Fostering intercultural competence in L2-translations lessons at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

Abstract

This article analyses to what extent the didactic insights used in foreign language teaching and translation training, which both are intended to foster intercultural competence, can be combined. It presents a minimalistic ‘transitional’ model (the so-called Waterlot-model) which can be applied by foreign language university teachers who teach L2-translation within a language programme and who desire to integrate L2-translation into their foreign language teaching. Besides the introduction and conclusion, the article is composed of four parts. The first part defines several key terms — such as intercultural competence — and demonstrates how this competence is being promoted in Dutch foreign language teaching by means of the Van Kalsbeek-model. The second part presents the functional model designed by Christiane Nord aiming at enhancing the same competence in translation teaching. The third part finally reveals that elements of the Nord model can be integrated in the Van Kalsbeek-model which provides for a combined and model (cfr. Waterlot-model) that can applied at universities where translation is being taught as part of a language programme