A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes

Isabel Tasker

A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes

Isabel Tasker

School of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

As universities internationalise, changes in student cohorts in tertiary language courses require creative rethinking of established pedagogical practices. This contribution presents a case study of the genesis, design, and implementation in a distance mode translation unit of 'tandem translation', a constructivist peer learning activity which pairs L1 Chinese speakers and L2 Chinese learners in collaborative and reflective tasks to produce joint translations of source texts in Chinese and English. Preliminary evaluation of student perceptions of the activity, as revealed by thematic analysis of 29 reflective student commentaries, suggests that it can enhance learning outcomes and language awareness, strengthen task engagement, and facilitate further linguistic and intercultural interchange. A model of the tandem translation process is proposed. The potential for connection between language departments and the multilingual resources of university communities is emphasised.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium
Editors	Catherine Travis, John Hajek, Colin Nettelbeck, Elizabeth Beckmann, Anya Lloyd-Smith
Place of Publication	Melbourne, Australia
Publisher	Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU)
Pages	301-315
ISBN (Print)	9781921944918
Publication status	Published - 2014
Event	LCNAU 2013 Colloquium: Second National Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities Colloquium - Canberra, Australia Duration: 2 Jul 2013 → 5 Jul 2013

Conference

Conference	LCNAU 2013 Colloquium: Second National Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities Colloquium
City	Canberra, Australia
Period	2/07/13 → 5/07/13

Keywords

Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics
LOTE, ESL and TESOL Curriculum and Pedagogy (excl Maori)
Chinese Languages

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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17251

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Tasker, I. (2014). A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes. In C. Travis, J. Hajek, C. Nettelbeck, E. Beckmann, & A. Lloyd-Smith (Eds.), Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium (pp. 301-315). Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU). https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17251

Tasker, Isabel. / A bicycle made for two : 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes. Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium. editor / Catherine Travis ; John Hajek ; Colin Nettelbeck ; Elizabeth Beckmann ; Anya Lloyd-Smith. Melbourne, Australia : Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU), 2014. pp. 301-315

@inproceedings{e8b23997eef34004bf01f5fa3106e86c,

title = "A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes",

abstract = "As universities internationalise, changes in student cohorts in tertiary language courses require creative rethinking of established pedagogical practices. This contribution presents a case study of the genesis, design, and implementation in a distance mode translation unit of 'tandem translation', a constructivist peer learning activity which pairs L1 Chinese speakers and L2 Chinese learners in collaborative and reflective tasks to produce joint translations of source texts in Chinese and English. Preliminary evaluation of student perceptions of the activity, as revealed by thematic analysis of 29 reflective student commentaries, suggests that it can enhance learning outcomes and language awareness, strengthen task engagement, and facilitate further linguistic and intercultural interchange. A model of the tandem translation process is proposed. The potential for connection between language departments and the multilingual resources of university communities is emphasised.",

keywords = "Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics, LOTE, ESL and TESOL Curriculum and Pedagogy (excl Maori), Chinese Languages",

author = "Isabel Tasker",

year = "2014",

language = "English",

isbn = "9781921944918",

pages = "301--315",

editor = "Catherine Travis and John Hajek and Colin Nettelbeck and Elizabeth Beckmann and Anya Lloyd-Smith",

booktitle = "Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium",

publisher = "Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU)",

note = "LCNAU 2013 Colloquium: Second National Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities Colloquium ; Conference date: 02-07-2013 Through 05-07-2013",

}

Tasker, I 2014, A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes. in C Travis, J Hajek, C Nettelbeck, E Beckmann & A Lloyd-Smith (eds), Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium. Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU), Melbourne, Australia, pp. 301-315, LCNAU 2013 Colloquium: Second National Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities Colloquium, Canberra, Australia, 2/07/13. <https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17251>

A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes. / Tasker, Isabel.
Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium. ed. / Catherine Travis; John Hajek; Colin Nettelbeck; Elizabeth Beckmann; Anya Lloyd-Smith. Melbourne, Australia: Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU), 2014. p. 301-315.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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T1 - A bicycle made for two

T2 - LCNAU 2013 Colloquium: Second National Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities Colloquium

AU - Tasker, Isabel

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - As universities internationalise, changes in student cohorts in tertiary language courses require creative rethinking of established pedagogical practices. This contribution presents a case study of the genesis, design, and implementation in a distance mode translation unit of 'tandem translation', a constructivist peer learning activity which pairs L1 Chinese speakers and L2 Chinese learners in collaborative and reflective tasks to produce joint translations of source texts in Chinese and English. Preliminary evaluation of student perceptions of the activity, as revealed by thematic analysis of 29 reflective student commentaries, suggests that it can enhance learning outcomes and language awareness, strengthen task engagement, and facilitate further linguistic and intercultural interchange. A model of the tandem translation process is proposed. The potential for connection between language departments and the multilingual resources of university communities is emphasised.

AB - As universities internationalise, changes in student cohorts in tertiary language courses require creative rethinking of established pedagogical practices. This contribution presents a case study of the genesis, design, and implementation in a distance mode translation unit of 'tandem translation', a constructivist peer learning activity which pairs L1 Chinese speakers and L2 Chinese learners in collaborative and reflective tasks to produce joint translations of source texts in Chinese and English. Preliminary evaluation of student perceptions of the activity, as revealed by thematic analysis of 29 reflective student commentaries, suggests that it can enhance learning outcomes and language awareness, strengthen task engagement, and facilitate further linguistic and intercultural interchange. A model of the tandem translation process is proposed. The potential for connection between language departments and the multilingual resources of university communities is emphasised.

KW - Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics

KW - LOTE, ESL and TESOL Curriculum and Pedagogy (excl Maori)

KW - Chinese Languages

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 9781921944918

SP - 301

EP - 315

BT - Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium

A2 - Travis, Catherine

A2 - Hajek, John

A2 - Nettelbeck, Colin

A2 - Beckmann, Elizabeth

A2 - Lloyd-Smith, Anya

PB - Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU)

CY - Melbourne, Australia

Y2 - 2 July 2013 through 5 July 2013

ER -

Tasker I. A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes. In Travis C, Hajek J, Nettelbeck C, Beckmann E, Lloyd-Smith A, editors, Practices and Policies: Current Research in Languages and Cultures Education. Selected Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium. Melbourne, Australia: Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU). 2014. p. 301-315

A bicycle made for two: 'Tandem translation' as a response to changing student cohorts in advanced Chinese classes

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