Redefining Translation Pedagogy: Learning through Portfolios

While translation portfolios are referred to in the literature on translator education (Davies 2004, Kelly 2005) and their effectiveness both for translation learning and assessment is mentioned, few cases are reported which provide a description of how to develop them and/or data about their use (Johnson 2003, Haiyan 2006). Moreover, where descriptions do exist, references to activities involving ‘readings’ in translation theory are found, but no explicit mention is made of how theory is integrated into the portfolio; only error analysis features somewhat prominently for the purposes of portfolio assessment. In this paper we outline our work in the design of an electronic course translation portfolio as an attempt to combine theory and practice with a view to empowering students by heightening their awareness of the factors involved in translation (Kiraly 2000). First, a discussion is provided of issues and perspectives that have emerged in the design of a portfolio for undergraduate students, that is in the attempt to develop translation competences by engaging students in online translation activities and reflection activating the most appropriate strategies for carrying out the tasks they have to accomplish. Second, considering that the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) has successfully been used to develop portfolios for language learning, in particular the European Language Portfolio (ELP), we have set out to explore this document with a view to establishing if we could find anything relevant for the design of a Translation Portfolio, while bearing in mind that in the CEFR translation is a means – an activity or task – for language learning, whereas in translating as a profession or translator education it is an end in itself. Finally, we report on experimenting draft versions of our Translation Portfolio with undergraduate students at the University of Padova.