XVII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2025

The modern methodology of teaching foreign languages ​​is based on the principles of communicative learning to develop the students’ ability to use a foreign language as a means of intercultural communication. At a military university, the language training of future military specialists usually has an applied nature and takes the form of practical exercises.

One of the tasks of foreign language teaching for professional purposes is to develop free reading skills that provide a quick and adequate perception and understanding of professional literature. However, such an understanding of a foreign language text cannot be imagined without translation. Translation and its integral component (free reading) are both comprehension and visual perception of the text, which is achieved at advanced levels of the foreign languages teaching process. During training, such text perception is not always possible due to various objective and subjective reasons: lack of time, a low beginner level of students, insufficient motivation of students. Thus, during the development of communicative foreign language competence of cadets and students it is not possible to do without translation.

It is necessary to distinguish the actual translation or professional translation from the educational translation. Educational translation is a type of translation activity aimed at developing practical skills and mastering certain skills for educational purposes. It is quite different from translation performed in real conditions. However, modern technical equipment makes it possible to approximate the conditions for the implementation of an educational translation to real ones. The main types of educational translation are written translation performed by cadets in class or in self-study, as well as consecutive (usually based on sentences or phrases) interpretation, performed directly in the classroom.

When teaching a foreign language in the classroom at a non-linguistic university, translation occupies a significant place. At the same time, cadets not only learn independent translation skills, but also use translation as a means of teaching the language (introducing new vocabulary and grammar material, selecting lexical equivalents in two languages, ways of translating certain grammar structures), as well as to test the understanding of read or heard text. Translation combines listening and speaking or reading and writing, it is always carried out in a bilingual environment.

Another type of translation used in foreign language lessons at a military university is two-way translation. It can be used as an effective means of teaching various language aspects, reinforcement of lexical, phonetic and grammar skills, the ability to switch over the languages. Its application is wide enough and suitable for creating situations of professional communication in the classroom: at an arms exhibition, at a briefing, interrogation of a prisoner of war, a conversation with locals.

There are different opinions about the role and place of translation in the language teaching process, from complete rejection of the translation method to consideration of its uniqueness in foreign languages learning. We believe that a non-translational method of teaching a foreign language is impossible, especially at non-linguistic universities. Translation should be used at various levels of a foreign language course.

There are many misconceptions about the role and place of translation in the language learning process at the advanced levels. There are many methodologists and language teachers who believe that translation should be resorted to only at the beginner level of language learning and that senior students can do without translation, because cadets (students) know the language well enough to improve their language knowledge and skills without their native language. This view is, however, superficial. It is impossible to agree for the following reasons: mastering a language at a university involves something more than developing the ability to express one's thoughts in that language. It is important not only that the cadet (student) is able to express his thoughts - it is also important how he expresses them, what language means he uses to express his thoughts, how much the cadet owns all the wealth of foreign language resources, all the variety of means of expressing thoughts in this language. In fact, it is well known that in order to express a certain range of concepts and to conduct a conversation within non-specialized (every day and social) topics, it is enough to own about one and a half to two thousand lexical units and a very specific set of grammar constructions. This is where many cadets (students) come up with what can be figuratively called a “stop of language growth": being able to express their thoughts in an elementary, sometimes primitive way (even without language mistakes - again, within a limited circle of lexical units and elementary grammar constructions), cadets (students) stop caring about replenishing their language baggage, about enriching their speech, believing that they, in fact, have nothing to learn [1].

When learning translation, the translation competence of students develops. Translation competency is a whole complex of key skills and abilities for the translation process: - language and speaking skills in using and understanding of terms; - speaking skill of changing one language to another; - the ability to carry out semantic analysis of the text; - speaking ability to find invariants of the source text; - speaking ability to rephrase.

If we talk about the translation from the native language into a foreign one, then, for example, translation from Russian into English is an extremely complex mechanism that requires that all the above-mentioned skills must be involved. Therefore, it should be based on a foreign language communicative competence formed at a sufficient level among cadets (students).

When translating from English into Russian, cadets develop not only foreign-language communicative competence, but also the ability to use their native language efficiently and adequately, to choose the right lexical items, understand its style and use suitable constructions, which enriches the cadets ’speech, helps them improve their speech, and show oratory.

References

1. Topical issues of the professional language training of non-linguistic students. Ed. L. P. Kostikova, L.F. Yeltsiva. M.: Perspektiva, 2021. 162 p.