Staff Development Center Research Forum
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Item The impact of Corrective Feedback (CF) for ESL (English as a Second Language) learners on Second Language (L2) phonological errors(Staff Development Center, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Premarathne, K.Background and rationale:Communicative Language Teaching, which emerged in 1980s, emphasizes accuracy over fluency. As a result, correcting pronunciation errors has become a debatable topic among the Second Language facilitators and it is incorporated in the syllabus as a personal interest of the teachers (Harmer, 1993). However, unrepaired errors lead to early fossilization (Lightbown & Spada, 2013). Aim: Therefore, this study aims is to evaluate the effectiveness of peer and teacher lead corrective feedback on pronunciation errors. Theoretical underpinning / Conceptual framework:Six types of CF techniques have been introduced in the literature: recast and explicit (teacher lead techniques) and elicitation, clarification request, repetition, metalinguistic and paralinguistic cues ( self and peer correction techniques ) (Lyster & Ranta, 1997). Even though student oriented feedback enhances learner autonomy, cooperation and interaction, several related psychological issues can be identified(Sultana, 2009). Proposed methodology:A sample of ninety high proficiency learners will be divided equally into three groups: Group 1 (feedback by peers), Group 2 (feedback by teachers) and Group 3 (no feedback). All will be exposed to pre and post tests. In the pre andpost tests, they will be asked to readout a list of words and to develop a conversation respectively targeting the most common phonological error identified at the pilot test. Groups 1 and 2 will be given feedback. The results of the two tests of all threegroups will be compared for significant statistical difference. Expected outcomes: The findings of this study will be helpful in deciding the contribution and the most effective means of corrective feedback for phonological accuracy. Educational programs can be improved accordingly.Item Culture in Translation: Shyam Selvadurei’s Funny Boy in Sinhala and French(Staff Development Center, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Jayawardena, H.S.M.M.Shyam Selvadurei is one of the better known writers in English of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Funny Boy, his first novel was translated in to French by Frédéric Limare and Susan Fox-Limare in 1998. The Sinhala translation was published later in 2002, translated by Sugathapala de Silva. Selvadurei’s style of writing is heavily influenced by the variety of English spoken in Sri Lanka, his mother tongue Tamil, Sinhala and Sri Lankan culture which explains the necessity of the glossary included in the novel. The object of the present paper is to examine how these cultural elements are translated in to two different languages. Both translations were analyzed to identify strategies and techniques used by the translators. The French translators targeted an audience who are familiar neither with the Sri Lankan context nor its languages where as the Sinhala translator has translated a novel, though written in English is placed in a more familiar context. The translators have chosen different strategies in their respective translations. The French translators have attempted to make certain cultural elements explicit to its target audience, by including a glossary, footnotes, and strategies such as adaptation. Equivalence was a strategy used in both translations, especially in translating idiomatic expressions and proverbs. The Sinhala translator has not provided footnotes, glossary or explanations. Many terms were not translated but were given in English in the Sinhala translation. The translation reflects the bilingualism practiced by Sri Lankans. As a strategy, it also highlights the dominance of the English language and the Western culture in the Sri Lankan context. The French and the Sinhala translators ‘domesticate’ their work and however, their strategies vary depending on the chosen target audience and its linguistic context.