Partner Giselle

d) Kavaliauskienė G. (2009) says that translation does not help students to develop communication skills. Translation activities may be suitable for students who prefer analytical or verbal-linguistic learning strategies.

Task 2: Essay

Kavaliauskiene G. (2009) says that translation does not help students to develop communication skills, that translation activities may be suitable for students who prefer analytical or verbal-linguistic learning strategies, which I disagree for several reasons.

First, we need to define the context or ideas that this author is focusing on. If he is referring to speaking skills when saying "communication skills", I agree and disagree according to educational background and English level the student finds himself or herself in. If the student has a very low educational background, or he doesn't know how to read and write fluently and clearly in their own language, or he has an A1 to A2 English level on Grammar and Vocabulary, translation is not useful for him, and even discouraging if he or she lacks the necessary knowledge and English lexicon to feel confident to communicate or speak with others. However, if the language learner has an intermediary or higher level of English, with a more complete or balanced educational background in their L1, then translation encourages students to advance forward for it allows them to learn more about the L2, and its differences between L1 and L2. With translation students can distinguish cultural and idiomatic differences between the two languages, and take them to higher ambitions regarding language learning. At this level, translation definitely increases confidence to students to communicate in different ways to others, including speaking and conversations, for translation connects you straight with grammar understanding of the language.

Second, it may be true that students who have verbal-linguistic skills will enjoy the translation strategy, but the previous contexts still need to be consider, it will depend on how fluent and knowledgeable the students are, not only in the L2 grammar and vocabulary, but also about other academic subject areas, and how well they master their own communication skills in L1, either reading writing or speaking. All language learners need to do translation at some moment during their language learning process, this does not only apply to students who have verbal-linguistic skills.

Therefore, what Kavaliauskiene G. (2009) says about translation is true or not based on the context,  in other words, the teaching circumstance, the location and the student's needs or situation in which he is in. 

Task 3: Mental Map