Developing translation competence through situated learning in the community of practice. the case of polish-english, english-polish undergraduate ba level legal translation class

Abstract

DOI: 10.19251/sej/2019.9(1)

Abstract
The professional world calls for well-trained translators capable of mediating between professional cultures. The
functional social constructivist approach with its authentic or simulated teaching has been recently followed eagerly within academia for bridging the gap between formal education and the market [Vienne, 1994; Risku, 2002; Kiraly 2000, 2005, Biel 2011, Garant 2013]. Nonetheless, not enough attention, has been paid to translation teaching in the light of the social theory of learning with its meaning, practice, community and identity [Wenger 1998a]. After Bhatia, we ask: to what extent should pedagogical practices reflect or account for the realities of the world of discourse? [Bhatia 2004, p. 232; 2016]. The situated learning of the context-dependent approach, under which learners are exposed to real-life work environments both inside (highly simulated) and outside the classroom [Gonzalez 2016], enables prospective
translators to climb the ladder of professional translation competence (TC). Learning becomes an issue of participationin professional socio-embedded discourse. We present the case of LSP translation teaching to undergraduate English Philology students under two modes: firstly, simulation of authentic translation agency jobs; secondly, authentic external apprenticeship among CoP members. Acting as peripheral participants (PP) of the translation Community of Practice, the novices not only acquire more linguistic skills but also the know-how typical for the translators-practitioners community. The empirical study illustrates how the peripheral position of the trainee, through “learning as transformation” [Mezirow, 1991], is being modelled by the student themselves (participation and self-reflection), the teacher- facilitator, and the members of the authentic Communities of Practice (CoP). The aforementioned evolution is seen from the perspective of a questionnaire done among the trainees. The findings are gathered and discussed.

Keywords
communities of practice (CoP) in
LSP translation didactics, translation expert
discursive competence, learning as
situated experience, learning as transformation,
realism-based translation teaching