2005 年 6 月 中国英语教学 （双月刊）
第 28 卷　第 3 期 CELEA Journal（Bim onthly）
TRANSLATION WORKSHOP ：
AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH IN TRANSLATION TEACHING
Xiao Hong
Sichuan International Studies University
Abstract
　　Translating is an im portant productive skill ，the
cultivation of w hich is therefore a co m m on concern
in the field of translation teaching． The traditional
translation teaching approach attaches im portance to
the final product of translating ，w hich has exposed
various disadvantages．In view of this situation ， this
paper suggests Translation Workshop Approach as an
effective teaching method to im prove the quality of
translation teaching． In the actual w orkshop ，the
teacher mainly plays the roles of a mediator ，an
organizer ， a creator ，a facilitator ，a supervisor and a
guide． As the mediator and organizer ，the teacher
helps to establish cooperative connection between
students and pro m ote their interest in translation．As
the guide and facilitator ， he helps students to
co m prehend fully the original text and solve their
proble ms in translating． As the creator and
supervisor ，he creates opportunities and a relaxed
atm osphere for students active participation in
translation teaching activity． Students are the real
center of this w orkshop activity．They w ork jointly
to seek unified solutions to translation proble ms ，
generalizing rules or principles w hich help produce
better version in their later translation activity．
Key w ords
translation teaching ； translation w orkshop ；
translation w orkshop approach
1． Introduction
In the field of college English teaching in
China ，m ore and m ore e m phasis has been laid on
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Jun．2005
Vol．28 No．3
the develop m ent of students productive skills．
Translating ，as an im portant productive skill ，has
been drawing an increasingly public and acade mic
interest ， w hich foretells a pressing need for
qualified translators and interpreters． However ，
the traditional translation teaching approach ，
w hich is teacher－ centered ，lays e m phasis on the
final product of translating — the students
version． Usually ，the teacher first de m onstrates
translation techniques with the help of a few
exa m ple sentences or m akes a co m parative study
of tw o or m ore versions ，and then assigns so m e
ho m ew ork． Next ，the teacher corrects student s
assign m ents ， with e m phasis on correcting
mistakes． Finally ， the teacher m akes so m e
co m m ent on students translation w ork ， his
e m phasis still on students mistakes ，occasionally
co m m enting on one or tw o good versions．In this
way ， the w hole process of translation teaching has
co m e to an end．
Obviously ，this approach has the following
disadvantages．（ 1 ） As it belongs to product－
oriented approach ，w hich is teacher－ centered ，it
cannot ensure that students will bring their m ajor
role into full play．The teacher plays the role of a
nurse ， thus generating students heavy dependence
on the teacher and their half－ heartedness about
learning translation．（ 2 ） In correcting and
co m m enting on students assign m ents ，the teacher
always lays e m phasis on students mistakes ，w hich
is liable to da m pen students enthusiasm for
translating ， causing the m to psychologically
generate the fear of and disgust for the translation
course． （3） This product－ oriented approach
deviates fro m the aim of quality－ oriented
 Translation Workshop ：An Effective Approach in Translation Teaching 　　Xiao Hong
education ， failing to develop students
co m prehensive ability — the ability to innovate
and the abilities to discover ，analyze and solve
translation proble ms independently． （ 4 ） In
translating assign m ents after class ，students lack
their teacher s guidance ，and the teacher cannot
m onitor his students translation activities ；nor
does he discover his students mistakes or guide
the m in proble m － solving during co m prehension
and representation． Consequently ，students are
apt to skim p their w ork．If translation is co m pared
to an iceberg ， the translated w ork is m erely a very
sm all part of the iceberg floating above the water ；
the m ajority of the iceberg deep under the water．
The co m plex process of translating is not yet
discovered by the teacher． In short ，traditional
translation teaching approach has co m e to a dead
end．The translation class based on it has beco m e a
one－ way co m m unication ，generating little desired
effect．
In view of this situation in translation
teaching ， this paper atte m pts to suggest a
Translation Workshop Approach ，w hich ，as an
effective way to develop students ability of
translating ，the author of this paper has been
applying in his translation teaching practice for
m any years．
2． Translation Workshop Approach
Translation Workshop is a foru m similar to a
translation center w here tw o or m ore translators
gather together to conduct translation activities
（ Gentzler 1993 ：7 ）． When this practice is
conducted in a classroo m ，it can be considered as a
way to teach translation． The nature of this
approach is to pro m ote students “ learning
translation by translating ” ． As a teaching
approach ，it is student－ centered and process－
oriented． The teacher plays a leading role — a
guide ，an organizer ，a counselor ，a supervisor and
a creator of opportunities ， all rolled into one ；and
the students ，a m ajor role in the process of
translating — active participants ，learners and
tea m －w orkers．
It has the following advantages．（1 ） The
teacher can m onitor the w hole process of students
translating ， w hich enables the teacher to get
pro m pt feedback of his students translation．
（2）This approach can arouse students interest in
translation and involve all students active
participation in translating．（3 ）It can pro m ote
the exchange and cooperation between the
students and their teacher ，w hich benefits the
32
teacher and his students alike． （4）It pro m otes the
interaction a m ong the participants ，w hich helps to
develop a tea m spirit since they assu m e shared
responsibilities and w ork towards the sa m e
objective．（5 ） It e m phasizes the m ajor role of
students and creates a de m ocratic and co m petitive
atm osphere ，w hich is pleasant and suitable for
students to bring into full play their creative
thinking ，enthusiasm and initiative．In a w ord ，
translation w orkshop approach encourages
students autono m y — independent or self－ reliant
learning by raising w orkshop participants
consciousness as the center of learning translation
skills instead of spoon－ feeding students with a
static body of knowledge．
3． Procedures of Workshop Approach
Translation w orkshop approach can be
undertaken in the form of tea m w ork． After
handing out assign m ents ，the teacher m ay allow
students abouttwenty or thirty minutes（depending
upon the length of the m aterialto be translated）to
translate the m ． During the process of
co m prehension ，students can discuss w hat they
cannot understand either with a partner or in
groups ，and then put pen to paper independently．
Next ，they correct each other s w ork ，read their
ow n versions within the group ，and select the best
version ，w hich is read to the w hole class． After
that ， the w hole class m akes a judg m ent as to w hich
version is perfect．At this stage other students can
also offer w hat they consider as better versions．
Finally ， the teacher m akes a co m m ent on students
version ，leading students to draw conclusions for
translation fro m their ow n translation practice．
To be exact ，this approach involves the
following three stages ：before－ translating ，w hile－
translating ，and after－
translating．
Stage One ：Before－Translating
This stage consists m ainly of teacher s
instruction．In the first class hour ，the teacher
spends about twenty minutes expounding
translation theory or de m onstrating translation
techniques as scheduled． According to the
Syllabus ，English m ajors should be offered tw o
years translation course ， with English－ Chinese
translation and Chinese－ English translation each
occupying one acade mic year． Tim e is limited ，
w hereas teaching m aterials are as vast as the open
sea． Therefore teacher s explanation should be
brief and explicit ，focusing on the key ite ms ，
highlighting the difficult points ，and teaching only
 CELEA Journal 61
the essential． For exa m ple ， as to translation
theory ，e m phasis should be laid on translation
principles or criteria ，translation techniques and
translation of stylistic varieties ，with the focus on
translation techniques．
The co m m only used translation techniques
should be explained clearly and concisely just in
order to getto the crucial point ，w hereas so m e less
co m m only used ones should be taught only for the
sake of practicality and convenience． Take the
teaching of translating long sentences for
exa m ple．The teacher should focus on teaching his
students the essentials of the techniques of
translating long sentences ：
（1）present the skeleton form of a long
sentence and find out the interrelation
between sentence ele m ents
（2）cut the long sentence into several sim ple
parts
（3）translate the sim ple parts into Chinese
one by one
（4）rearrange the order according to Chinese
idio m atic expression
（5）give finishing touches to the version
Stage Two ：While－Translating
This stage fallsinto tw o steps ：co m prehension
and representation．
Step One ：Co m prehension
1 ） Predicting the Text． After his necessary
explanation ，the teacher gives out assign m ent
relevant to his lecture．Students should first get a
global understanding of the original text by pre－
reading it and then get an accurate co m prehension
of it through close reading． Then students are
divided into groups to predict and discuss the
content of the text． Through discussion ，students
not only solve the linguistic proble ms and
overco m e the obstacles caused by different
disciplines but also bridge the cultural gaps
between English and Chinese．In this interactive
activity students interest and curiosity are
aroused ， and their potentials ， creativity and
wisdo m are also stim ulated to a greater extent．
Besides ， students are also required to w ork fast on
so m e guiding questions prepared by the teacher to
extract significant facts and specific inform ation
fro m the text． Working on guiding questions not
only helps students get an overallim pression of the
text ，but also gives students good foundation for
further understanding of it．Therefore ， such task－
based activities as anticipating the content of and
33
w orking on the guiding questions about the
assign m ent are significant approaches w hereby to
prepare for a full understanding of the original
text． Take the following long sentence for
exa m ple．
It is nothing else than im purities prenatally
inherent in ore that seriously affect the
quality of the latter ，w hich is form ed as a
result of geological vicissitudes including
diastrophic m ove m ent ，eruption of volcano ，
sedim entation ， glaciation and weathering
etc．，under the action of w hich pyrogenic
rocks ， volcanic co m plex ， aqueous rocks ，
sedim entary rocks etc．，co m e into being ，
so m e of w hich exist in a state of sy m biosis ，
the m ain cause of the absence of pure rocksin
nature ，w herein lies the reason for the need
of separation technology and apparatus ，
na m ely ，ore－ dressing devices and equip m ent ，
w hich has so far been im potent to m eet the
require m ents of m etallurgical industry the
scientists m ake every endeavor to elevate to a
new high by laser separation．
After assigning students the above task ，the
teacher m ay ask the following guiding questions．
（1 ） What does the w ord “latter ”refer to ？
（ore）
（2） What affects the quality of ores ？
（im purities prenatally inherent in ore）
（3） How does the ore co m e into being ？ （as a
result of geological vicissitudes including
diastrophic m ove m ent ， eruption of
volcano ，sedim entation ，glaciation and
weathering etc． ）
（4） What do the above－m entioned geological
vicissitudes produce ？ （pyrogenic rocks ，
volcanic co m plex ， aqueous rocks ，
sedim entary rocks etc． ）
（5） Why is there no pure ore in nature and
w hy do we need separation technology
and apparatus ？（ because so m e of the
above－m entioned rocks exist in a state of
sy m biosis ， the m ain cause of the absence
of pure rocks in nature）
（6） What do you think of the present
separation technology and apparatus ？
（They have so far been im potent to m eet
the require m ents of m etallurgical
industry）
With these questions in mind ，the students
should m ake a close－ reading of the original to
 Translation Workshop ：An Effective Approach in Translation Teaching 　　Xiao Hong
further co m prehend the originalinform ation．
2 ） Textual Analysis． After close reading ，
students are required to m ake a textual analysis ，
w hich is an im portant m eans of understanding the
original text accurately．The teacher should teach
his students the techniques of grasping the thread
of thoughtin the m aterialto be translated ，m aking
sound judg m ent and inference ， recognizing
denotation and connotation of w ords ， and
understanding figurative language．The analysis of
the above long sentence is a typical exa m ple．The
students w ork jointly on the original text with the
help of the guiding questions asked by the teacher ，
and grasp the spirit of the original text by
analyzing its gra m m atical structure and inherent
logical relation between sentence ele m ents ，
negotiating the following layers of m eaning ：
（1）The ore is form ed as a result of geological
vicissitudes including diastrophic
m ove m ent ， eruption of volcano ，
sedim entation ， glaciation and
weathering．
（2）The afore－m entioned geological
vicissitudes produce pyrogenic rocks ，
volcanic co m plex ， aqueous rocks ，
sedim entary rocks etc．
（3）So m e of the above－m entioned rocks exist
in a state of sy m biosis ， w hich is the
reason for the absence of pure ore in
nature．
（4）Itisjustthe im purities prenatally inherent
in ore that seriously affect its quality．
（5）Therefore separation technology and
apparatus are needed．
（6）But so far separation technology and
apparatus are far fro m m eeting the
require m ents of m etallurgicalindustry．
（7）The scientists are w orking very hard to
elevate it to a new high by laser
separation
Such tasks should be carried out in groups or
in class． By analyzing the text ，students provide
the mselves with a chance to im prove their ability
in understanding fully the original text．
Step Two ：Representation
An accurate co m prehension of the original
text does not necessarily ensure an adequate
representation． The quality of translated w ork
depends upon the w orkshop participant s accurate
co m prehension of the original ，his good m astery
of the target language ，and his flexible application
34
of translation techniques． With the solution of the
co m prehension proble ms ，adequate representation
should beco m e the fore m ost concern．Based on an
accurate co m prehension of the original ，students
w ork independently on the production of a proper
version within the given tim e． At this stage ，the
teacher should not interfere with students
independent w ork on their translation． Instead ，
he beco m es a supervisor ， organizing and
m onitoring students translation activities． The
teacher should m ake sure that the students choice
of w ords and construction of sentences m ust
convey accurately the real m eaning of the original
and at the sa m e tim e conform to the usage of the
target language ，so as to achieve the unity of an
accurate co m prehension on the one hand and an
adequate representation on the other． To ensure
this ， the teacher should enable his students to m eet
the following require m ents ： （1 ） to be able to
flexibly apply literal and free translation and avoid
w ord－for－ w ord translation w hich will get the m
now here ； （2 ）to be able to m ake a contextual
analysis of difficult w ords．Students are required
to bear in mind that w ords beco m e alive only w hen
they are used in the right context ，and that in a
co m plex discourse the exact m eaning of m any
w ords can be grasped only w hen itis studied in the
light of the context ； （3 ）to be fa miliar with the
subject m atter by reading extensively．The teacher
should give students in advance so m e m aterials
concerning the subject m atter covered in the text
to be translated so as to enable students to
fa miliarize the mselves with the subject m atter ，
w hich is also an indispensable factor in achieving
accuracy in translation．
Stage Three ：After－ Translating
This stage includes revision and evaluation．
During revision ，students w ork in pairs to revise
each other s version by co m paring their versions
with the original text to see if there is anything
unintelligible or im proper． They are required to
underline w here there is good translation ，m ake a
cross w here there is misunderstanding or
mistranslation ，and m ake a wave w here there is
im proper translation．
After revision ，students w ork in groups to
evaluate their versions ，and then pick out the best
one ，w hich will next be read to the w hole class
involved．And then other classm ates point out the
strengths and weaknesses and offer better versions
if there are any．
To be m ore detailed ，the after－
translating
 CELEA Journal 61
stage includes three phases ：pair w ork ，group
w ork ，and class w ork．They share the sa m e goal
that all students can benefit fro m their joint w ork
and learn m uch fro m one another ， so as to deepen
their awareness of translation art and solve the
proble ms in their translation activities ，ultim ately
im proving their ow n versions．
1）Pair Work
An English class usually has twenty students or
so ，w ho m ay be roughly divided into ten pairs ，
with each pair sitting at the sa m e desk．Either the
students sitting in pairs revise each other s version
or the students in the first pair revise the versions
of the second pair before selecting a better version
to be read to the group in the following phase．
2）Group Work
The ten pairs can be divided ， in the
neighborhood ，into three or four groups． All the
better versions selected in different pairs are now
read to the w hole group．All the other students in
the sa m e group point out the strengths ，
misunderstandings or im proper renderings in the
versions ，and then select the best one to be read in
the third phase．
3）Class Work
The three or four best versions selected fro m
different groups are read to the w hole class．After
that ，other classm ates point out their strengths ，
misunderstandings and im proper renderings or
offer w hat they consider as good versions．During
this phase ，the teacher should m ake a tim ely
judg m ent of students discussion and evaluation ，
leading students to draw conclusions and generalize
rules for translation．
This practice involves all students active
participation in revision and evaluation activities
and arouses students sense of co m petition．
Besides ，it provides a pro m pt feedback ，w hich not
only m akes the group see their ow n proble ms but
also enables the other groups to beco m e aware of
the proble ms so that they can avoid the m in future
translation activities．
The close reading of the original text ，joint
effort to solve proble ms ，first draft ，and finished
translation ， and revision and evaluation of
translation m ake w orkshop participants m ore fully
aware of the dyna mic process of translating． By
the end of this course ，students shall certainly have
had a richer understanding of translation and
generated a strong interest in this course．
35
4． Suggestions for Workshop Approach
This approach needs so m e preparatory w ork
on the part of both the teacher and his students．
To conduct this approach sm oothly and
efficiently ， the teacher should take into
consideration the following points and m ake a
careful teaching plan on the basis of students
specific circu mstances．
（1 ） Translation teaching should be based on
the integration of translation theory with
translation practice． The w orkshop approach
focuses on the techniques of proble m－ solving and
the craft of translation ，but it does not overlook
the teaching of translation theories． According to
the Syllabus ，the contents of translation teaching
include basic translation theory and translation
techniques ，and translation of stylistic varieties
such as literary translation ，technical translation
and culturaltranslation．The teacher should aim to
develop students theoretical attain m ent and
m ean w hile cultivate their rigor in translating（ Mu
1999 ： 60 ） ． Therefore the teacher should m ake a
careful teaching plan and allocate tim e properly
for each ite m ． Generally ，there are tw o class
hours of translation course every week． The
teacher spends approxim ately twenty minutes in
introducing translation theory briefly or
de m onstrating translation techniques in the first
se m ester ，and translation of various stylistic texts
in the second se m ester． After about twenty
minutes of explanation or de m onstration ，the
teacher then gives out relevant m aterials to be
translated．
It is essential for students to do plenty of
translation exercises． However ，the view of“The
m ore exercises ，the better ” does not always
produce an ideal effect．Choosing the quantity of
exercises should serve the purpose of enabling
students to m aster essential translating skills．
Therefore the difficulty of the m aterials to be
translated should be suitable for the students
knowledge and the quantity of translation
m aterials should be m oderate．
（2）This approach aims to involve allstudents
active participation ，but so m e students m ay refrain
fro m doing so as a result of lacking confidence or
experiencing intense anxiety or nu m erous failures
in the process of translating． This kind of
psychological interference tends to discourage
students and act as an obstacle to successful
translation．Therefore the teacher should tolerate
 Translation Workshop ：An Effective Approach in Translation Teaching 　　Xiao Hong
students errors in their translation ，sy m pathize
with their feelings of tension and anxiety ，and
create a relaxed and pleasant classroo m
atm osphere by establishing a friendly teacher－
student relationship so as to encourage and
m otivate students active participation in
translating and generate the desired teaching
results．
（3 ） Attention should also be paid to the
develop m ent of students awareness of cultural
differences between Chinese and English．
“Language is influenced and shaped by culture ”
（ Deng ＆ Liu 1995 ： 3 ），and different languages
reflect different cultures ， w hich consequently
generates cultural gaps． Translation should
overco m e such cultural gaps as well as linguistic
obstacles．In fact ， “translation m eans translating
the culture ”（ Chen 2000 ：282 ） ． Because of
cultural differences ，misunderstandings m ay arise ，
and the sa m e w ords or expressions m ay not m ean
the sa m e thing to different peoples．Therefore the
teacher should help students clear away the
cultural obstacles before they set about their
translating．
（4 ） Since “bilingualism ，biculturalism ，and
adequate knowledge of the content of a text are
insufficient without the ability to write
effectively”（Nida 2001 ： 136 ），the teacher should
develop the students co m petence in writing so as
to ensure an adequate representation on the part of
students．
5． Conclusion
The teacher used to be the central figure in
translation teaching ，serving as the knowledge
transmitter and offering to his students w hat he
thought as im portant and w orth learning ；w hile
the students passively took in knowledge by taking
notes． Now in the w orkshop ，after assigning the
translation task to his students ， the teacher
retreats to the backstage for the tim e being ，giving
advice or help only w hen necessary and
co m m enting in the end．The teacher is not m erely
an instructor ， a knowledge transmitter ， but
rather ，a guide ，an organizer ，a facilitator and
m ore im portant ，a creator of opportunities and
environ m ent in w hich students learn how to
36
translate．
The task－ based activities in the w orkshop
m ake allstudents aware of w hether they have fully
understood the text ，w hat they have learned fro m
one another and w here their weaknesses are．
Students often w ork in pairs or in groups ，w hich
enables students to negotiate m eanings of so m e
cultural w ords and difficult w ords ，share ideas
a m ong the mselves ， get inspirations fro m one
another and co m bine wisdo m in proble m solving
tasks． In successful groups ， the interaction
pro m oted by w orking together can produce active
m otivation and create a pleasant atm osphere of
co m m unication w hereby to provide students with a
chance to im prove their reading co m prehension
ability through active reading and textual analysis．
This approach has also co m bined students
independent w ork with their joint w ork． In
w orking independently ，students learn how to
apply their language skills in solving translation
proble ms and develop the sense of co m petition．
While w orking with others ，they learn how to
draw on one another s m erits ，and m ost im portant
of all ，develop the spirit of tea m w ork．These skills
are all necessary for language students ， as listed in
the Syllabus Designs for College English Majors
issued by the Ministry of Education in 1999． To
so m e degree ，these abilities are survival skills
w hich enable students to adapt to an ever changing
w orld．
References
Chen ，Ding an．2000． English－ Chinese Comparative
Studies ＆ Translation． Beijing ： China
Translation ＆Publishing Corporation．
Deng ，Yangchang ＆ Liu ，Runqing． Language and
Culture． Beijing ：Foreign Language Teaching
and Research Press．
Gentzler ， E． 1993． Contemporary Translation
Theories．London ：Routledge．
Mu ，Lei． 1999． Translation Teaching in China．
Shanghai ： Shanghai Foreign Language
Education Press．
Nida ， E ． A ． 2001． Language ， Culture ， and
Translation． Shanghai ： Shanghai Foreign
Language Education Press．