Abstract:

Constant development of the large language industry sector that includes audio-visual production, software, webpage and game localisation, language processing and etc. requires many professionals in that area with fully developed team working and project management skills, in addition to all specific competences that future translators and localisers must have. Training of translators and localisers is not a single traffic teacher-student road. Here three key players: students, teachers and potential employees are involved. If students wish to anchor on the labour market, they need to obtain unique skills and abilities. They can improve those skills when they perceive themselves as translation and localisation professionals – translators and localisers. Constant development of skills is a prerequisite because this is the only way for translators and localisers to prove their professional competence, adaptability, flexibility. Translation and localisation teachers, in many cases, were mainly trained as linguists and foreign language and literature philologists due to the fact that 20 or 30years ago translation was perceived as subsidiary discipline in linguist and philologist training and localisation together with the language industry was just emerging on the market. Yet, the boost of information technologies, their merger with language as well as the rapidly developing and emerging language industry market with its needs and demands pushed many teachers of linguistics towards translation and localisation areas. The teachers gained some experience that they apply in the process of teaching and, taking into consideration the fact that new generation of students has already entered many universities, makes teachers search for new and innovative didactics and methods in the process of teaching and learning. The need for new and interesting methods of didactics is also related to the fact that the labour market and many social partners who are involved in the teaching process in terms of study quality improvement, indicate particular skills that need to be addressed in the teaching/learning process. Representatives of translation and localisation agencies indicate that team working, project-based thinking and challenged based skills in addition to subject matter related skills such as the use of computer aided translation and localisation tools, pre-editing and post-editing skills, are one of the most important skills translation and localisation professionals must have. Thus, this article focuses on the specific case study of how project-based approach can be applied while training students in audio-visual translation (AVT) and localisation at Kaunas University of Technology. This article aims at describing specific situations how project-based approached has been integrated as a type of interactive and innovative didactics, what challenges teachers and students have faced with and what kind of lessons could be learned while applying the method mentioned above. The case analysis of the paper demonstrates how cooperation with social partners can be extended by using the project-based method in the teaching setting. The paper includes the feedback of students that serves as qualitative and quantitative data and was been elicited to find out how students feel about the use of such teaching/learning method in the classroom. The research applies descriptive translation approach and an observation method.

Keywords:

Project-based approach, audio-visual translation, localisation, innovative didactics.