The Linguist

10 The Linguist Vol/64 No/2 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist FEATURES Keri Griffiths, Kelsie Pettit and Rachel Bland explore misconceptions about the translation of CLIL learning materials, and the risks of getting it wrong For the uninitiated, what is CLIL? CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is an umbrella term coined in the 1990s by a team of experts researching different ways of accelerating language learning. It refers to different methods of learning a subject through a foreign language. Now an international phenomenon, it is used in a wide range of learning environments, from corporate settings to schools. For school children, CLIL can be particularly enriching because it gives students a more natural environment in which to learn the language. They connect with the language at a deeper level when exploring a topic relevant to their own experience and needs. Tell us more about the link between CLIL and translation… In Spain, translators have played a vital yet somewhat hidden role in CLIL since the bilingual education programme was introduced 20 years ago. With some schools teaching a range of subjects to their Spanish pupils in English, teaching materials had to be made available in both languages, which led education publishers to outsource the translation of textbooks originally produced in Spanish. It soon became clear that a straightforward translation was not fit for purpose, as pupils' levels of competence in English varied greatly. For Spanish pupils to stand a chance of having an engaging and productive learning experience, the English they encounter in the classroom must be pitched at their level. Simple word replacement under the guise of translation doesn't cut it. Enter specialised CLIL translators with ELT (teaching English to speakers of other languages) experience, the ability to translate creatively and the nous to make bold translation choices. What subject areas do you encounter as CLIL translators in the Spanish market? It depends on the region because autonomous governments in Spain can shape their own bilingual curricula to include region-specific content. We work on subjects from across the primary and secondary curricula, such as geography, history, maths and the sciences, including social science. We could be working on early- years music one day and final-year physics the next. Our projects include traditional textbooks and content for digital learning platforms. The latter is particularly interesting. In that setting, pupils are likely to be more in control of their learning in terms of the pace at which they progress and the level of teacher supervision. These considerations have an impact on the way we structure the English translation, because the ultimate goal is to ensure pupils are supported, whatever the learning format. Sounds like you'd be good in a pub quiz! We've certainly picked up lots of random facts about different subjects, and good general knowledge helps. But that only gets the CLIL translator so far. If we had to distil what we do down to a set of core skills, those would be the doggedness of a researcher, the precision of a science writer, the critical mind of an editor, the clarity and adaptability of a teacher, and the creative flair of a literary translator. General knowledge always comes in handy but this is not generalist work. One of the most common pitfalls we see in CLIL translation is a lack of proper terminology research, and a consequent failure to identify differences in use between the source and target languages. Right for students COMPLEX WORK CLIL translation involves good general knowledge, experience in language teaching, excellent research skills and close collaboration among translators and editors

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