Translation Exercise:
Often, in the classrooms of America today, many teachers are faced with the task of educating students whose native language isn’t English. Translation programs can help teachers bridge the “language gap” in some instances. Here is a short list of situations in which a teacher may find use of these programs helpful.
1.
When
a teacher has a newly arrived student from a foreign country who speaks little
or no English in his/her class, communication may prove difficult. So, by asking the student to write down what
they need to say, the teacher may then be able to take this text and translate
it by computer to understand what the student wants them to know. The teacher can also translate his/her statements
in order to communicate back with the student.
This should only be used at first since it is hoped that the student
will eventually learn English.
2.
If
a teacher needs to send a letter home to the parents of a bilingual student and
the parents don’t speak English, a translation program would prove useful. The teacher could write the letter, than
translate it into the parent’s native language. This way, the teacher can have a somewhat meaningful dialogue with
the student’s parents.
3.
If
a teacher wants to use a piece of text in a foreign language in the classroom
such as a writing from the Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung, a translation program
may be used to put the text in English.
This way, the teacher and the students can use and study the writing,
but without worrying about learning Chinese.
4.
A
translation program might also be useful if a teacher wants to use a foreign
language newspaper article in class to present an alternative viewpoint. For instance, a teacher might want to
translate an article from an Iraqi newspaper for the students showing how the
Iraqi people feel about the U.S. presence there.
5.
Another
instance where a translation program may come into use is when a student, while
working on research for a paper, finds a text that they want use. However, the text is in a language other
than English. A teacher can show the
student how to use the program so the student may use the text as a source by the student.
Now
here is an example of how a translation program can translate a paragraph in
English into French and Spanish. The
first paragraph is in English. The
second is in French and the third is in Spanish. The translation engine used is Babel Fish at Altavista.
The United States of America is located on the continent of
North America. It consists of 50
states. However, the state of Hawaii is
an island located in the Pacific Ocean.
While the rest of the states are on the same landmass, the state of
Alaska is separated from the other 48 states by the country of Canada.
Les Etats-Unis d'Amérique sont situés sur le continent de
l'Amérique du Nord. Ils se composent de 50 états. Cependant, l'état d'Hawaï est
une île située dans l'océan pacifique. Tandis que le reste des états sont sur
les mêmes landmass, l'état de l'Alaska est séparé les 48 des autres états par
le pays du Canada.
El Estados Unidos de América está situado en el
continente de Norteamérica. Consiste en 50 estados. Sin embargo, el estado de
Hawaii es una isla situada en el Océano Pacífico. Mientras que el resto de los
estados está en los mismos landmass, el estado de Alaska es separado de los
otros 48 estados por el país de Canadá.