a website and application portal to attract a first cohort for fall of 2019. At this roundtable, we hope to engage in a discussion about program and curriculum development.

Racz, Gregary, LIU Brooklyn
“Classroom Use for Translation Solution Types”

Has the teaching of translation solution types become passé in translation pedagogy? At the very minimum, these operations or procedures of translation, as they are also called, provide students with a “vocabulary of the profession” with which they can refer to their own work and that of others. At worst, techniques such as transposition, explicitation, modulation, compensation, amplification, etc., may reflect less the processes that occur during the act of translation than the resultant structures of translational products. In Style and Ideology in Translation: Latin American Writing in English, Scott Munday, referencing the “cultural turn” in Translation Studies, writes of the “deficiencies inherent in this kind of approach: namely, the problem of classifying phenomena that are multi-faceted and often fuzzy, the lack of a link to the function of language, or even the context of the passage, and no consideration at all as to the… qualities of a phrase nor any attempt to justify subjective judgments by reference to an external language norm.” Anthony Pym’s recent study, Translation Solutions for Many Languages: Histories of a Flawed Dream, revives the possibility for the viable pedagogical use of translation solution types. Taking as his starting point J. P. Vinay and J. Darbelnet’s seven procedures from 1958 and tracing their (often non-linear) developments in other countries while remaining especially attuned to distinct language pairings, Pym argues for their continued utility in the teaching of translation, citing the helpful inclusion of competing typologies, issues of localization, and both Jiří Levý’s “translation tendencies” and Anton Popovič’s “stylistic attitudes” in instruction. In addition to supplying other versions of these solution types, Pym ends with a revised typography of his own that somehow manages to be more general and more comprehensive at the same time. As a response to Pym, this paper will argue for a modified use of translation solution types in the classroom.

Ravillon, Stéphanie, Brown University
“Teaching at the Crossroads of Translation Pedagogy and Second Language Acquisition”

Since Catherine Porter, former President of the Modern Language Association, chose “The Tasks of Translation in the Global Context” as the theme for the Presidential Forum at the 2009 MLA Annual Convention, the essential role of translators has been “officially” given greater recognition in academia. Since then, the role of translation in language teaching and learning has been continuously reassessed. Within the context of second language acquisition, translation has a valuable role to play when inscribed within a communicative framework: at the advanced level, it helps students refine their writing and editing skills, expand their cultural knowledge, and acquire problem-solving strategies that lead to greater fluency. The aim of this paper is to explore the potential of translation as a way of increasing students’ proficiency and sensitivity to language and culture. More specifically, it proposes to reflect on the ways in which translation can help students obtain a better understanding of French language and society by developing their translingual and transcultural skills, which also prepares them for even more advanced courses in literature and culture. This paper will also examine how language instructors can enrich their teaching experience by integrating authentic, internet-based reading materials into their curriculum while providing students with an opportunity to work collaboratively on translation projects which enable them to share their language skills with others. By focusing on the collaboration and pedagogical opportunities provided by translation projects between French and English, this paper will reflect on how translation projects can impact students’ motivation and competency, and will invite suggestions on how to further break down the boundaries between the classroom and the outside world and encourage students to pursue careers in translation.

Ritivoi, Andreea, Carnegie Mellon University (Roundtable on Curriculum Development)
“Program and Curriculum Development: An Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental Collaboration at Carnegie Mellon University”

Rodríguez-Castro, Mónica, UNC Charlotte
“Developing Technical Expertise in Computer-Assisted-Translation Tools: Curriculum Design and Teaching Methodology”

Over the last two decades, the translation profession has undergone a significant transformation that has resulted in (1) a need for high level of subject matter expertise, and (2) a widespread usage of computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools. Specialization and complexity are specific attributes of typical translation tasks, making CAT tools indispensable to meet project requirements. With a rapidly changing industry environment, the traditional translation curriculum needs to be refined to incorporate translator competences in order to bridge the gap between the classroom and industry practices. Even though the course on CAT tools has become a crucial component of the translation curriculum, such a course is demanding for students due to its interdisciplinary components. The content differs significantly from general translation coursework (typically involving cultural studies or linguistics-related content), and the heavy use of software tools makes it particularly challenging for students. This presentation proposes an introductory course on computer-assisted-translation characterized by four main factors: (a) refinement of curriculum design that helps in accelerating the acquisition of technical skills; (b) incorporation of situated practice by implementing task-based learning (Hurtado Albir 2007, González-Davies 2016, Washbourne 2009), project-based learning and virtual reality simulations (VRS); (c) enhancement of student engagement through hands-on elements with real-life examples to simulate industry projects; and (d) promotion of critical thinking in problem solving during the translating process. The course applies the standards of Quality Matters™ (QM) for online delivery. Assessment of learning outcomes has been performed by direct assessment. Additionally, an online questionnaire has been designed to evaluate learner perception of the content and teaching methodology. The rationale behind the approach used in the curriculum design and critical considerations from the QM review process are discussed. The presentation also highlights the elements that make this course successful which could be potentially replicated in other translation courses.

Rojas, Elena, TST (Moderator, Roundtable on The Training of Analytic Linguists)
“Enhancing the ILR: Online Teaching of Specialized Language Skills for Analytic Linguists”

a. Define “Analytic Linguist;”

b. Explore the growing need for Analytic Linguists (expanding by 28.7%: 17,500 jobs between 2014-2024);

c. Discuss Analytic Linguists’ jobs and salaries they can earn (per Bureau of Labor Statistics: averaging $46K/year, up to $70K/year);

d. Discuss knowledge and skill gaps common among new hires: how the ILR rubrics were enhanced to address how transcriptions come about;

f. Describe and explore collaborative models for professionals educating Analytic Linguists.

Shread, Carolyn, Mount Holyoke College (Roundtable on Not Becoming Translators and Interpreters)
“Teaching Translation in the First Year Seminar”

Funded by a Mellon Innovative Pedagogy grant for three years, I am teaching a new first year seminar “The Work of Translation” to students at Mount Holyoke College. While the primary goal of the seminar is to study whether introducing translation to first year students encourages them to pursue language learning to an advanced level, there are further goals with regard to teaching undergraduate students to be canny and sensitive about translational issues. Even as we train a new generation of translators and interpreters, there is also work to be done in changing perceptions of translation by those who will be working with or relying on translators. Thus the various outcomes of the seminar might be a student who decides to pursue the specialized field of translation or the students who, having focused intensively on translational issues for a semester, are more thoughtful in their relationships with the translators and translated texts that they will inevitably encounter, whatever their career path.
In this presentation, I offer an outline of syllabus, including the parallel stages of a translation workshop and a research paper. Whatever the languages and skills of students in the class, all students will experience working with a text in successive versions of a translation. Each version, including Google Translate’s machine version, is accompanied by a commentary. In the research paper, students develop a topic of particular interest to them, with a view to meeting the writing intensive descriptor for the class. Other assignments, such as ‘Spot the Translation!’ raise students’ awareness about the dependence of the campus and curriculum on translations – whether they are recognized or not. The purpose of this presentation will be to encourage translation classes oriented as much to users of translation as to those who produce them.

Trubiano, Marisa, Montclair State University (Roundtable on Curriculum Development)
“From Hands-on Audiovisual Translation Projects to Visualizing a New Path for the Italian Program and Beyond”

The contributions of Teresa Fiore and Marisa Trubiano to the round table will address the Montclair State Italian Program’s take on the conference theme by focusing on the Italian Translation Curriculum, Grants and Internship Project:
(http://www.montclair.edu/chss/inserra-chair/opportunities- for-students/italian- titling/)
With a longstanding interest in translation, our more recent embracement of the AVT field is the
result of ad hoc collaborations with private agencies and festivals (Prescott, Macerata Opera
Festival) and major Italian theaters (Arena of Verona, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Bellini
in Catania) as well as individual directors (Andrea Segre) for various titling projects. Confident
in the efficacy of empowering language learners and young translators through authentic project-work, Teresa Fiore and Marisa Trubiano have regularly involved undergraduate students in translation projects as part of paid assistantships on campus or overseas internships (Florence and Macerata), cooperative education courses, special projects, and projects within the context of traditional courses. Supported in various forms by the Italian government, private commissions, donations and the Inserra Endowment for Italian and Italian American Studies on campus, these endeavors have created increasing opportunities to incorporate AVT projects into the classroom and have therefore prompted a re-design of the curriculum with creation of new translation-focused classes and integration of translation into pre-existing ones. A recent international agreement with the University of Macerata, whose established Translation Program is offering opportunities for co-teaching and student exchanges — including at the post-BA level and with an eye to accessibility at large — has further expanded our vision. Yet, this process has prompted a pressing question: How can these pre-professional projects and courses in Translation be turned into established degrees with the full support of the administration, given the growing but not always understood need for qualified translators in all job sectors? While we operate in this field with the belief that Translation is a crucial tool in the revitalization of the study of Italian, we have become increasingly aware of how it has the potential to function as a binding factor across disciplines on campus and even a new epistemology for learning (see https://www.transnationalmodernlanguages.ac.uk/ and https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/working-with- translation).

Vogt, Eric, TST (Roundtable Panelist on The Training of Analytic Linguists)
“Enhancing the ILR: Online Teaching of Specialized Language Skills for Analytic Linguists”

a. Define “Analytic Linguist;”

b. Explore the growing need for Analytic Linguists (expanding by 28.7%: 17,500 jobs between 2014-2024);

c. Discuss Analytic Linguists’ jobs and salaries they can earn (per Bureau of Labor Statistics: averaging $46K/year, up to $70K/year);

d. Discuss knowledge and skill gaps common among new hires: how the ILR rubrics were enhanced to address how transcriptions come about;

f. Describe and explore collaborative models for professionals educating Analytic Linguists.

Williams, Chance, UNC Charlotte
“Developing Technical Expertise in Computer-Assisted-Translation Tools: Curriculum Design and Teaching Methodology”

Over the last two decades the translation profession has undergone a significant transformation that has resulted in (1) a need for high level of subject matter expertise, and (2) a widespread usage of computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools. Specialization and complexity are specific attributes of typical translation tasks, making CAT tools indispensable to meet project requirements. With a rapidly changing industry environment, the traditional translation curriculum needs to be refined to incorporate translator competences in order to bridge the gap between the classroom and industry practices. Even though the course on CAT tools has become a crucial component of the translation curriculum, such a course is demanding for students due to its interdisciplinary components. The content differs significantly from general translation coursework (typically involving cultural studies or linguistics-related content), and the heavy use of software tools makes it particularly challenging for students. This presentation proposes an introductory course on computer-assisted-translation characterized by four main factors: (a) refinement of curriculum design that helps in accelerating the acquisition of technical skills; (b) incorporation of situated practice by implementing task-based learning (Hurtado Albir 2007, González-Davies 2016, Washbourne 2009), project-based learning and virtual reality simulations (VRS); (c) enhancement of student engagement through hands-on elements with real-life examples to simulate industry projects; and (d) promotion of critical thinking in problem solving during the translating process. The course applies the standards of Quality Matters™ (QM) for online delivery. Assessment of learning outcomes has been performed by direct assessment. Additionally, an online questionnaire has been designed to evaluate learner perception of the content and teaching methodology. The rationale behind the approach used in the curriculum design and critical considerations from the QM review process are discussed. The presentation also highlights the elements that make this course successful which could be potentially replicated in other translation courses.