La terminología informática del futuro

Análisis de la terminología relacionada con la informática y las Nuevas Tecnologías en español y problemas hallados en su traducción del inglés

Nuevas Tecnologías, multiculturalidad e inclusión: el uso de las app en un entorno cooperativo con alumnado internacional. NTIMapp

Presentación realizada para REDES-INNOVAESTIC 201

La traducción de -ware: análisis contrastivo de la traducción de veinte términos con -ware en español, francés, alemán e italiano

As pointed out by BARRY (1991), computer terminology has become very popular in the last years thanks partly to the international expansion of the Internet. As a result, many computer terms have entered the general vocabulary in English and other languages. Two of the most widely spread words are hardware and software. Although several possible translations for them were proposed (AGUADO DE CEA 1986; ANINA 1992); the original English terms are nowadays the most commonly used in languages such as Spanish or Italian. Furthermore, many other words with -ware have been coined after hardware and software, for example bloatware, freeware, middleware, shareware, shelfware, etc. This article intends to analyse some of the problems in translating twenty English terms with -ware into four languages: Spanish, French, Italian and German. For this purpose, we comment on the different alternatives provided by the Eurodicautom for each one of these languages, comparing them with other possible translations proposed by complementary printed and on-line dictionaries and databases (NetGlos, Le Signet, etc)

New Challenges in the Translation of Terminology for Software Applications

English has played a dominant role in the terminology of computers and the New Technologies in the last decades. The growing expansion worldwide of different electronic devices and multitasking smart phones has brought about an increasing number of software applications or apps in the market. Creating multilingual applications is a major challenge for developers and companies as sale revenues are on the rise in this sector. The translation and localisation into Spanish and other languages entails some lexical problems that are analysed in this paper with several examples taken from different apps. The results clearly show a marked tendency towards abbreviated and contracted forms based on length restriction and the unceasing penetration of English terms or Anglicisms into Spanish. Different examples are provided to illustrate the major challenges translators face when localising these terms into Spanish by using different lexical resources. Freedom, creativity, accuracy and precision will be determinant factors in the terminology of software applications for electronic devices in the near future

ICTs and Project-Based Learning (PBL) in EFL: Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes and Digital Skills

Although there is a rich body of literature about the implementation of ICTs in foreign language learning, none has investigated the technological attitudes and digital skills of pre-service teachers thanks to the adoption of a Project-Based Learning (PBL) methodology. This study analyses the attitudes and digital skills of pre-service teachers through the implementation of ICT-based projects in the EFL classroom. For this purpose, 120 teacher candidates at the University of Alicante (Spain) participated in this experiment. First, all students were administered a pretest to measure the degree of technological affinity and digital skills. Then, they were divided into smaller groups (cooperative learning) in order to design and create several ICT-based projects aimed at teaching English as a foreign language to children and young learners. All the participants later presented their projects and evaluated the results (peer-evaluation) from a technical and pedagogical perspective. Finally, they completed a post-test based on their self-perceived learning outcomes in relation to ICT integration. The results revealed significant learning gains in digital and higher-order thinking skills (create, analyse, evaluate). Teaching candidates show a positive attitude towards the integration of ICTs in the EFL classroom but demand better training as regards the adoption of new technologies, particularly given the current situation and the need for increased on-line teaching

Enhancing Multimodal Interaction and Communicative Competence through Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC)

The number of publications on live online teaching and distance learning has significantly increased over the past two years since the outbreak and worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but more research is needed on effective methodologies and their impact on the learning process. This research aimed to analyze student interaction and multimodal communication through Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in a Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC) environment. For this purpose, 90 teacher candidates enrolled in the subject Applied Linguistics at a university were randomly assigned in different teams to create collaboratively digital infographics based on different language teaching methods. Then, all the teams explained their projects online and the classmates completed two multimedia activities based on each method. Finally, the participants discussed the self-perceived benefits (relevance, enjoyment, interest) and limitations (connectivity, distraction) of SCMC in language learning. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through pre- and post-tests, class observation and online discussion. The statistical data and research findings revealed a positive attitude towards the integration of TBLT in an SCMC environment and a high level of satisfaction with multimodal communication (written, verbal, visual) and student interaction. However, the language teacher candidates complained about the low quality of the digital materials, the use of technology just for substitution, and the lack of peer-to-peer interaction in their live online classes during the pandemic

The Discourse of Gender Violence in Middle English Literature: A socio-linguistic analysis of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales have been widely studied and analyse by many scholars (Ashton, 1998 Ellis, 1998 and Phillips, 2000) as they are an extraordinary portrayal of the English Middle Ages, depicting people from different social strata (knights, wives, clerks, nuns, kings, etc). Among all these studies, two aspects of The Canterbury Tales have received comparatively more attention: on the one hand, the symbolic illustration and narrative imagery of English medieval society (Olson, 1996; Mann, 1987; Knapp, 1990), on the other, feminist and antifeminist interpretations of some of the tales and the pilgrims (Wright, 1989; Butler, 1990; Ashton, 1998; Martin, 1990; Stephens and Ryans, 1998; Bissow, 1998). Occasionally, both aspects (English medieval society and gender relations) have been associated with a third aspect that will be the focus of our article, i.e., the representation of violence against women in medieval literature

The Impact of Augmented Reality (AR) on Vocabulary Acquisition and Student Motivation

Although there is a growing body of literature about the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in language learning, research regarding its effectiveness for vocabulary development among secondary students is scarce. This study aims to measure the perception toward AR technology (H1), the effect of its use on vocabulary development (H2), and its impact on student motivation (H3). In this mixed method research based on convenient sampling, 130 students aged 14 to 15 (9th-graders) from two secondary education schools were assigned to an experimental (n = 64) and a control (n = 66) group. Both groups needed to learn 30 geographic terms in English over four weeks. The control group used a traditional method based on a handbook, while the experimental group was exposed to an AR-based lesson containing the same lexical terms. The instruments involved an English pre-post-test about the target vocabulary, a pre-post-survey, and a class discussion. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed through SPSS 20 statistical software and a thematic analysis, respectively. The results evidenced positive attitudes and a strong interest in AR integration in language learning. However, no significant differences were observed regarding vocabulary learning performance between both groups of secondary students.This study is part of a larger research project, [The integration of AR in language learning], financed by the Instituto de Ciencias de la Educacion at the University of Alicante (Reference number: 4887)