TEACHING FUTURE TRANSLATORS LANGUAGE THROUGH TRANSLATION— DOES IT HELP THEIR TRANSLATING?

This article is a qualitative attempt of a phenomenological nature to contribute to the area of simulation-based learning as deployed in translation didactics. More specifically, the objective of this paper is to focus on translation trainees’ views on the implementation of projects during which students are tasked with simulating professional translational activities specific to the translation industry. The fundamental two-fold research question posed in the study is 1) how the subjects interpret their experience with the project and 2) what the experience is like for them. Although in translation studies literature one can find a plethora of remarks and suggestions on the benefits of such teaching methods, very few studies have so far focused on how translation students, or students in general, perceive such activities and whether they find them useful for their future professional career in the translation industry. In an attempt to contribute to the discussion, the author of this paper applied the simulationist approach in the academic year 2019/20 at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Bialystok to 11 MA translation students. Upon the completion of the course, the author conducted a focus group interview with the students in order to inquire into possible advantages and disadvantages of this type of learning translation. Results have revealed that translation trainees were generally satisfied with the method. The study has expanded our knowledge about the potential of the simulation-based approach to translation pedagogy as seen from the student’s perspective, as well as going some way towards enhancing our understanding of the image and specificity of the translation jobs the trainees hold at the very beginning stage of their learning process. Keywords: simulation, playing roles, teamwork, translation project, focus group interview