ABSTRACT

The teaching of translation in a university-level foreign-language department presents a series of challenges that originate with deeply heterogeneous levels of foreign-language proficiency across student populations as well as with instructor beliefs concerning effective teaching practices. This chapter describes a Spanish-to-English translation course that is guided by two main goals. First it provides students with a basic introduction to translation theory and strategies. Next, it provides practice in translating a variety of text types. Organized according to the information presented in the Kelly Washbourne's Manual of Spanish-English Translation, the course is designed to give students experience in applying translation theories to a series of concrete activities and assignments. It also relies heavily on computer-assisted translation tools. A good translation is the product of both interpretive and creative processes, a communicative tool that not only maintains a strong semantic correspondence to the source text but also creates a product that is both natural-sounding and easy for the target audience to read.