Improving Language Skills through E-learning Training: An Experience from the Field of Interpreting

[Abstract The demand for professional interlocutors is growing in our increasingly multicultural Western societies. As an answer to this demand, the university of Alcalá offers a training programs on intercultural communication and public service interpreting and translating (PSI&T) since 2000, in different language pairs (Spanish and Arabic, Bulgarian, English, French, Romanian, Russian and other minority languages). Since 2003 an online course on intercultural communication has been offered, and in 2006 a new on line course on medical interpreting was developed as part of the Masters on Intercultural Communication and PSI&T. In this article I will concentrate on this last experience, which has been highly rewarding for both students and instructors, and in the English-Spanish language combination. I will briefly introduce the course, reflect on our experience of teaching interpreting online, and provide some tips for successful e-learning training as well as some results from the students’ exercises. Due to time and topic restrictions, I will only concentrate on some linguistic aspects inherent when learning a second language (in this case English-Spanish), leaving the interpreting skills for a future occasion. The on line interpreting experience has revealed to be a good strategy to improve language competence and fluency as well as to provide elements to develop remedial work for the students’ deficiencies in listening and speaking skills

Linguistic and paralinguistic aspects in legal interpretation: some strategies and programs

In Spain the increase in minorities who speak different languages and come from different cultures has, on a social level, given rise to a growing sense of concern with regard to their integration into society, and, at the judicial level, when it comes to regulating their stay in the country. However, in my opinion, there is one aspect that is being overlooked in official circles: the lack of attention to the immigrants' linguistic problems and the need for competent interpreters. First, I will analyze a few examples of legal translation and interpretation taken from court rooms; then, I will explain briefly some programs on community interpreting, and will analyze the role of the interpreter as well, the result of which could wind up causing a different or even the opposite social/psychological effect on the receiver. I will make references, primarily, to United States federal, state, and municipal court cases because it is there that a Spanish-English interpreter is most often needed, for the very fact that Spanish is the most widely spoken language after the official language. All of this is done with the idea of calling attention to the need for the creation of training programs for legal interpreters

Translating the imaginary world in the Harry Potter series or how Muggles, Quaffles, Snitches, and Nickles travel to other cultures

El éxito reciente de la serie de Harry Potter (HP) con más de110 millones de libros impresos, publicado en 200 países y 47 lenguas en menos de cinco años, y ya llevado al cine, convierte a la serie en un objeto inexcusable de estudio. En las páginas que siguen es mi intención servirme de la comparación del texto inglés y las traducciones a seis lenguas diferentes -español, catalán, portugués, italiano, francés y alemán- para explorar la transferencia del humor a través de lenguas y culturas. Para ello, en primer lugar, llevaré a cabo un análisis comparativo de la traducción de nombres propios y construcciones léxicas utilizadas para designar a algunos de esos personajes llenos de humor y magia creados por J.K. Rowling. En segundo lugar, extenderé el análisis comparativo en las seis lenguas con el texto original a la traducción de nombres de lugares, y en tercer lugar, compararé la traducción de nombres de determinados objetos y cosas que poseen un tono humorístico. A partir de ahí extraeré algunas conclusiones sobre las estrategias utilizadas por los diferentes traductores en las diferentes lenguas. El modelo de funcionalismo aplicado a la traducción literaria que presenta Nord (1997) nos servirá de marco teórico.This paper deals with the transfer of humour across languages and cultures. I will take as a case in point the well-known Harry Potter children's books by J.K. Rowling. Written originally in English, the first four Harry Potter (HP) books have been widely translated into different languages by a number of translators. I will approach the problem of translating humour in cross-cultural communication by examining language specifics in the HP series. Taking into account the space available, I will concentrate on certain humorous lexical and stylistic choices of the translators in six different languages: Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, German, and French. These choices include: names of people, places, and things as well as lexical constructions used to describe the characters

Ecocrítica y traducción.

This article is about literature, culture and landscapes with the addition of translation. My intention is twofold. First I aim to call the attention of Ecocriticism to the importance of translated texts as main texts; secondly, I will emphasise the opening of a new perspective in Translation Studies related to this new way of thinking about the relationships between literature and place when translating it. In order to perform this task, Walden, a significant piece of work in Ecocriticism, by D. H. Thoreau, and some translated versions of this work into Spanish are the object of study.First I will introduce Ecocriticsm by providing some definitions of related concepts and brief notes on its development; then I will briefly illustrate the importance of translation in the building of a new area to finally show the interconnections between these two areas, and exploring their consequences analysing Walden and its translations into Spanish. Este artículo trata sobre literatura, cultura y paisajes con la adición de la traducción. Mi intención es doble. En primer lugar mi objetivo es llamar la atención de la Ecocrítica sobre la importancia de la traducción en el nacimiento de una nueva disciplina; y, en segundo lugar, quiero hacer hincapié en la apertura de una nueva línea de investigación en los Estudios de Traducción al aplicar los presupuestos de la Ecocrítica a la traducción de textos relacionados con la cultura, la literatura y el medio ambiente. Para llevar a cabo esta tarea, utilizare como ejemplo Walden, de D.H. Thoreau y su traducción al español. En primer lugar, haré una breve introducción sobre la Ecocrítica, proporcionando algunas definiciones de conceptos relacionados y su desarrollo; en segundo lugar, trataré de ilustrar brevemente la importancia de la traducción en la construcción de una nueva área de estudio como es la Ecocrítica. Finalmente buscaré interconexiones entre estas dos áreas a través del análisis de Walden, una de las obras mas significativas en Ecocrítica y sus traducciones al español

El impacto psicológico y emocional en los intérpretes y traductores de los servicios públicos : un factor a tener en cuenta

Es un hecho reconocido por gran parte de los profesionales de la traducción e interpretación en los servicios públicos (T&ISSPP) (actividad también conocida como «Cornmunity Interpreting») y por estudios empíricos realizados que las tareas que se le piden a la persona que hace de intermediario lingüístico en los servicios públicos (SSPP) (hospitales, comisarías, oficinas de extranjería, etc.) suelen ir más allá del simple traslado de información. Al intérprete se le exige con frecuencia ser un «catalizador», un consultor cultural, lo cual implica que debe explicar hábitos culturales, valores o creencias tanto a los profesionales como a los usuarios para los que sirve de enlace. Debe actuar también en situaciones críticas y tratar temas complicados (peticiones de asilo, torturas, miseria, soledad, etc.) con frecuencia y sin preparación previa. El objetivo principal de este estudio es investigar el impacto psicológico y emocional que estos factores pueden provocar en su trabajo, las consecuencias que puede tener, los recursos que existen para enfrentarse a ello y las recomendaciones que los propios intérpretes y traductores dan para una formación y entrenamiento adecuado.This paper deals with the influence of emotional and psychological impact in interpreters in public services (IPS). This topic is not new in the field of interpreting, however it still remains rather unexplored in the IPS sphere despite of its importance. Previous research shows that a great percentage of IPS admit that the tasks they are requested usually go beyond the simple transfer of information (e.g. explaining cultural habits or beliefs, serving as a bridge in conversations about specific aspects of community life, distribution of functions and responsibilities in the family, often listening to stories of misfortune, torture, or disgrace). In order to cope with this active implication, the IPS has to possess a high emotional stability to undertake with success certain particularities of the nature of their work and some specific training, which is not always the case. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of these psychological and emotional challenges which IPS face in the course of their work, the resources available to cope with them and the recommendation for appropriate support services and training

A sociological perspective on TIPS. Explorations into the translator’s/interpreter’s (in)visibility in Translation and Interpreting in Public Services

The paper presents Pierre Bourdieu’s theories and suggests they may be fruitfully applied to the teaching and practice of translation and interpreting in public service settings

Exploratory analysis of the effectiveness of cochlear implant support groups on the quality of life of adult cochlear implant recipients

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the impact of support groups on the quality of life of adult cochlear implant users. Standardized surveys and a card-sorting task were used in addition to qualitative interview questions that were developed to compare the quality of life of cochlear implant recipients who attend versus those who do not attend a support group