Teaching translation skills to Chinese students, majoring in the Russian language: considering the principles of the theory of eco-translatology (on the example of A.P. Chekhov's story “Zinochka”)

Abstract

Introduction. The most important area of research in the methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language is teaching translation to foreign students. The quality of translation depends not only on the degree of proficiency in Russian, but also on how well students can use their native language. This is also observed among Chinese students who have difficulty translating Russian-language texts into Chinese. Hypothesis: the method of teaching translation using the theory of “eco-translatology” developed by Professor Hu Genshen of Tsinghua University (China) is relevant. The purpose of the study is to prove the effectiveness of the application of the Hu Genshen's theory in the formation and development of literary translation skills in Chinese students. Materials and methods: the theoretical analysis of scientific and methodological literature, content analysis, comparative analysis, description and analysis of research results. A group of 20 Chinese third-year students of the "Philology" training course took part in the experiment. They performed tasks on the written translation of A.P. Chekhov's story “Zinochka”. Results: variants of translations of several fragments of this work are considered. The advantages and disadvantages of students' translations are noted; the significance of the main approach of the theory of eco-translatology – “adaptation and selection” – for teaching translation is evaluated. Conclusions. To obtain an adequate translation, it is necessary to deepen the work on the original text and the theory of translation. The teacher needs to develop students' ability to sense the emotional mood of the characters through specially organized work on this aspect. It is important for students to acquire the skills of taking into account the context, situational and stylistic features, to learn the structural differences of languages and strive to bring their knowledge of Chinese to a higher level, to develop vocabulary as a prerequisite for high-quality translation of texts of different speech styles.