toefl essay writing in l1
toefl essay writing (L1) | Jake Kimball | August 20th, 2002
I've been teaching a TOEFL class all summer. Each class period Ss prepare an essay for homework. They start with mindmaps/trees as a way to organize their essays. Then they all write to their hearts content. So far I've been quite happy with their writing.
Today, I found out that one of the students doesn't write in English at first. This student is probably the fastest speaker in class and doesn't appear to translate from L1 to L2 while speaking. But this student writes the entire essay in L1 and then translates it to English. I wasn't sure what to say so I took a class survey to find out how they all go about writing. Only the one translated.
Then the debate: I certainly don't want Ss to do that because when it comes time for the actual test they'll run out of time before they translate it all. However, I have noticed that essays started in L1 tend to be much longer than ones begun in L2. I guess they do have a point. I also thought about the link between L1's strength and L2 development.
Most reasoned that if they wrote in L1 they could focus on meaning and lay out their thoughts better because writing in English got bogged down in mechanics which took away from meaning and writing for fluency. Also, they said it takes the same time to write an essay (2-3 hours per essay).
Is it really better to force them to write in L2 in this case? Translating isn't really the issue because when they work from L2 they all referred to dictionaries at times and often had similar word choice problems and L1 to L2 problems. Their basic competency level is about the same regardless of which way they go. Since the main point of the task is developing ideas and organizing them the 'TOEFL way' I said sure go ahead and start from L1. I thought that if the task is too hard and frustrating they may give up earlier than expected.
Anyone have an opinion on the subject? Should I make a class policy? Did I make a mistake by inadvertently slowing their English progress?
Jake
Textbooks & transitions | Raymond Sheehan | August 20th, 2002
Hi, Jake et al,
Having just got back from 2 months of a glorious (weather-excepted) holiday/vacation that managed to encompass single-malt tastings in the highlands and islands, Spanish classes, strange experiences in Amsterdam and Antwerp...how good to focus one's attention on the old MSc and job familiars. This more recent issue roused me out of holiday-mode: TRANSLATION
Translation as an aid to writing: I realised, as a student of English and French at university, early on, that translation was a highly specialised, sought-after and paid skill- not an easy option. For me, to think initially in French was easier, for syntactic and lexical and attitudinal reasons, in response to a question ...than to think in Anglo-Saxon and then reconstruct Gallic equivalents for the subtleties (or not) of one's thoughts in one's original language.
Good appetite, everyone!
I would sell it to my students that the ART of translation is a hugely more complex skill than that of planning, writing and proofreading a composition in a second language.
Raymond Sheehan
UAE
with 
and 
