Innovation in Language Learning

The study examines the pedagogical impacts of combining book review tasks, literary translation, and collaborative reflection in the form of Talk Show in an undergraduate translation classroom. Having been assigned with six selected of prior-untranslated Vietnamese literary works, translation students engaged in a staged instructional process beginning with literary analysis, continued with structured translation tasks, and culminated in peer-led “Talk Show” discussions. Book reviews required students to summarize plots, analyze characters and themes, and develop personal critiques, which acted as cognitive and emotional scaffolding for their subsequent translations. To guide their work, students applied Newmark’s four levels of translation analysis- textual, referential, cohesive, and naturalness-ensuring a focus on accuracy, coherence, tone, and style. Following their translations, students participated in reflective group talkshows to discuss challenges, decisions, and interpretive strategies. AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, DeepL) were optionally used during initial drafting, with students required to critically revise outputs and reflect on the limitations of machine-generated language in literary contexts. Survey results (N=20) demonstrated strong agreement that book reviews improved emotional sensitivity (M=4.15) and cultural comprehension, while Talk Show participation enhanced collaborative awareness and interpretive confidence. Students reported that AI tools were useful in drafting (M=4.05) but fell short in capturing metaphor and poetic nuance (M=4.35), affirming the irreplaceable role of human insight. Lower scores in areas such as defending translation choices (M=3.60) suggest the need for additional support in building metalinguistic confidence. The findings support a constructivist approach to translation pedagogy, emphasizing pre-translation reflection, human-AI integration, and peer dialogue. The study concludes that book reviews and reflective discussion not only prepare students for the technical demands of translation but also develop interpretive sensitivity and literary awareness-key competencies in rendering culturally and emotionally rich texts.