Pedagogical Translation as an Instrument for the Development of Plurilinguistic and Intercultural Competence

Abstract

In contemporary foreign language teaching two communication activities, interaction and mediation are added to traditional receptive and productive competences, thus emphasising the importance of linguistic mediation between different languages and cultures (CEFR CV 2020). Expanding students’ linguistic repertoire includes not only the use of their mother tongue but also that of additional languages, as demonstrated by the renewed interest in researching translation as a teaching strategy. In this research, the opinions of foreign language teachers (level A1-B2) at the University of Zadar were examined. The survey comprised questions regarding the use and role of mother tongue and translation in foreign language teaching: whether teachers use them to develop linguistic and intercultural competence, or exclusively as a tool of classroom discourse. Taking into consideration the guidelines of the Council of Europe and the expanding plurilingual context, the research investigated how students’ and teachers’ knowledge of a second, third, or additional languages can be used to facilitate the acquisition of a new foreign language. Finally, based on the research results, presented as both quantitative and qualitative data, key conclusions were drawn regarding the current use of the mother tongue and translation as a teaching strategy in the instruction of a third or additional foreign language, with the aim of facilitating the development of students’ multilingual and intercultural competences.