Translation and the Teaching of English

Translation has a neglected potential in the teaching of languages, although it is a rich resource and a process that implicitly occurs in our mind, when we speak Εnglish. The programme intends to highlight the potential of translation in the teaching/learning of English and the bilingual awareness it raises in the mind of speakers, translators and interpreters. It makes speakers aware of differences between English and Greek, not least at the level of grammar (available in grammar books) but also beyond that, at the level of pragmatics (which is rarely discussed in the classroom). The programme brings translation material into the classroom and improves learners'/translators'/interpreters' intercultural awareness, at points which Greek and English would handle differently. Τhe contrastive perspective improves bilingual competence.