Translation means translating texts but also translating the cultures within which the texts are embedded.

The translation unit should be the text, not the word or the sentence. You should therefore always use full texts. Students need to understand the text in its own context, what the topic is, who it is addressed to, the effect it is trying to create, as well as the purpose of the translation.

Texts therefore should be accompanied by a brief, which, according to Nord (1997: 60) should include (implicitly or explicitly) the following information:

• the (intended) text function(s);
• the target-text addressee(s);
• the (prospective) time and place of text reception;
• the medium via which the text will be transmitted;
• the motive for the production or reception of the text.

With regard to selecting texts for translation, functionalist approaches recommend a text-type approach. Using 'real' texts, and creating 'real life' conditions, are both considered beneficial as they will have a positive effect on students' motivation. As suggested above, possible types of translation include:

• audio-visual texts;
• commercial literature;
• legal texts;
• literary texts;
• newspaper articles;
• scientific texts;
• technical texts.

(See 11.3.1.2 for specific examples.)