LANGTI (Languages for Translation and Interpreting)

It might seem obvious to anyone that excellent language competence in foreign languages is an absolute must for professional translation and interpreting. It might, however, come as a surprise that the discipline that studies translation and interpreting, i.e. Translation Studies, does not consider language competence as one of its central topics of research even though language courses take up a considerable part of many translation and interpreting study programmes. Language courses in these programmes, however, often adhere to general teaching methods and do not take into account the role of the students as future mediators between two different languages and cultures. This project was conceived with the aim to put language competence and its acquisition on the map of Translation Studies. It will build on previous research in Translation Studies, especially models of translation and interpreting competence, but it will also take into account insights from the field of second language learning and teaching, particularly communicative competence models, language learning strategies and translanguaging. The first aim of the project is to study the current situation by finding out the view of teachers and students and by analysing the guidelines laid down in study plans regarding contents and methods, and, furthermore, by asking advanced students if the language instruction modules have prepared them adequately for translation and interpreting. As a second step, professional translators and interpreters who have learned a new language when already working will be interviewed in order to find out how they face learning languages. In a third step, a model of translation and interpreting oriented language competence will be designed. The last step will include the development of a framework with guidelines that can help training institutions adjust the language instruction modules in their study programmes. To meet these goals, interviews will be conducted and questionnaires will be distributed among students, teachers and professional translators and interpreters. Furthermore, I will ask students from language and translation departments to participate in language tasks in order to contrast the language competence between translation students and language students with a comparable level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages.

Translation and interpreting require a specific type of language competence that differs from communicative competence as described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This competence entails precise and detailed understanding in the language of reception and correct, accurate expression in the language of production. However, until recently, within translation studies, the development of the necessary language competence has only been addressed marginally. The LANGTI project was conceived with the aim of closing this research gap and putting TILLT (Translation and Interpreting-oriented Language Learning and Teaching) on the map of translation studies. It comprises five main goals, with later phases building on insights from earlier ones. The first goal involved gathering existing research output in TILLT. Texts were grouped by period of publication and topic, resulting in an exhaustive overview and analysis. Insights from this phase also indicated the need to expand the research prism by integrating perspectives from related disciplines. Consequently, the development of an interdisciplinary framework formed the second goal and involved the following six disciplines: language teaching and learning, translation studies, competence research, learning psychology, sociology, and university education. The third goal addressed the current status of TILLT at universities. For this purpose, the perspectives of the three main stakeholders-institutions, teachers, and students-were analysed. The institutional perspective was examined through curriculum analysis, while teacher and student perspectives were explored via questionnaires. The main findings indicate that curricula generally reflect specific language needs; however, classroom teaching often follows more general approaches, with specific goals integrated only at later stages, if at all. Students, with the benefit of hindsight, suggested incorporating more elements related to translation and interpreting into language training earlier in the curriculum. This university perspective was complemented and contrasted with findings from an interview study with practising translators and interpreters, who were asked how they approach learning a new language for professional purposes. Results show that these professionals tailor their language learning toward future use, focusing on specific skills and topics. In a subsequent study, university students from different years and countries were asked about their language learning goals, preferences, and attitudes. These findings were then compared with tenets from the literature and results from previous studies. The project concluded with a coaching study that accompanied two students-one BA and one MA student in translation and interpreting-during their learning of a foreign language. The study examined their development of language competence and learning autonomy. Results show that such learning journeys are highly individual, but they also suggest that levels of autonomy and awareness of specific language needs tend to be higher at later stages of study. An additional noteworthy finding was the strong influence of emotions on motivation and perseverance in the learning process.