Symposia & Conferences
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Item The Use of Machine-Aided Translation and Machine Translation: An Enquiry on Pedagogy and Professional Translation in Sri Lanka.(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) de Silva, J.Machine-Aided Translation (MAT) is a strategy whereby translators use computer programs such as dictionary, word-processing and desktop publishing software to perform part of the process of translation. This contrasts with Machine Translation (MT) which refers to translation performed wholly or partly by computer, with translation tools. The aim of the present study is to enquire the use of MAT and MT in pedagogy and professional translation in Sri Lanka, in translating from English into Sinhalese and vice versa. Data were collected by enquiring translators of the Government Translators Service and the Department of Official Languages, and lecturers engaged in Translation Studies degree programmes of University of Kelaniya and Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. According to the findings of this study, it was discovered that though MAT has become commonplace in professional translation and translation studies, MT is far from being commonly studied and utilized. Attempts on developing machine translation tools suitable for translating from English into Sinhalese and vice versa have been made recently, but they are yet to be available for professional translation and pedagogy. The experience with Google Translator and the common perception that machines cannot compete with the creative power of the human mind related to natural languages, appear to have made the translators reluctant to think positively of such tools. With regard to pedagogy, focus on both MAT and MT in relatively new. Despite the recurrent focus on translation theories, practical translation and language proficiency, focus on both MAT and MT was lacking in ‘Translation Methods’, the first ever degree programme on translation studies offered by a Sri Lankan state university. This deficiency has been eluded with ‘Translation Studies’, the newly introduced special degree programme, by including course units on both MAT and MT.Item An Investigation on the Problems Encountered by the First Year Students Following French Certificate Course for Beginners at the University of Kelaniya(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Kulathunga Arachchi, M.S.The Department of Modern Languages, University of Kelaniya being the leading language teaching Department in both undergraduate and graduate levels in Sri Lanka has granted the opportunity for the undergraduates from four all the four faculties of the University to learn French language as beginners. This study intends to analyse the problems of the undergraduates who follow the Part one of the Certificate Course in French encounter at the initiative period of learning the language. In doing the research the undergraduates who follow the Level one of the Certificate Course in 2016 are taken into consideration. The students are interviewed at the end of each lesson individually by distributing a questionnaire to make a database about each and every difficulty that they came across in terms of syntax, dictation, pronunciation etc. This process is going to be followed during a period of six months that can be considered as the initiative period and at the end it is expected to analyse the data with the intention of designing the pedagogy, teacher techniques and exercises in order to minimize the commonly faced problems by a majority of the students. Moreover the research findings will be utilised to select substantial studying materials that can cater to the needs of the beginners of the language which will enable the students to improve their vocabulary, dictation, pronunciation and listening. Especially the research findings will make it easy in selecting the materials that give extra practice to the difficult areas of language. Additionally, the research will open the gates to find out the language acquisition levels of the undergraduates who follow the subjects related to Science, Commerce and recognise the extra exercises that will help them master the language while following their major courses as a lack of enthusiasm towards language learning within the undergraduates from the mentioned faculties has being observed in the last few years owing to the workload in their main Degree course.Item Colour me…orange? : Incorporating Aspects of the Colourful Semantics Approach into English as a Second Language Lessons at Preschool(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Hettiarachchi, S.; Walisundara, D.; Ranaweera, M.Among the challenges faced by Sri Lankan children learning English as an additional or second language is the accuracy of word order and vocabulary knowledge. The Colourful Semantics approach (Bryan, 2008) has been used successfully in the UK and in Australia with children experiencing language-learning difficulties (Bennington, 2011; Chiat, Law, Marshall & Bryan, 1997), with many programmes devised by Speech and Language Therapists (Morrissy, 2010; Wade, 2009). It uses thematic roles and a colour-coding system to support the development of syntax through a semantic route. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using aspects of Colourful Semantics to develop vocabulary knowledge and the use of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structures in young learners of English. Twenty preschool children in ESL classrooms were included in the study. Key aspects of Colourful Semantics were introduced as a whole-class approach using children‟s storybooks, colour-coding and signing with lessons offered once a week for 12 weeks together with supplementary activities. Pre- and post-intervention measures were undertaken on five receptive and expressive language and literacy measures of vocabulary and syntax. In this presentation we will discuss the programme offered, the pre- and post-intervention assessment scores and statistical results on vocabulary and discuss the benefits of incorporating aspects of the Colourful Semantics approach into the English language teaching classroom.Item The Effect of Collaborative Learning on Developing Speaking Skill of Sri Lankan ESL Learners(English Language Teaching Unit, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Thilakshana, T.The contemporary teaching pedagogy highlights the importance of collaborative learning for teaching speaking. According to Arthur, Grainger & Wray (2006), “Effective teaching and learning is underpinned by interactive discourse…” (p. 134). This experimental study is designed to identify whether collaborative learning in teaching speaking have successful effects. The study investigates the degree of successfulness for teaching speaking in Sri Lankan English as a second language (ESL) context. The subjects of the study are the students of grade seven of Mahakeliya Maha Vidyalaya. A pre-test was carried out at the beginning of the research to examine the current English speaking proficiency of the students. The students were allowed to work in groups and as pairs throughout the research. They were allowed to engage in activities which were designed to develop four levels of student talk. The three functions of speaking involve talk as interaction; talk as transaction and talk as performance. A post-test was also conducted in order to evaluate their English speaking achievements at the end of the study. The researcher analyzes quantitative data to establish a conclusion. Quantitative data are drawn from the pre-test and the posttest. The study concludes that the effects of implementing collaborative learning in the English as a Second Language classroom have developed the students’ average English speaking skills. Moreover, it can help to create an interesting learning environment where students are allowed to acquire language while developing their interpersonal skills.