Translation and Communicative Competence in Foreign Language Education

Xenia Liashuk, University of Trnava, Slovakia, ID LLCE2018.411;     Abstract: The paper provides a critical overview of theoretical premises which have been constituted to justify the re-introduction of translation activities and exercises into the post-communicative foreign language teaching paradigm. The reconsideration of the role of translation in the development of foreign language proficiency stems from the recognition of the pitfalls of its limited application in the traditional grammar-translation method with its prescribed fixation on form, principle of one-to-one correspondence between source and target morphosyntactical structures and detachment from natural oral and written text production. The paper further discusses the notion of pedagogical translation, its distinction from translation proper in the current research paradigm and the possibilities of applying both of them in classroom settings. Theoretical consideration are supported by empirical evidence derived from peer-reviewed studies published in the last decade, which help to map the scope of current and prospective use of translation activities in foreign language education.

Key words: translation, foreign language education, communicative competence, post-communicative teaching