Translation assessment in the professional and pedagogical settings: proposal of a teaching unit for peer review and assessment

Abstract

Assessment in translation can be considered from at least three perspectives: assessment of published translations (translation criticism), assessment in translation teaching (pedagogical) and assessment of professionals at work (MARTÍNEZ MELIS; HURTADO ALBIR, 2001). In the pedagogical context, literature on translator education indicates the need to bridge the gap between translation training and professional practices (KELLY, 2005; KIRALY, 1995). With the aim of taking another step towards this connection, this paper brings elements from professional assessment of translation into the context of translation teaching by proposing a Teaching Unit (TU) in which methodologies and tools from DQF-MQM model are used as a basis for learning tasks, involving peer review and assessment (“co-assessment” according to Hurtado Albir, 2015a). The design of this teaching unit is in line with the theories of constructivist learning and Competence Based Teaching (CBT) (PACTE, 2017), with task-based teaching approach as its methodological cornerstone (HURTADO ALBIR, 2015a). The theoretical framework includes the conceptual base from CBT as well as assessment in CBT, and data related to the DQF-MQM assessment model, used for professional assessment in translation agencies. Procedures adopted to build the TU follow the parameters proposed by Hurtado Albir (1999, 2005), according to which the TU is built around translation tasks that constitute the organizational axis of learning. Research results indicate that CBT is an appropriate choice to promote the integration between the market sector chosen and the pedagogical environment, by bringing together the competencies required from professionals and those to be acquired in the pedagogical context. Results also indicate that the DQF-MQM model is a relevant choice to stablish a dialog between the professional setting and translation teaching due to the fact that this model offers (i) the possibility of adjusting error categories and quality levels to suit the pedagogical context; (ii) a category for positive points in the translation assessment; and (iii) information publicly available about the criteria, metrics and methods that constitute the model.