Improving Language and Interpreting Skills: A Teaching Experience

This paper explores the potential of improvisation theatre applied to training, in particular to interpreting studies. A theoretical background on theatre and learning (at an academic and professional level) together with a theoretical background on interpreting skills and qualities provide the basis for the presentation of a small-scale experimental workshop on the use of improvisation techniques. The workshop involved 16 students and was held at the Advanced School for Language Mediation of Ciels University, Campus Padua, Italy.2 You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. – Plato 1 Theatre and learning 1.1 Historical background on Theatre in Language Learning Literature on Theatre in Language Learning (TiLL) is extensive. In his interesting and wide-ranging historical overview Schewe (2013) mentions the use of drama-related activities in European schools dating back to the 16th century, even though the tradition may be traced back to Plato (427-347 BC) (Coggin in Schewe 2013). The benefits in the use of theatre in learning have been studied both in monolingual contexts and in language teaching and learning. The concept of Theatre in Education (TIE) was established in 1932 by Bertha Waddel (Aita 2009: 66) with the use of performances in primary schools. Since the 1970s, there has been an increase in the use and research in this field in different geographical areas. The approaches range from performative teaching and learning culture in small-scale and large-scale forms (Schewe 2 Chapters 1.1, 2 and 3.1 of this paper were written by Serena Cecco, chapters 1.2, 1.3, 3.2 were written by Andrea Masiero and translated into English by Serena Cecco, the conclusions were jointly drafted. Copyright © 2019 the author[s]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Serena Cecco and Andrea Masiero Improving Language and Interpreting Skills: A Teaching Experience 1 Scenario Volume 2019 · Issue 1 2013, Haack 2010) to the use of process drama (Piazzoli 2011) or the use of dramatic performance as an educational tool (Aita 2009). Fonio and Genicot (2011) analysed and found evidence of a compatibility of drama teaching and CEFR objectives. This is not the place for another article on the importance and effectiveness of the use of theatre in language learning or on the different approaches and their respective advantages and disadvantages, however it is important to highlight some of the common features and benefits that emerged in literature. Motivation is very important in the learning process and TiLL increases motivation and maintains the students’ interest in the language (Aita 2009: 66f). According toMetcalfe (inPiazzoli 2011: 445)process drama increases selfconfidence and communicative motivation. Its final goal is to foster students’ engagement at various levels (Piazzoli 2011: 447). Task engagement relates to problem-solving, the initial frustration at not being able to communicate or perform the task leads the way to the moment of discovery when the situation becomes clear and the motivation is enhanced. The intercultural engagement is another form of participation (ibid. 448): the student can continuously take on a different role and experience the situation from within and without, by playing and leaving the role, to observe it from the outside and experience it from the inside. And finally the aesthetic engagement3 (ibid. 449), where the student is both actor and audience thus becoming more self-conscious, being involved in the perception, creation and reaction to the creative flow and being part of it. The use of drama in learning turns the lesson into a sort of performance (Haack 2010: 36), and it is a fact that any student of interpreting studies will always be a performer at work whatever mode of interpreting is used, so it is important for them to train. Haack (ibid. 37), who deals with teachers’ training, argues that students will only be successful in applying TiLL when they become teachers themselves, if they have experienced it. The same can be said for future interpreters, who can experience different working situations within the classroom environment, where the “simulation becomes a kind of temporary reality” (Jones in Haack 2010: 38), but for this to work it must be fun and be meaningful. The use of drama in learning increases social skills, enhancing self-esteem and team work (Haack 2010: 40). Moreover it reduces the fear of making mistakes or failing, which helps concentrate on your work. If a student has already experienced a situation in class, they will be better at facing a real similar situation and applying the appropriate strategies (ibid. 42, 48). Another interesting aspect of drama in language teaching concerns the verbal and non-verbal aspects, which are both involved in it. Fonio and Genicot (2011) highlight many interesting benefits in the use of drama in language teaching, by 3 Aesthetic experiences are encouraged by active engagement, sensory experience, connections, imagination, perceptivity, and risk-taking (Uhrmacher 2009: 31-32). Students need to be actively involved in their education, and educators should ensure that situations encourage their growth. To know more about this topic refer to Dewey’s Art as Experience (1934).