MCCTE2013

Methodological Challenges for the Contemporary Translator Educators

Krakow, 10-11 October 2013

International Conference hosted by

UNESCO Chair for Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication, Jagiellonian University

in collaboration with

The Chair for Translator Education, Pedagogical University of Krakow

The conference themes include, but are not restricted to the following:

Competencies of professional translator trainers

• How to conceptualize the profile of professional translator trainers and their competencies?

• Given the demand for professional training, which role of the trainers should be foregrounded, the one of professional translators or professional teachers? Can the two roles be reconciled and how?

Specialization

• How much specialization is required and possible with reference to such relevant areas of activity as translation itself (domain specialization), technological competence (e.g. CAT tools), and research (usually required of translator trainers in the academic context where most of the training takes place)?

• What are specific demands of teaching

• AVT,

• translation of legal texts,

• translation of medical texts,

• other translation of other specialised types of texts,

• community interpreting,

• conference interpreting.

Teaching curricula and courses

• Curricula in response to market demands;

• Course content;

• The beginner versus the professional level in the training process, pedagogical progression;

• Modes of specialization (by types of translation, by translation problems);

• The problem of directionality in teaching;

• Translation assessment;

• Planning formative assessment in the classroom, designing assessment activities, implementation;

• Combining professional and pedagogical assessment;

• Evaluation of curricula and courses.

Methodologies for translator educators

• Socio-constructivism

• Action Research

• Cognitive framework

• Hermeneutic approaches

• Functionalist methodologies

• Classroom procedures vs. e-learning.

Between professional realism and dehumanization of translator training

In many teaching contexts professional realism in translator training can be considered an uncontroversial premise. Yet questions arise how to reconcile market demands (whatever these should be given market fragmentation and dynamics) with their focus on efficiency and profit generation with traditional academic values such as critical thinking and freedom of thought. Is the role of translator training to serve the needs of translation industry? How to reconcile the call for “translator empowerment” with dehumanizing tendencies that reduce translators to “human input” in the mechanized process of translation production?

An interesting and current issue of professionalization of translator education is highlighted with topics like transferable skills training, student internships, transfer of knowledge between university and workplace, and self-training.

Conference Photos

Download:

Invitation Letter

Conference Program