A Case Study of Adoption of a Mixed Teaching Mode in the Teaching of English-Chinese Translation Course

Abstract

This paper explores the application of Task-Based Learning (TBL), Collaborative-Inquiry Model (CIM) + MOOCs mixed teaching mode in the teaching of “English-Chinese translation” course. When accomplishing learning tasks by groups, students are driven to carry out collaborative learning before class. Students feel compelled to complete specific learning tasks in the form of group cooperation assigned by the teacher through two quality MOOC courses before class. In the case of this translation course, students are required to gain an insight into certain differences between English and Chinese before class from the level of the syntactic structure to that of the semantic meaning. The teacher carefully designs the overall learning task and group learning tasks to ultimately achieve one of the teaching goals of enabling students to introduce Chinese culture in accurate and authentic English, and hence to improve students’ abilities in terms of cross-cultural translation and exchange of Chinese culture. The results show that: 1) TBL, CIM + MOOCs mixed teaching mode can cultivate students’ abilities to acquire knowledge independently, study with goals and inquiring spirits, and enhance students’ awareness of classroom participation; 2) Students can consciously adopt appropriate translation strategies based on their knowledge of the distinct features of English and Chinese, so as to avoid using Chinglish in their translation since they have a real in-depth understanding of the differences between the two languages by their autonomous online learning and collaborative discussion in advance; 3) Teaching activities of introducing Chinese culture in English have cultivated and improved students’ abilities to convey Chinese culture in accurate English and to tell well Chinese stories in idiomatic English.