Didactics of Translation: Text in Context

Defining the scope of translation teaching

In Chapter 2, section 2. 2 above, “translation studies” was said to encompass two branches, namely, pure translation studies (subdivided into descriptive translation studies and theoretical translation studies) and applied translation studies.
Within applied translation studies, the main concern is with the teaching of translation. Chau (1984: 22 – 26) makes a useful distinction between translation teaching and translation pedagogy. Translation teaching - or translating teaching - refers to “the training of translators... in an institutionalized setting according to a pre-designed curriculum” (Ibid: 18). In this definition, the teaching of translation as a means to an end, that is as a technique for teaching foreign languages, is excluded. As for translation pedagogy, this is defined from two perspectives, a theoretical one and a practical one. Concerning the former perspective, translation pedagogy is defined as the “theoretical study of translation teaching (Ibid: 23). With regard to the second, practical perspective, Chau states that

In actual practice, translation pedagogy can be divided into the following discrete but closely related tasks:

1. 
   curriculum planning on various levels: “universal” (non-language specific), national, programme and class.
   
2. 
   compilation of books, or handbooks, etc. and the collection of pedagogic material relevant to translation teaching.
   
3. 
   course teaching, including classroom activities such as lectures, seminars, discussions, correction of exercises, and extra - classroom activities such as the supervision of students during their traineeship in a translation organization.
   
4. 
   selection of candidates for translation teaching, and testing the students at various levels of the programme.
   

The concept of translation pedagogy, thus, subsumes that of translation teaching.
In this book, the main concern will be with the theoretical study of translation teaching as well as two major tasks of translation pedagogy, namely, course teaching and curriculum planning.

5.