Teaching translation and culture

Abstract

Translation teaching at a university level is much more than vocational training. A prevalent misconception among students is that acquiring a set of translation skills would provide them with the capability to translate competently. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is thus essential to hammer home to them that translation does not take place in a vacuum, and the learning of cross-cultural knowledge is for the benefit of students who should preferably be directed to confrontation with real translation problems in the process of training. The particular importance of cultural dimension to translation is brought in line with a shifting focus on foreign otherness, and this change of perspective and consciousness forces a rethinking of culture as a constituent part of translation training. Such training would equip students with analytical skills and enhance their resourcefulness and adaptability. A balanced curriculum that encompasses interrelated aspects of training can thus be achieved by matching students’ expectations and teachers’ pedagogical objectives. The benefits of practical training are limited without a reasonably high level of cross-cultural awareness and knowledge. In a nutshell, translation teaching should not be instrumentalized and reduced to vocational training, and a shortsighted disregard of cultural context and its influence on decoding and translating a text will only inhibit the learning and development of students.