The significance of translation for learning foreign languages: an example with proper names in the Harry Potter books

Abstract

The present study aims at examining the effect of using translation from L2 to L1 as a strategy to improve foreign language learners’ linguistic accuracy and increase their intercultural communicative competence skills. Through the examination of translations of proper names in the Harry Potter books from English into Spanish and French, we try to open up a new horizon for English instructors to encourage the use of learners’ mother tongue in second language acquisition. To fulfill this purpose, we present an experiment carried out with 2nd Year students of the subject EFL Applied to Translation, which is part of a degree in Translation and Interpreting Spanish-English-French at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Through the results of this experiment, we reach the conclusion that translation activities in the foreign language classroom are a means to reinforce structural, conceptual and sociolinguistic difference between the native and target languages.