Eszter Ernst-Kurdi

DIY Contrastive Discourse Analysis for Translator Trainees

Translator training is influenced by the demands of the field as well as the profile of the students and therefore should focus on the most required and most often lacking competencies in novice translators. Contrastive discourse analysis taught in a collaborative and participatory way is particularly beneficial in the training of beginner translators. It hones their skills in recognising and handling discourse level translation problems that are often challenging for novice translators. It also provides a clear and contrastive analysis of the SL and the TL with directly applicable results that enable the students to evaluate their work and correct their most common translation errors. In addition, the collaborative and participatory methodology ensures deep, experiential learning and gives the students the opportunity to grow in their teamwork and interpersonal skills that are also crucial competencies for today’s translators.

SHORT BIO

Eszter Ernst-Kurdi works with SIL in Cameroon. She is the director of SIL’s Francophone i-DELTA (Institute for the Development of Languages and Translation in Africa) course where she teaches translation to national Bible translators.

She has an MA in English and French Literature and Linguistics from the University of Pécs, Hungary. In the framework of an Erasmus scholarship she studied at the École d’Interprètes Internationaux in Mons, Belgium. While working in Cameroon she earned an MA in Field Linguistics at the University of Gloucestershire, UK.

In the past five years she has done field research on a previously unwritten language, Mada, spoken in the Far North Region of Cameroon as well as mentored the Mada Bible translators. Her papers can be viewed at https://sil.academia.edu/EszterErnstKurdi. Her research interests include collaborative translator training, language development and cognitive linguistics.