A Research On The Feasibility Of Inquiry Learning In Improving Translation Level For Non-english Majors

In recent years, with the development of modern information technology, there is arapid expansion of the demand for communication between human races and countriesall over the world. The influence of this kind of phenomenon on the daily teaching andlife concentrates on the further improvement of foreign language communicationcompetence of non-English majors. In the language learning, listening, speaking,reading, writing and translating are five basic skills which are closely linked andtranslation is the ultimate use of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Thecultivation of translation competence contributes to the improvement and exercises oflistening, speaking, reading and writing and then comprehensive language competenceand foreign language communication competence are enhanced greatly. For a long time,our country’s college English teaching pays more attention to comprehensivecompetence, especially listening competence and speaking competence and ignores thecultivation of translation competence; most courses of non-English majors don’t includetranslation course so students learn the knowledge of translation through the teacher’sinstruction of translation parts in the exercises; besides, non-English majors are notinterested in learning English and have a poor foundation in English, which makesstudents have difficulties in improving the translation level. Therefore, only when theteacher grasps an effective teaching method which could enhance students’ interest andinitiative in learning translation can it be a best way to improve non-English majors’ thetranslation level.Inquiry learning is an advanced teaching philosophy and strategy system whichemphasize that students devote themselves to the teaching activities independently. In inquiry learning, teachers do not explain and instruct knowledge with a systematicalplan but create an open learning circumstance where students will independently accessto knowledge resources to construct new knowledge through their own practices on thebasis of the existing experiences. Inquiry learning changes the tradition of acquiringknowledge simply from books and teachers and lay emphasis on the process ofexploration, study, communication and cooperation so as to cultivate students’ practicalcompetence, reflective competence and innovative competence gradually and improvestudents’ enthusiasm and initiative for learning. In view of this, the author tries tointroduce inquiry learning into college English translation teaching and verifies thefeasibility of improving the non-English majors’ translation level through theexperimental study.The author carried out the experiment lasting for a semester (18weeks), taking91sophomores who don’t major in English of two parallel classes from ChangchunNormal University. Before the experiment, students were required to take a translationproficiency test. The results showed that students of the two classes were at the sametranslation level and they could be treated as research subjects. The author chose oneclass as the experiment class and the other as the control class at random. In theexperiment class, inquiry learning was introduced into the college English translationteaching, whereas the control class followed the traditional way to teach translationwithout the use of inquiry learning. After the experiment, a post-test, questionnaires andinterview were conducted one by one, the results of which were analyzed quantitativelyand qualitatively by SPSS16.0. The results of the analysis indicated that the experimentclass achieved higher scores than the control class and there was a significant differencebetween the scores and that attitudes toward translation learning were obviouslydifferent because of the different teaching method for the two classes. More students inthe experimental class were interested in translation learning and performed more actively in previewing and completing the task assigned by the teacher.Based on the above survey and research, inquiry learning approach turns out to befeasible and effective in improving non-English majors’ translation level. Meanwhile,the author also pointed out the limitations of the study and directions about inquirylearning in translation.