Relação entre estudos da tradução e ensino de línguas: a perspectiva do professor e do licenciando em letras

Abstract

Translation has always been part of the language teaching-learning process and, therefore, it has undergone different roles. It has been abolished or taken as the literal transcription of texts so as to preserve fluency as an ultimate learning purpose. Indeed, it remains as an asset for those final moments of the class as well as a tool to assess language learning and ensure students best behavior. Therefore, it is common to use decontextualized activities, with no clear purpose or planning, or even reject its presence and practice as it is often understood as something forged or unnatural as well. We believe it derives from teachers’ scarce knowledge concerning translation studies as a research area and structuralist views that depict translation as the literal transcription of words or phrases, a residue from the grammar-translation method. Conversely, academic research, books and articles have lately addressed translation through classroom experiences, though focusing on the learners´ perspective, while teachers tend not to be highlighted. So, this study focuses undergraduate language students and high school teachers regarding their translation concept and the presence and aims of translation actions in the classroom. To accomplish such aim, a survey was (in)directly carried out with both sets. Results point out that language students seem to nurture a more conservative view regarding translation studies than teachers who tend to understand translation as an intercultural communicative act. This highlights the need to include translation studies in undergraduate language courses, so as to broaden students’ knowledge about the use of translation activities in the foreign language classroom.