Applying theories and knowledges ....MY PREPARATORY STAGES

As we know the process of research is very long. It is very hard try to know how to start. How to choose and what could be the best topic or the best answer. 

In this section I am going to explain the preparatory stages of my research process. Those stages are much analyzed in deeply the most important aspects that have affected in a positive way my research process.... 

1. RATIONALE

Nowadays, learning a second language is one of the main goals that Colombian government has imposed not only for improving educational levels, but also for being updated in terms of globalization.

When learning a language, there are specific skills that learners have to achieve for being competence; those are: speaking, reading, writing, grammar, listening. Linguistic is considered one of the most important competences that students have to develop when they are learning a language.  This competence seeks to describe how language is defined in a community, it is composed by: syntax and semantics, which help people to develop a good language level.

During different practice I have noticed that one of the main tools that teacher and students use in a foreign class is translation (Spanish to English or English to Spanish). In many English classes, translation is developed by means of different exercises such as: comparison, word meaning, complete structures, equivalent target-language etc… for this reason, “the frequent use of translation and mother tongue in a foreign class” I decided to analyze deeply that topic.

In this way, I would like to research about translation related to linguistic competence. Because, when students write a text, they try to follow some grammar structures. They write imitated rules and vocabulary from the original text. Trying to solve some doubt related to those topics, I would like to analyze the influence of translation in student’s linguistic competence development.

The general idea of this possible field of research is: try to generate a new hypothesis or statements, well established, about the influence of translation in student’s linguistic competence. These fields of research have not been study in deeply. The present research can be classified as exploratory one. Because, the main idea is: attempt to develop theories about how translation operates in relation to linguistic competence.

Following the preparatory steps of research, proposed by the book “second language research method, pag. 43-64” is necessary to decide which approach, synthetic or analytic, is the most suitable.

Analyzing, the different point of view and theories presented through the whole text. I took in consideration that the present research can be follow the synthetic perspective. Because, the phenomenon: translation and linguistic competence are best studied from a holistic point of view. I decided to study all aspects of student’s linguistic competence after developing translation exercises such as accuracy, vocabulary, orthography, speech rules, grammar structures, word`s and text`s meanings…etc. all of them are parts of linguistic competence development. Taking into account synthetic perspective, I consider that it may allow me to weigh up translation influence in a whole process in linguistic competence.

   

2. SOURCES

The preparatory stages provide a sense of logical progression of our future question. Trying to understand where my possible question comes from. I have used two sources that allowed me to question about second language learning. Those are: experiences and interests, and reading other studies related to translation.

During some years, I have had the opportunity to observe language learning issues that have called my attention. In different practices, I have been interested about different topics such as: telling stories, speaking skills, theater, reading comprehension, resources and materials design. Those topics have been observed under the experiences and interests to go beyond of a simple situation.

Translation as a topic of researching was born in different settings:                             One of them was in an English practice. I have the opportunity to work in a school named San Agustin. In that place, the English teacher developed some exercises about translation. In that school, I could notice that a lot of students used mother tongue in their English classes. When they tried to develop an exercise, they ever translated part of the text. When they wanted to know what a text is about, they translated the whole text.                                                    

In other situation, “a translation class” I could analyze that translation is an excellent tool for understanding a whole text, to consider relevant information and to recreate texts in other language. So I feel interested to know more about translation but related to linguistic competence.

In some classes, I have the opportunity to read other studies and theories related to translation and linguistic competence. Some of them are: principles of correspondences. Reading comprehension through literal and appropriate translation by Oscar Jairo Leon Hernandez. Theories about linguistic competence by Noam Chomsky. Aproximaciòn al texto escrito by Alvaro Diaz. Those readings allowed me to take into consideration translation as a possible field of research.

In this way, my question is the result of observation, experiences, interests, curiosity and readings. Those resources allowed me to question about a specific phenomenon in language learning.

Taking into account all the information above, I formulated my general question. It is:

©    How do translation exercises help students in linguistic competence development?

3. APPROACH

The present research is considered a qualitative because it based on describe understanding of human behavior. The main idea of this research is to investigate the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. In this approach, I am going to focus in a specific sample.

I am going to use Hypothesis generating because the purpose of the preset research is to discover a hypothesis as we explain in deeply way in the rationale part.

4. REFERENCES

©     Principles of correspondences

©     Reading comprehension through literal and appropriate translation by Oscar Jairo Leon Hernandez.

©     Theories about linguistic competence by Noam Chomsky.

©     Aproximaciòn al texto escrito by Alvaro Diaz

©     Gramar translation method, by Richard and Rogers

©     The preparatory stages of research