The possibilities of pedagogical translation in the teaching of Spanish as a second language

Abstract

Over the past few decades, translation has gained renewed popularity as a pedagogical tool in language teaching. According to many researchers, translation has the potential to facilitate the development of linguistic skills and extralinguistic knowledge (Carreres & Noriega Sánchez, 2011; Cook, 2010; González Davies, 2004; Widdowson, 2003; Colina, 2002; Malmkjaer, 1998; Duff, 1989). This study examines the didactic possibilities of translation into Spanish as an approach for teaching a second language. First, a brief theoretical introduction to pedagogic translation is outlined. Second, the pedagogical practices of an advanced Spanish course are described and quantitative and qualitative analyses of the impact of the use of translation are detailed. Finally, a series of pedagogical recommendations to incorporate the practice of translation into Spanish as a tool for teaching a second language are proposed.