“Delicious translation”: how to teach recipes translation from English into Polish

Abstract

The article focuses on the methodology of teaching recipe translation from English into Polish to beginners in translation studies. The author analyzes the main reasons for incorporating recipes into translation studies syllabus, presents recipes as a specific kind of texts, shows their complexity and various functions, describes most common problems as well as mistakes related to recipes translation, and discusses the example of translation classes plan devoted strictly to translation of recipes. The author notices the following: 1) Recipes, as a special kind of texts, should be incorporated into translation studies syllabus, because nowadays they are quite popular on the Polish publishing market. In other words, the demand for books and texts related to cooking increases. What is more, recipes are usually quite short, which makes them perfect texts to be used fully during translation classes. 2) Recipes, although seemingly quite simple texts, in fact cause many problems during the translation process; this may give rise to translation mistakes, especially among students who begin courses in translation training. The author, while discussing those problems and mistakes, points to some difficulties in the translation of titles, measurements and culinary units, problems in lexical areas, style, register, and the relation between the author and the reader of the recipe.  The author draws attention to the fact that translation trainers should always discuss those problemsduring the class devoted to recipes’ translation. 3) In modern translation didactics translation trainers should pay more attention to the process-oriented than to the product-oriented approach, because the former, as it seems, affects the development of translators’ competence more positively than the latter. First of all, owing to the process-oriented approach a translation trainer may motivate students more and encourage them to work individually on their translation. Secondly, students who are taught that way are more responsive and tractable. They focus more on proper translation strategies and techniques than on the errors they make. Thirdly, since the process-oriented approach consists mainly in the collaboration between teacher and students and in the formation of the unique translation team, beginning translators acquire theoretical knowledge quicker, use its rules in a practical way, and get to know how to proceed with the translation process properly. Furthermore, they become more confident because of the possibility of sharing translation problems both withthe teacher and with other students. The suggested plan of the translation classpresented by the author relies on the process-oriented approach towards translation  teaching, which leads to the exchange of thoughts and ideas.