Creative Translation Tasks for ELT (English Language Teaching)

Abstract

This article looks at the function of creative translation tasks for learners in the ELT classroom. It does not advocate the use of L1 (Language 1, first language, mother tongue) as a teaching tool, for classroom management, setting up activities, or for explaining new vocabulary but encourages the use of innovative translation tasks for developing language competence. The article starts by looking at benefits of creative translation as an aid to language learning. It then briefly reviews the current education system. It concludes with some creative translation tasks and observations on how to utilize them in the best possible ways. This paper advocates the effectiveness of using creative translation to develop the communicative competence of a language among the students at tertiary level. English dominates the world as no other language ever has in the world. There is a need to emphasize the conscious acquisition of English as a meaningful system and a creative process. When there is a need there is an urge of finding various mediums to satisfy that need, now this medium should be such as it not only helps in learning a language but also develops competency of the learner. Thus, one of the effective and fairly possible fundamentals of learning a new language is translation. Translation is desirable as it does not undermine the adult learners’ confidence. This paper thus, aims at the development of communicative competence, enabling the learners to discuss the cultures they encounter while translating and eventually helps the learners in deepening their sensitivity to language through heightening their critical ability and creative power. The tasks on translation helps learners make use of the English language while communicating with each other in more realistic situations than what generally happens in the classrooms. They get aware of different cultures while discussing different languages. Thus, translation becomes an intellectually challenging process.