In spite of translation being one of the oldest communicative practices, it took a long time for it to become established as an academic field of study. In fact, the development of Translation Studies as a research field only really began in the 1980s. Since then we have seen the emergence of seminars and conferences world-wide, a wide variety of academic programmes, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as international journals dedicated exclusively to translation research and/or translator training.

The research that has been produced in the last two decades has contributed to our understanding of translation (and interpreting) as communicative activities that take place in particular socio-cultural contexts. We now have ample evidence of the crucial role played by translations and translators in the development of national languages and literatures, and their key mediating role in the portrayal of foreign cultures. This conception of translation is far removed from traditional views that considered translation as imitation, a second-hand activity or a simple mechanical transfer between languages. As we will see in this module, translation means communication, and also mediation, creativity, problem solving, power and manipulation. Translation Studies has shown us that translation activities need to be understood in their contexts, and assessed in relation to the ideology of those who produce them and the needs of those who commission and/or use them.

Translation studies have traditionally been associated with translator training and translation criticism. Nowadays, these two areas are included within the applied branch of Translation Studies, together with translation policy/planning, the development of translator aids (software, dictionaries, glossaries, etc), and the study of translation as a pedagogic tool in the language classroom. As the needs of trainee translators and language learners are radically different, the translation methodology required will therefore vary accordingly.

A recent survey on the use of translation in British higher education (Sewell and Higgins, 1996) showed that 19 out of the 21 institutions investigated used translation in order to:

• improve students' linguistic proficiency;
• consolidate target language (L2) constructions for active use;
• monitor and improve comprehension of the L2.

Translation seems to have been institutionalized as a testing device for modern foreign languages within higher education. In spite of this, opinions about the pedagogic role of translation in the language classroom are still divided. Quite recently, Cook (2002) has described translation as one of the 'taboos' still existing in language teaching. Considering this, and taking into account the controversy that surrounds the use of translation in the language classroom, the aims of this module are:

• to rethink the role of translation activities in the classroom;
• to highlight their enormous potential as a didactic tool in a communicative language classroom;
• to suggest practical ways to incorporate translation tasks into communicative language classes.

Before we continue, I would like you to think about your own experience of using translation activities in the language classroom (either as a teacher, a learner, or both).

Activity 1

Before continuing, click here.

Following on from the above, I would now like you to reflect on the type of activities or tasks that you associate, both as a learner and as a teacher, with the use of translation in the language classroom.

Activity 2

Click here for the commentary on this task.