Distance Learning Challenges in Translation Teaching: Mediation Competence Development

Abstract

In recent years the COVID pandemic has influenced education significantly. The pace of digital transformation is very fast and requires a change of mindset. Translators or cross-language mediators have to work at the focal point of various information transfer processes. We think that a digital mindset of a future translator can be created by re-contextualising classroom communication reality with online teaching tools that will ensure synchronous and asynchronous studies. The challenges of online resources variety can be responded to by classifying them according to L2 communicative competence and translation competence structural components. Thus the choice of sources can be narrowed down according to specific teaching objectives. The research proposes a classification of online resources for mediation competence development which is a communicative competence component according to CEFR. Classification categories include online teaching tools that can help develop (1) skills of mediating concepts, texts, communication; (2) strategies of explaining new concepts and strategies of text simplification. The classification is used to work out a few sample activities for an L2 course within translation curriculum. It is assumed that the classification and sample activities will help teachers be more flexible facing distance learning challenges in translation teaching.