The Use of Blogs in Teaching and Learning Translation

Abstract

One of the major tasks of a teacher is, nowadays, believed to be trying to improve digital competence of students so that they are able to use ICT in the modern community. Blogging is having a weblog on the worldwide web and to maintain or add new entries to a blog, which can serve well to the pedagogical purposes via diverse and creative activities through communication. As an educational tool, blogs are one of the user-friendly technological means that may be integrated in a multi-aspect manner to include all learners in the process of learning. There are many ways to use blogging in teaching and learning. One can use an existing blog to provide information and insights. Classroom management, collaboration, discussions and having comprehensive archived student portfolios are among some benefits of using blogging as a teaching tool. Doing this in the realm of translation teaching could be made possible via integrating the use of these technologies while doing different activities across the curriculum. In this article attempts has been made to investigate the possible the advantages and possible difficulties of using weblogs in translator training from teachers' points of view and the underlying reasons for these difficulties.

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1877-0428 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.159
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 28 (2011) 867 – 871
* Masoud Azizinezhad. Tel.:+0-98-918-351-410-1; fax:+0-988524223288.
E-mail address: mazizinezhad@gmail.com.
WCETR 2011
The use of blogs in teaching and learning translation
Masoud Azizinezhad
a
*, Masoud Hashemi
b
a
MA in Translation Studie Department of English, Toyserkan Branch , Islamic Azad University,Toyserkan, 6581685184, Iran
b
MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Languages, Department of English, Toyserkan Branch , Islamic Azad University,Toyserkan,
6581685184, Iran
Abstract
One of the major tasks of a teacher is, nowadays, believed to be trying to improve digital competence of students so that they are
able to use ICT in the modern community. Blogging is having a weblog on the worldwide web and to maintain or add new
entries to a blog which can serve well to the pedagogical purposes via diverse and creative activities through communication. As
an educational tool, blogs are one of the user-friendly technological means that may be integrated in a multi-aspect manner to
include all learners in the process of learning. There are many ways to use blogging in teaching and learning. One can use an
existing blog to provide information and insights. Classroom management, collaboration, discussions and having comprehensive
archived student portfolios are among some benefits of using blogging as a teaching tool. Doing this in the realm of translation
teaching could be made possible via integrating the use of these technologies while doing different activities across the
curriculum. In this article attempts has been made to investigate the possible the advantages and possible difficulties of using
weblogs in translator training from teachers’ points of view and the underlying reasons for these difficulties.
Keywords: Technology, Teaching translation, blogging, Translation, Digital competence
1. Introduction
Blogs have an important presence on the Internet and they are known by users. Teachers know about this tool, but
they barely appreciate it as an educational tool. A minority of teachers have used the web design, which can enable
the use of Webquest, however, the process of designing a website is complicated, because we should upload files to
servers, there are problems with links, frames, buttons and we a need to know how to use html code in some cases.
Moreover, Blogs take full advantage of a website and it is really easy to design it, once we have an account, we can
easily add image and text without any problem. We recognize various pedagogical possibilities concerning use of
Blogs through file management, use of video, images and all kind of benefits relating interaction and
communication. We therefore developed an analysis of their use by teachers, taking into account teacher’s attitudes
about technologies, and ICT tools, comparing all these with the implementation of Blogs.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

868 Masoud Azizinezhad and Masoud Hashemi / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 28 (2011) 867 – 871
In this article attempts has been made to investigate the possible the advantages and possible difficulties of using
weblogs in translator training from teachers’ points of view and the underlying reasons for these difficulties.
2. What are blogs?
Blogs are web logs that are updated on a regular basis by their author. They can contain information related to a
specific topic. In some cases blogs are used as daily diaries about people’s personal lives, political views, or even as
social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever you, the author, want them to
be.
Blogs give you an opportunity to write content that is unique to you and your practice. While some people are
uncomfortable with self promotion, your blog gives you an occasion to interact with your visitors while promoting
who you are and what you do.
Today blogs are being used for all sorts of purposes. You have companies that use blogs to communicate and
interact with customers and other stake holders. Newspapers incorporate blogs to their main website to offer a new
channel for their writers. Individuals also created blogs to share with the world their expertise on specific topics.
And so on.
Wikipedia defines Blog as a type of website or part of a website; they are usually maintained by an individual with
regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are
commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments
and even message each other via widgets on the Blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other
static websites.
Blogging has emerged among a variety of web-based instructional possibilities as a leader, in part because it allows
students the ability to interact in a more public venue, sharing their thoughts, ideas, interpretations, hopes, and fears
with anyone willing to spend time looking on the internet (Martindale, 2005) The recent emergence of this tool
using the Internet, means that we are beginning to understand and appreciate its possibilities, which are numerous
and very advantageous. The possibility of designing your own site without having to upload files via file transfer
protocol (FTP), simply inserting images and text enables students themselves can have a blog for its ease of
creation.
Some researches (Amoros, 2007), note on the design characteristics of Weblogs, which are hypertext, dynamism,
creativity and originality. The hypertext refers to the ability to read through links, it differs from a sense of linearity
from classic textbooks. We access to the information requested through hyperlinks, it is noteworthy that dynamism
is determined by the ability to change and update the Blog, including new issues, or updates to existing topics. With
regard to creativity and originality of the Blog, they are determined by the idea of creating something new, without
falling into the routine.
2.1 How do you get people to read your blog?
One of the ways to attract readers to your blog is to title your postings so that you can get their attention and draw
them in to your blog. Take into consideration the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), when you are writing
in your blog, so that you can bring in traffic not only to your blog but to your site. A prime example is the December
10th blog entry for sbplasticsurgeon.com entitled “Botox Safety”. Dr. Lowenstein has placed tags such as Botox,
Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery in Santa Barbara on his blog thereby boosting his SEO presence.
2.2 Where Did Blogs Come From?
The roots of blogging can be traced back to the mid 1990’s. Who the very first blogger was is actually unclear, as
the art of blogging did not really take hold until 1999. The original "weblogs" were link-driven sites with personal

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commentaries. The very first blogs were human guided Internet web tours. While initially thought of as diaries or
online journals, blogs have evolved into the latest fresh web content.
3. The use of blogs in teaching language and translation
As Bogucki (2010) states along with confrontation of the translation and communication industries with new
technologies, the next step consists in educating translators in being conversant in the more “spendable” skills, to
exploit the same tacit knowledge that people in the field tend to share through discussion and personal interactions.
Special attention should then be given to social aspects (collaboration and sharing through social networks, wikis
and blogs) in a “Wikinomics” or crowdsourcing3 perspective, and translation students should be introduced to web-
based translation environments, controlled languages, content management, and workflow management systems.
We appreciated educational and training benefits from several researches, including promotion of cooperative
learning, motivation and tools concerning literacy and ability to manage information. Even from other perspectives,
they have a certain application, as Torres (2009) assure "Blogs can be means to attract a few users to do homework
and to support academic activities outside the classroom, the exception can be found when a teacher uses a
referenced Blog to support his classroom", although this author acknowledges that they are not very used to learn.
There are several Standars given by NETS for students (2007), they are a reference in pedagogical use of
technologies in relation to students abilities in ICT, i.e. what students should be able to do to learn effectively and
live productively in an increasingly digital world.
1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operarions and Concepts
As some researches (Goh, et. al. 2010) argue, it is indeed ironic that while the students in this study enjoy reading
views expressed by other bloggers, they exhibit a lack of a sense of belonging to a community of learners by not
contributing their own views freely. Clearly, this may have implications on individual reflective learning and
collaboration with others. These student behaviors in the virtual realm are worthy of further investigation, after all
Blogs may bring new learning or unlearning habits, as well as varying degrees of satisfaction from the learning
experience.
There are therefore many advantages concerning teaching language and literature, which enhance reading
comprehension and writing which are crucial for translating. In this sense Amorós (2007) found that through this
tool it is possible to access to literary text, even with manipulation of the text, with access to multiple resources such
as libraries or dictionaries.
The disadvantages can be given when creating the Blog, the complexity and need to be familiar in these
environments, because there we need to use other options to add or embed sound, videos or presentations. There is
some evidence highlighted by Gonzalez-Serna (Gonzales, 2004), in relation to the basis of communication in
educational contexts, and indicates that it is not appropriate for some resources and implies a certain disorder.
Another possible disadvantage suggest that you must be careful with activities that require students to answer on the
Blog, as claimed Brescia (2004) , perhaps the biggest challenge to Blogging is when instructors take away the
voluntary nature of participation and begin requiring postings and responses to other postings. Although the contact
can still promote intellectual development, the temptation for students is to respond simply for the sake of
responding and to finish the requirement rather than processing information and learning for example how to
translate. In this regard, (Goh, et. al. 2010) concludes that one of the major challenges for educators using Blogging
as a pedagogical tool for teaching is to get students to express their views and opinions more freely.
Each type of task can be approached from activities that the teacher uploads to the Blog, which enables children
working with them at home or at school. They can use several options, as pictures, audio or video, and take

870 Masoud Azizinezhad and Masoud Hashemi / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 28 (2011) 867 – 871
advantages of communication possibilities, language development and students’ participation by interacting through
comments giving opinions and discussing topics.
Examples of contact between more remote locations at home and abroad soon came to light. As the availability and
reliability of the equipment increased so did the opportunities for teachers to try out new communications-based
activities” (Pritchard, 2007).
Brescia (2004) assures that “There is, however, no indication that blogs are effective supplements to the teaching-
learning process”, and certainly not intended to supplant the teaching and learning processes that occur at present,
however exploit the fact the advantages provided by this tool and to strengthen the commitment in its use, an
application will enable best practice in the classroom. The report on the implementation and use of ICT in primary
and secondary schools (Mec, 2007) shows that there are some differences in the perceived competition for boys and
girls, especially in more technical activities. They say that boys know better how to install and start programs or
designing a Web page, while a higher percentage of girls are competent in participating in chats, forums and Blogs,
they use email or the use of information existing on the Internet.
Allowing students to comment on each others’ blogs may have some potential draw-backs. Students may not be as
open to sharing their thoughts and opinions if they know someone other than the professor is reading it. Hurlburt
(2008) notes that these feelings of insecurity are usually temporary and vanish as the students get more comfortable
with the class and their peers.
4. Conclusion
While blogs can be useful, it is important to note that they are just tools and not the objective itself. They are not for
everyone or for all classes and need to be made an integral part of the course design. However, the use of blogs as a
learning tool seems to be low-cost with high-returns. While more research needs to be done as to how blogs can
more effectively be used, it is a given that technology will continue to influence learning. According to Diana
Oblinger, “Already, our focus has shifted from teaching to learning...Much of what we have done in the past has
been constrained by the prevailing conception of the classroom, but the lecture and the lab are only two ways to
learn...The next step may be the integration of knowledge management and e-learning systems to augment current
practices” (Morrison & Oblinger, 2002, p. 3).
Our experiences in using classroom blogs have been overwhelmingly positive. While student acceptance of
technology in the classroom requires its perceived usefulness and ease of use (Martins & Kellermanns, 2004),
students do tend to learn best when they need information that they can put to use immediately. Blogs are an
effective and efficient method of allowing students to access information as it is needed and to make connections
between explicit knowledge from textbooks and tacit knowledge gained as students see how others can and are
using the knowledge being shared. Blogs also introduce students to online learning communities so they can access
and evaluate information, and construct new learning paradigms for themselves. Finally, effectively modeling ways
to use blogs as a teaching and learning tool is a useful skill for our students to have as they embark on their journey
of life-long learning.
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