The Role of Translation Education and "Humanities Plus" in Liberal Education
During the past few years, many scholars have been re-evaluating both the “what” and the “how” of liberal education. These re-evaluations have sought to define liberal education in ways that go far beyond the classic formulations of the Yale Report of 1828 and Cardinal Newman’s Idea of a University. In particular, the new definitions emphasize the need for pragmatic and experiential education along with Newman’s “cultivation of the intellect.” For several reasons, translator education fits this modern approach to liberal education quite well. First, as students develop translation competence, they hone the critical thinking skills associated with traditional liberal education. Second, as students fulfill translation internships in community settings, they gain practical experience that helps them see how their critical thinking skills apply to the professional world. The Spanish translation major at Brigham Young University illustrates how such an experiential program can work.
On Translation's Place in Language Teaching and Learning and in University Language Programs
Since translation—which here includes both written and spoken modes—has often been considered incompatible with communicative language teaching and learning, translation studies must carefully find its place in university language programs. Translation’s unfortunate reputation as a means for second language (L2) acquisition stems from some of its earliest pedagogical implementations, which, particularly in the case of younger learners, consisted of:
Evaluating Cultural Authenticity in Multicultural Picture Books: A Collaborative Analysis for Diversity Education
This study examines cultural authenticity reflected in multicultural picture books. Specifically, this study attempts to reframe issues surrounding the topic of cultural authenticity based on a systematic and empirical analysis of picture books that represent three different ethnic groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans. A total of forty-five systematically selected picture books that represent fifteen books per ethnic group were selected and evaluated by multiple reviewers who were insiders of the culture. A coding scheme was developed to evaluate each book in terms of profile of major and minor characters, settings of the story, stereotypical features, and cultural authenticity. An in-depth evaluation of all selected books was added by a team of three reviewers in order to validate the results of the coded analysis. This study aims to shed light on library youth services and diversity education in a society with increasing ethnic diversity.