‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts

dc.creator	Felix Banda
dc.date	2011-08-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T22:34:38Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T22:34:38Z
dc.identifier	10.5785/19-1-90
dc.identifier	0259-2312
dc.identifier	2224-0012
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/aa84e89d681e4e92a7f64dc61eae7a66
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/22814
dc.description	<em>The article explores some aspects of a study which investigates translation as academic literacy mediation in South Africa’s multilingual/multicultural contexts. The focus is on learners’ translations of academic texts between the L2 and L1, and vice-versa, as a strategy to cope with ESL academic tasks. Using reflection discourse from one-on-one and focus group interviews as well as study group discussion texts, the study uses the New Literacy Studies model of literacy as social practice and aspects of critical discourse analysis to identify some pedagogical implications. One of the conclusions is that although learners are able to ‘translate’ in the sense of swapping labels between the L2 and L1 for the same concept, they are unable to successfully ‘translate’ in the sense of transfer of knowledge/cognitive skills between the L2 and L1, and the reverse. The need for functional use of the L1 and L2, critical cross-cultural awareness and language socialisation, as well as for trained bilingual teachers and literacy mediators, is explored as a way to promote positive difference, and help learners develop strategies to achieve transform/recontextualise knowledge/cognitive skills between the L2 and L1, and vice-versa, in multilingual/multicul-tural contexts.</em>
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Stellenbosch University
dc.relation	http://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/90
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/0259-2312
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2224-0012
dc.source	Per Linguam : A Journal of Language Learning, Vol 19, Iss 1 (2011)
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.title	‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts
dc.type	article