Innoconf 2020
Ulrike Bavendiek on how to use literary texts in the beginners’ language classroom
Joining the two CTELL research themes ‘Using Google Translate for language learning’ and ‘Litinclass: Bringing Literature to the Language Class’, University of Liverpool lecturer Ulrike Bavendiek presented a paper with the title ‘Using machine translation to access literature in the beginners’ classroom’ at the InnoConf20 online conference.
She demonstrated how parallel texts, which have traditionally been used for language learning in the form of Graded or Easy Readers, can easily be created using machine translation, enabling teachers to use literary texts even in the beginners’ classroom. Presenting the translation in the reader’s first language alongside the target language text, the students gain access to the stories, characters and plot developments, without the need for time-consuming vocabulary and grammar searches, which would otherwise distract from the enjoyment of the texts. The activity allows beginners’ students to work on short literary passages in the foreign language to improve their reading skills and grammatical accuracy, whilst enabling them to engage with the entire text, its plotline, characters and cultural content. Obvious translation mistakes and blunders are seen as an advantage in this approach, encouraging learners to delve into the target language text.
See link for the presentation and recording.
