Anisimova I.N.

Dnipropetrovsk State Academy of architecture and civil engineering

Translation of the technical text on the Mechanical department

 

         Translation has been used by instructors of foreign language to test whether or not material read by students has been understood. This kind of work encourages in students the habit of looking at the new language in terms of the native language. We use many types of translation. Among them, translation from the mother tongue into the foreign language, translation from the foreign language into the mother tongue.

         The work must be carried out in a way which will be interest to students and develop not only their translation ability but their comprehension abilities as well. If the text is difficult and contains unfamiliar words and grammar items, students must consult a dictionary or a reference book to understand it. The technique the instructor uses should be different, as the students translate the text not only to get information but to improve their knowledge of the language.

The preliminary work may be connected with lexical work which helps students to deepen and enrich their vocabulary knowledge, grammar work which helps students to review and systematize their grammar knowledge and stylistic work which helps students to become acquainted with stylistic use of words and grammar forms such as tense usage.  

         In learning to translate in a foreign language, students deal with various texts that may be distinguished in contents, form and structure. Texts should be interesting and have something new for the students’ specialty, they should help students in enriching their knowledge of the language, in extending potential vocabulary. Students must search for the main idea and facts in the text. This is done through questions. The teacher instructs students how to find the subject and the main logical idea of the text. A good translation is extremely difficult to make. On a technical level this is certainly true, because the student must attempt to reflect not only the content, but the strict notions of the science.

         Every student is at one time or another in the position of interpreter. He must be able to apply content across the language boundary and know how to use equivalent forms to express this content. Sometimes, a normal classroom work was to ask students to read sentences and paragraphs and translate them into the native language. Most often the students were not ready for these exercises, so they made a word for word translation, which never imparted a full comprehension of material or offered the necessary practice in using the language correctly.

The use of formal translation drills should probably be limited to students. These drills satisfy an important need: contents comparable to the interest and ability the students bring to the classroom. Intensive and extensive work on translation is admittedly one of the best ways to increase vocabulary power. Word for word translation is valuable in an educational respect as it gives a student an opportunity to compare all the elements of the language he studies with the corresponding elements of the mother tongue and in this way to see the difference between these languages.   

         The translation may be selected from materials the students has already read and studied and according to the students’ abilities and the levels of usage and style for which there will be the most need. While teaching a high school students who must become familiar with a scientific style that commonly appears in textbooks and lectures, students must learn to use such a scientific style in examinations and term papers, it is preferable to select texts for translation that are examples of scientific style, covering a variety of subjects with which the students may have contact. One should also try in selecting texts for the translation to choose parts containing good examples of problems the group may be dealing with in another area of instructions: grammar, vocabulary.

         The process of translation is more complex than work on speaking, listening, reading, or writing. Good translation cannot be achieved without mastery of the native language. Translation develops a subordinate, overly complex functional organization of the second language. Detailed comprehension and discussion questions follow each text for translation. They are intended, first, to guide the student in his reading and, in some cases, to clarify a difficult point in the text. It may, indeed, be good for students to read through the questions before reading a text for the first time. The second use of the questions, is to aid the instructor in guiding group discussion. Questions intended for the function which require the student to develop his skills in inference and interpretation. Exercises on translation are based directly on the texts both to enhance the student’s understanding of what he has just read and to help him assimilate new words and grammatical constructions for his own use. All of the exercises on translation may be done orally in class and assigned as written homework.

         The purpose of translation is to guide the student to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the special text. All exercises on translation call for writing on a theme suggested by the text and intended to stimulate the students to relate what they have read to their own ideas and experiences.

         Translation provides and helps in obtaining knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, but hinders the development of speech habits and skills, since instead of direct comprehension and expression of their thoughts students fall into the habit of translating. The choice of the type of translation depends on the objective of the lesson, language materials, stage of instruction, students’ progress in the language learning and time the instructor has at his disposal.