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A PRAGMATIC STUDY ON APPLYING COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH IN CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING COURSES. Hui-Wen Chen Assistant Professor, Department of Translation and Interpretation Studies Chang Jung Christian University. INTRODUCTION. Insufficient English listening and speaking abilities
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A PRAGMATIC STUDY ON APPLYING COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH IN CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING COURSES Hui-Wen Chen Assistant Professor, Department of Translation and Interpretation Studies Chang Jung Christian University
INTRODUCTION • Insufficient English listening and speaking abilities • Teaching objective • Enhance their basic English listening comprehension • The transference skills from English (foreign language) to Chinese (mother language).
RESEARCH QUESTIONS • Instructor’s reflection and pragmatic study • To investigate • Teaching concept based on constructivism • Teaching approach based on communicative teaching • To explore advantages and disadvantages of the instructor’s teaching method • To provide suggestions for teachers
SUBJECTS • Participants: 133 Translation and Interpretation Studies major sophomores • Including 15 repeaters, 2 minors, 2 transfer students, and 2 returning students who went abroad for 1-year exchange program • Numbers for each class: 42, 35, 27, and 29 • Pre-took a two-semester required course Basic Chinese-English Translation in the 1st year
COURSE • One-semester course • Required course • Once a week, two periods • Consisting of 15 weeks, 30 periods • Textbook: World English 2: Real People, Real Places, Real Language (Johannsen & Chase, 2010), National Geographic
CLASS ACTIVITIES • Summary exercises • Consecutive interpretation • Closed platform on website
EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE • Use of “Encouraging Stamps” (ES) and “Encouraging Cards” (EC) • Observation of teaching assistant • Instructor’s remarks • Others
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION • Instructor’s Observation and Reflection Note • Students’ Evaluation on the Course
STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF THE COURSE Teaching Strategy Course Design Class Management Self-evaluation Method of Evaluation
CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION • ECs provided direct and immediate feedback to students • ESs facilitated students to: • Correct their mistakes • Learn how to interpret more precisely and ideally • The technique of gist summary
CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION (cont.) • Role of the TA • Guided and consulted for the students • Applied collaborative learning approach • Supervised learning progress optimally • In a communicative teaching approach: • Students were the main speakers in class • Instructor was merely a beholder and facilitator • Gist summary at the beginning 10 minutes • Facilitated students to come to class on time • Enhanced their class attendance rate • Improved students’ skills in extracting gist and paraphrasing
CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION (cont.) • The majority of students confirmed the communicative teaching approach used in the course • Although the course lasted only one semester, the subjects observed in this study encompassed the whole range of sophomores of the year • The results may be used as reference for design of course activities and method of evaluation