The Usefulness of Different Forms of Translation in a CLIL Environment

Abstract

This article aims to explore the role translation can play within a CLIL environment. The hypothesis that the research project, on which this paper is based, wanted to prove, was that the introduction of materials and activities informed by the use of various forms of translation could lead to an enhancement of the performance in students attending CLIL courses at the level of both content and language. As Snell-Hornby stated at the end of the twentieth century, the practice of translation in our society has increasingly acquired a fundamental importance. Yet, for many years, translation has often been excluded from the language class. However, in our multicultural society, translation has become an essential tool in various professional and social contexts, including the multicultural classrooms teachers act in. This article is based on my experience as a teacher trainer (English language and CLIL methodology) and on the results obtained during research which focused, in particular, on the use of various forms of translation in CLIL courses and which extended over the school years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. As a result, this article argues in favor of translation in the CLIL class. On the basis of the outcomes obtained, it is my contention here that Learning Units such as those presented here, where translation works in synergy with CLIL methodology, are perceived as motiving by students, thereby facilitating the development of various disciplinary and communicative skills.