The Perceived Impact of Using Student-Generated Case Studies in Translator Education on Translation of Culture-Specific Items

The present study addressed two questions concerning (1) pre-professional translators’ perceptions of student-generated case studies’ (SGCs) impact on translating Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) and (2) specific aspects of SGCs that impact these perceptions. With a sample of 43 pre-professional translators from a Turkish state university, the study adopted data triangulation through open-ended surveys, focus group interviews, and evaluation forms. The study revealed that research experiences, interaction, collaboration, and feedback mechanisms during the implementation of SGCs eased the translation of CSIs. The findings also showed that SGCs were effective as a pedagogical approach, as they were practice-oriented and promoted active participation. Only several participants indicated that the length of SGCs implementation could be extended to enable deeper analysis of cultural nuances and that there should be a balanced representation of CSIs in the generated cases. This study not only provides empirical evidence for socio-constructivist approaches in translator education, but it also provides implications regarding how translator education programs with similar aims may be developed and implemented worldwide to facilitate translation of CSIs.