2 Why Translation in the Language Classroom
We find ourselves in a new language teaching landscape, and the use of L1, once completely out of pedagogical sight, has come back into view. Translation has a key role to play. Indeed, Carreres, Norriega-Sánchez and Calduch (2018) propose that language pedagogy has entered a translation turn. This proposal is supported by findings which show that translation pedagogy improves students’ multilingualism and multiculturalism; literacy and critical thinking; and linguistic skills. Additionally, it has been shown to benefit heritage language learners. Each of these benefits of translation pedagogy will be addressed sequentially in the following subsections.
Multilingual and cultural benefits of translation
Translation is recommended as a pedagogy for a multilingual, multicultural approach to language teaching in which both L1 and L2 are supported in the classroom. As previously noted, the model for success in the language classroom should not be the “native-speakerism” (Cook, 2010, p. 100) supported by the Direct Method and approaches such as CLT. Rather, it should be the ability to move comfortably back and forth between two languages. Translation helps students work towards this multilingual model of success (Cook, 2010; González-Davies, 2017).
In tandem with this multilingual approach, translation also offers multicultural learning. Phipps and González (2004) argue that translation is languaging, and languaging is border crossing, or indeed border dissolving. As borders are eliminated, students have the opportunity for cultural learning. For example, through translation, Gonzalez-Davies (2017) argues that students are able to “Work within more than one culture efficiently” and “bridge cultures by foregrounding the study of ‘ways of thinking and doing’ of the members of a community and by noticing similarities as well as differences” (p. 128). Cuéllar Lázaro (2004) also asserts that translation is a communicative act which helps students understand culture and pragmatics in addition to language and register. Translation, then, can help students develop multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Literacy benefits of translation
Translation in the language classroom has also been argued to advance student literacy. Benefits can include gains in reading and writing (Canga-Alonso & Rubio-Goita, 2016; Colina & Lafford, 2017). Colina (2002) addresses benefits in reading comprehension and writing when taught through translation methodologies, noting that reading comprehension strategies can be taught with translation so that students are not doing “search and replace” (p. 11) for single words but are instead considering the text as a whole, thereby improving comprehension. Similarly, she argues that writing taught for translation purposes mirrors the process model of writing and helps to develop students’ critical thinking skills, long-term memory, and organizing and deciding skills, as opposed to simply having stude