| How to avoid doing it:
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| | money to do this and you need to be very
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| 1. Refuse to give translations for new
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| | good at both languages to do it
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| vocabulary yourself. Pretend/admit you
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| | successfully. ("If you are a professional
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| don't speak the student's language.
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| | interpreter you may translate in my
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| 2. Encourage the students to guess the
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| | lessons, no problem" - funnily enough I
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| meaning of words they don't know or to
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| | haven't come across any such students
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| ask each other for help or to look it up
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| | yet!)
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| in a monolingual dictionary instead. (See
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| | 6. False friends can cause problems. In
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| TT6 , TT9 and TT20 for further
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| | Italian the word "sensibile" means
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| explanation).
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| | sensitive. Not sensible. The word
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| 3. Explain that you are a teacher, not an
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| | "conveniente" means cheap. Not
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| interpreter.
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| | convenient. I could go on...
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| 4. Remind students that you are a
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| | 7. Often there is only one word in the
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| teacher, not a dictionary.
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| | students' language to translate two
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| Why to avoid doing it:
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| | English words. For example: the Italian
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| 1. If student's translate words and you
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| | for make is "fare" and so is the Italian
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| don't speak their language you won't know
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| | for "do". The Italian for "job" is
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| if they've really understood or if
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| | "lavoro" and so the Italian for "work".
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| they've translated it correctly.
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| | In such cases translating is actually the
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| 2. There often isn't a direct translation
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| | origin of the students' confusion over
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| for a word or phrase, there is only an
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| | the words, not the solution to it.
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| "equivalent", sometimes not even that.
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| | Extra Info:
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| Try translating a couple of modal verbs
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| | If I encounter students who are convinced
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| (like "must" or "would" and you'll see
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| | that translating English into their own
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| what I mean) and I doubt very much that
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| | language is an essential part of learning
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| there is a translation for "Yorkshire
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| | English I try to discourage them by
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| Pudding" in any language (because it's
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| | explaining like this: Let's imagine that
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| something solely British so other
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| | I am a piano-teacher and a student wants
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| countries will presumably never have
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| | to learn to play the piano so s/he has
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| needed a word for it). "get" is hard to
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| | piano lessons with me. S/he may not be
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| translate, as are phrasal verbs.
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| | able to play the piano but s/he is an
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| 3. Translating some things word for word
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| | expert guitarist and brings his/her
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| doesn't help. For example: My mother
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| | guitar to the lesson. I play a tune on
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| -in-law once told me that my husband is a
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| | the piano and s/he tries to copy it on
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| "pezzo di pane" which translates as "a
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| | the guitar. But it doesn't sound the
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| piece of bread". I was none the wiser for
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| | same. In fact it doesn't sound like a
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| having translated this. Did it mean he
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| | piano at all. Well, it wouldn't, would
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| was soft, I asked myself? Or stale? (It
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| | it? I suggest that s/he tries playing it
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| actually means he's a good sort,
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| | on the piano but s/he tells me that s/he
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| apparently.)
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| | will only be able to play it on the piano
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| 4. Translating slows students down which
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| | if s/he can play it on the guitar first.
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| means you run the risk of getting bogged
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| | The lesson continues with me playing the
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| down in the fruitless pursuit of a word
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| | piano and the student "translating" the
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| which isn't English anyway.
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| | tunes onto the guitar. At the end of this
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| 5. Thinking in two languages
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| | course of piano lessons, do you think the
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| simultaneously (which is necessary for
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| | student will be able to play the piano? I
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| translating) is very hard. People pay
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| | think not.
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| simultaneous interpreters quite a lot of
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|
