Donald C. Kiraly Book order

This book introduces an approach to elementary adult foreign language learning that is based on theory (in particular, complexity thinking and social constructivism) on the one hand, and years of practice using various unconventional methods on the other. A key assumption of the Scaffolded Language Emergence (SLE) approach is that a language need not be taught or learned in the conventional sense of these terms. Instead, it is argued, language can ‘emerge’, that is generate and maintain itself through authentic use. The study and application of rules is considered most useful in later stages of learning, while intuition and abductive thinking can be used very effectively to initiate or bootstrap naturalistic learning processes – even in adults learning a foreign language.

This volume deals with the theory and practice of incorporating authentic experiential work into curricula for the education of professional translators and interpreters. The contributions deal with a wide variety of topics in this domain, extending from the foundations of experiential learning in pedagogical epistemology to discussions of exemplary experiments with the use of authentic project work at leading translator and interpreter education institutions in Germany, Spain and Switzerland. Matters of educational philosophy, curriculum design as well as instructional design are dealt with, and the wide range of focal points and perspectives of the various authors provides a multi-facetted view of authentic project work that has so far been lacking in translation pedagogy literature.

Revolving around the topic of innovative translator and interpreter education, this volume covers a wide range of pedagogical issues, from curriculum design to translator competence and from classroom practice to research techniques. The authors represent a number of countries. Their proposals come mainly from an interpretivist rather than an empiricist epistemological perspective, and are sure to resonate with educators around the world. While none of the authors claims to have found the holy grail of how to train translators and interpreters, their contributions all serve as fine examples of just how multi-facetted and refreshing language mediation pedagogy and research on pedagogy can be.