Innovation in Language Learning

Nowadays ICT are part of every translator’s and interpreter’s work, vast majority of professionals in this field use ICT in their work [1]. Therefore the Master of Applied Linguistics curriculum should include ICT based elements in order to provide students with the learning experience ‘consistent with the demands and expectations of the current market’ [1].

This paper will demonstrate the ways ICT are used to provide better acquisition of skills for specific language tasks of translation and interpretation and familiarization of future translators and interpreters with specific working practices.  

The course in translation and interpretation for Masters of Linguistics in St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University is practically-oriented and is aimed at developing professional skills in accordance with the demands of the current European market. This course also includes a theoretical part as well as it is believed that a professional translator and interpreter should be aware of the theoretical basis of her or his profession. ICT are used in both lectures and practical training classes as well as for independent students’ work.

The following ways of using ICT in the course in translation and interpretation are suggested: (1) to support acquisition of theoretical knowledge of the basic translation studies ideas and terms; (2) to provide alternatives to real-life situations in their professional field by means of video; (3) to show the best practices in simultaneous and consecutive interpreting; (4) to provide examples of translators and interpreters’ failures to analyze; (5) to provide a high quality audio and video material for interpreting practice; (6) to provide topical texts in different languages for translating practice; (7) to give modern tools to support translating and interpreting, such as CAT, online dictionaries and databases, search engines, communication tools etc.

ICT integration into the curriculum enables to support every stage of the translators and interpreters learning process, to make it more efficient and to get better results.