Interview with Julie Glosson, Languages - recipient of the Teaching and Learning Grant-Course Redesign/Development

1. Briefly describe what you did with your Teaching and Learning Grant.

I designed a Spanish Translation course with a service learning component which included document translation for area and national agencies. This course had a prerequisite of Advanced Grammar I to ensure the preparation of students for this level of grammatical difficulty. During the first half of the semester we translated documents for Jackson-Madison County Head Start. These included checklists for parents, curricular goals for various age groups, and letters that were to be sent home to parents. The class made a visit to Washington-Douglass Headstart before Spring Break and we had the chance to hand deliver our documents to the director and take a tour of the facilities. Students enjoyed being able to see how their work would benefit the teachers, Hispanic parents, and children who attend or may soon attend this school.

The second half of the semester we worked for the EHR organization (Evangelicals for Human Rights) www.evangelicalsforhumanrights.org and translated sermons, speeches, and brochures that will be displayed on the organization’s website. This was the most difficult portion of the course due to the intense nature of the content in many of these accounts. The documents centered around the issue of human torture, including the abuse at Guantanamo, which ironically became an issue in the public arena at the same time our class was translating these stories and sermons. I later dedicated several weeks this past summer to “polishing” these translations to get them ready for the public domain. The Union students showed remarkable endurance and academic quality through perhaps one of the most challenging courses they will have in their Spanish studies at Union.

2. How was your teaching and your students’ learning enhanced by this grant?

We, and I include myself in this, all learned a great deal about the nature of translation as a field and as a theory. We could discuss for an entire class period the various meanings and essences found in a single English or Spanish word or idea. We became adept at searching through the resources at our disposal to find exactly what we wanted to say and there were many times when we had to pick the best and not the exact translation because there simply was no perfect fit. There were times when the students were divided and some wanted a particular word or expression and the others wanted another. I was able to pinpoint grammatical concepts that would have never been issues in a course with a textbook but were huge obstacles in document translation. The collaborative nature of the course created an atmosphere of trust where students were no longer afraid to attempt something new or difficult. Instead they saw the content as a challenge, knowing that their peers would help them if they were on the wrong track. We were introduced to technical expressions that had to do with the torture of human beings, which was eye opening on a whole new level. Several class periods were spent debating the torture abuse scandal in general. Some students felt the need to express their opinions on the subject. It brought up issues in translation such as what it means to translate. Do you condone an issue by simply translating it into another language? Should you be translating this into Spanish? What are your moral obligations as a Christian? This course grew us all linguistically, culturally, and spiritually.

3. How did (or might) this grant award lead to other opportunities to further develop your teaching and enhance learning?

I would like to explore the translation course option again in the future. This class was designed to be a continuation course to Advanced Grammar I, and it was organic in that the content evolved from the materials we were translating. Therefore, students and the instructor would benefit from this course each time it is taught. Each offering would be completely unique in terms of what concepts are discussed and covered. The students who have completed this course are now able to compete in a global marketplace where this type of language skill is sought after or even required. Future course offerings in the area of translation and interpretation would add another dimension to the language curriculum.

In terms of community service, this course provided students with a direct link to the real world and its needs. Serving the community is an area with which our students are already familiar. Linking service with academic learning was a rewarding endeavor, and future courses with a service learning component can continue to be explored.