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INTRODUCTION
Meta-talk as Borg uses the term (1998), is a very usual
phenomenon in the language classroom. Is it not the most natural thing
for teachers and students to speak about the language they are using?
Definitely yes, but for some reason, this part of language instruction has
not
received
its
due
attention
in
scientific
circles
(Borg,
1998).
Grammar-Translation
method.
In
other
words,
meta-talk
and
of
all,
we
should
make
clear
that
we
understand
Schmidts basic idea is that features of language cannot be learned if they have not
been noticed.
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Those factors will inevitably influence the teachers definition of skopos as well as
his/her assessment of learners needs, knowledge and expectations.
that there must remain a relationship between the source text and the
target text, i.e. the target text must be coherent with the source text, but
that coherence is secondary to skopos5. Together, Vermeer and Reiss,
devised a translation theory based on the notion of skopos wherein a text
is viewed as offer of information, and consequently, translation is a
secondary offer of information. Most importantly for us here, the
information chosen must be coherent with the needs, knowledge and
expectations of the target readers.
The skopos theory has been criticized, of course, on the basis of its
excessive openness to approaches, its problematic approach in dealing
with literary texts and the fact that sometimes the specificities of
vocabulary or style are lost to skopos. However, since we are not dealing
with a literary text and since we need a broad approach, we think that the
skopos theory is adequate for our purpose. In fact, in the translation of
the problematic part of Rete!1 our goal is to adapt the text in order to
make it more accessible to learners.
TRANSLATING
METALANGUAGE
IN
THE
SECOND
LANGUAGE
CLASSROOM
As we stated in the introduction, the metalanguage used in the
description of passato prossimo proved to be in many ways inadequate.
Learners had difficulties grasping the concepts and much additional
explanation was needed. Explanations that were based on the use of the
same metalanguage (linguistic metalanguage, L1 or L2) proved to be
equally inadequate and we often had to rely on a completely different
metalanguage, one that includes metaphors, drawings, a lot of additional
examples etc. In other words we had to translate, or even better, adapt
the text for classroom purpose. The specific way of explaining or
translating was based on our teaching knowledge and experience, but it
was generally rather intuitive. Therefore, we thought that translation
theory might provide a firmer framework for this process.
be taken as universal. Even so, this example shows that the concept of
rule of coherence can be used to analyze the texts metalanguage. These
are the translations that we offer for the concrete examples of
inadequacies that we mentioned and that concern metalanguage:
-translating moto and stato into L1, but also illustrate the
meaning of moto by imitating a runner, a swimmer etc.
-providing additional explanation or examples for cambiamento di
stato
-providing visual material that supports the notions of transitivity
and intransitivity, as they are the crucial in this context. Perhaps some
funny illustrations that can be remembered easily would be a good idea.
-deleting
the
notion
of
complemento
from
the
phrase
original
metalanguage.
The
question
now
is
whether
these
at
his/her
disposal.
Those
translation
options
then
become
explanation options.
This could be useful, for instance, when determining the skopos of the translation.
We stated earlier that, concerning our case study, the same results
could
be
achieved
without
actually
knowing
the
aforementioned
translation concepts, and that a teacher might have arrived to the same
translation intuitively. Although intuition is crucial in the teaching job, we
think that a supportive systematic framework is more than helpful, maybe
even necessary. This is not a place to elaborate further this idea, but let us
just say that one of the greatest benefits of the skopos approach to
explanation is that the teacher inevitably becomes consciously aware of
his/her teaching process and can, thus, gain many valuable insights.
Another benefit that we would like to point out becomes very
evident within the context of an intercultural classroom. In that case, the
target culture becomes very important when determining, for instance,
what metaphors/example will be used. A similar issue arises when
teaching, not grammar, as in our example, but some parts of language
that are more meaningful in a socio-pragmatic way, like gestures or any
other topic of culture and civilization (Italian gesticulation is a particularly
interesting case).
CONCLUSION
As we stated introduction, the main goal of this paper is to research
whether it would be fruitful to model the process of explanation as
translation. More precisely, does it make sense to think of teacher as
translator of metalanguage? As our short study is only one isolated
example, a definite answer cannot be given. It seems that the teacher
could indeed benefit from the translation framework when it comes to
preparing and modifying class material. He/she might think in terms of
skopos and coherence and adapt the text in advance. However, we
shouldnt confuse the job of the teacher with the job of a textbook
designer. The reality of the classroom is such, especially in the public
sector, that the teachers deal with a lot of issues ranging from inadequate
classroom equipment to parents demands. It seems more likely that in
the case of a challenging text, the teacher will just decide to use another
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one instead, especially thanks to the vast choices offered both in printed
and digital format. However, sometimes, due to school policy or for other
reasons, there is material that must be covered, and it is in those cases
that the translation approach might be needed. This is true also for
grammatical metalanguage that we at least, consider to be useful for
learners.
So, it seems that there is reason to think that a translation approach
to explanation might prove to be useful. It certainly was for us. We cannot
offer a stronger claim as ours is only one case study. Others are needed as
well as a deeper research into the field of second language teaching
techniques. The following questions must be asked: what are the basis for
bringing together and distinguishing teaching/explaining and translating?
What are the translation processes that take place in a second language
classroom? Can teaching provide any insights to translation studies? Is it
reasonable to expect from language teachers explicit knowledge of
translation? Answering these and other questions is certainly a challenge,
but one, we think, worth accepting.
REFERENCES
Baker, Mona ed. 2001 [1998] Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation
Studies, London, New York:Routledge
Berry, Roger 2004. Awareness of metalanguage, Language Awareness,
13(1):1-16
2005. Making the most of metalanguage, Language
Awareness, 14(1):3-20
Borg, Simon 1998. Talking about grammar in the foreign language
classroom, Language Awareness, 7(4):159-175
Byram, Michael ed. 2000. Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching
and Learning, London, New York:Routledge
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