Exploring the Effectiveness of Task-based Teaching of Translation

This study explores the effectiveness of task-based teaching in a "Translation of Idioms and Culture-Specific Items" course at a university in southern part of Iran, using a one-group posttest-only design with multiple sources of data. The teaching intervention was structured around Vygotsky's theory of social constructivism. It specifically applied Kiraly's principles of communicative and collaborative learning, situated learning, and socio-cognitive apprenticeship, which advocate for learner autonomy and collaborative problem-solving through authentic tasks, alongside an adaptation of González Davies’ activity-based model. The study's intervention, conducted over ۱۴ sessions, involved ۲۳ participants completing ۲۸ activities that gradually increased in complexity. Data were collected from three sources: (۱) activity scores (۲) systematic instructor observations of collaborative behaviors across seven sessions; and (۳) participant responses to an open-ended question, and then analyzed using a SWOT framework. Findings reveal an improvement in participants’ activity scores, demonstrating the development of practical translation competence. Observational data confirm a decrease in initial reluctance to participate, alongside a steady growth in teamwork skills and willingness to share opinions. The SWOT analysis of participant feedback showed positive perceptions far outweighed challenges. Participants praised the method for enhancing engagement, practical skills, and communication, but they also noted initial confusion, unequal group participation, and difficulty with out-of-class tasks. The study concludes that task-based teaching is an effective alternative to traditional methods, but its success hinges on clear scaffolding, transparent evaluation, and structured support to mitigate initial challenges and ensure equitable collaboration.

کلیدواژه ها:

cultural-specific items ، mixed-methods approach ، social constructivism ، SWOT analysis ، task-based teaching