25 April 2022, Issue 2

    

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Foreign Language Teaching
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  A survey of the practicum teaching system for education of undergraduate foreign language and literature majors

  ZHANG Wenzhong, SUN Youzhong

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 2-7.

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  Through investigating the curricula of the first cohort of 167 under-construction first-rate foreign language programs covering 25 majors, this paper looks into the implementation of the regulations and requirements for practicum teaching stated in the National Standards of Teaching Quality for Undergraduate Foreign Language and Literature Majors. The analysis of the teaching design of the programs shows that the designing of practicum teaching modules reflects different understanding of practicum teaching and different requirements both among different language-major programs and within the same language-major programs. Exemplar cases as well as suggestions are provided for implementing practicum teaching and cultivating critical thinking and innovation ability in the construction of first-rate foreign language major programs. The paper concludes with a call for the exploration into designing and implementing labor education in foreign language major programs.
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  An ethnographic case study of the academic literacy socialization of foreign language major freshmen

  SU Fang, YANG Luxin

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 8-15.

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  This two-term ethnographic case study explored the process and the influencing factors of the academic literacy socialization of five freshmen majoring in foreign languages. It was found that the socialization of academic literacy developed at different stages, and at the practice stage the participants underwent three sub-stages, namely challenge, exploration and harvest. This complex and dynamic socialization process was influenced by the sociocultural environment at the marco level, the contexts of schools and classrooms at the meso level, and the individual factors at the micro level. The study further proposed a model of the academic literacy socialization.
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  A study of the bilingual teaching mode from the translanguaging perspective

  XU Jie, ZHANG Dianfeng, LI Yanlai

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 16-23.

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  Based on the notion of translanguaging and its pedagogical theory, this study analyzed the mechanism of language acquisition and interaction between teachers and students in bilingual teaching, proposed a bilingual teaching mode from the translanguaging perspective, and explained its necessary teaching links and advantages. It illustrated the structure and contents of the translanguaging experience database, and divided the development stages of bilingual teaching according to the construction rules of the database. The bilingual teaching mode may provide some enlightenment for the foreign language teaching interaction practice of teachers and students in China.
Experts Forum
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  Exploring the alignment between the College English Test and language standards

  JIN Yan, JIE Wei, WANG Wei

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 24-32.

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  An important purpose of language standards is to enhance the clarity of test score interpretation, enrich the meaning of test scores, and promote the rational use of language tests. In preparation for the reform of the College English Test (CET), especially its score interpretation and report, the National College English Testing Committee conducted an alignment study, in which the CET was linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the China's Standards of English Language Ability. This study presents the rationale for the alignment study, and explains the research design and implementation. It then reports the findings and discusses the implications of the alignment study for improving locally developed language standards and language tests. Finally, suggestions on the methodology and implementation are provided for future alignment studies.
Research on School-based College English Tests(Guest Editor: CHANG Hui)
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  Competence constructs and score interpretation of school-based English proficiency tests: A case study of SJTU English Proficiency Test

  ZHU Zhengcai, LI Junmin, HUANG Shao

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 33-40.

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  This paper first addresses issues concerning the curriculum orientation of college English, the nature and goal of school-based English tests. Based on Shanghai Jiao Tong University English Proficiency Test, it discusses the theoretical framework of score interpretation from three aspects: norm reference, standard reference and inter-test comparability. The framework mainly includes the interpretation and diagnostic value of raw scores, the reporting method of norm scores, the grade conversion of report scores, the can-do description, the score linking method of two exam papers of different difficulty in the same test (intermediate, intermediate and advanced), and the equating method of cross-test scores. Finally, the paper provides some suggestions on the use of scores, especially on the possible misuses of scores.
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  Validation of a deep learning based automatic scoring engine for constructed responses: A case study of the Chinese-English translation in SJTU English Proficiency Test

  ZHANG Lidong, ZHU Yiqing

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 41-48.

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  This study provided an explication of the working mechanism of an AI based automatic scoring engine for Chinese-English translation of SJTU-EPT, and evaluated the validity of automatic scoring using large-scale test data. The results showed that the correlation coefficient between automatic scores and human scores was as high as 0.76, and there was no significant difference between the mean scores generated by the two scoring methods. Human scoring, however, slightly outperformed automatic scoring in grading translations of high and low quality. Discussions were presented on practicality of employing automatic scoring in large-scale tests and current problems associated with the performance of AI based automatic scoring.
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  Developing a corpus-based wordlist for SJTU English Proficiency Test

  ZHAO Yong, LU Yuanwen, CHANG Hui

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 49-55.

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  Based on the wordlist of COCA, and with reference to the other two wordlists of BNC and JDEST, a 10 000 wordlist has been worked out to meet the needs of English learning, teaching and testing at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). This paper introduces the background and purpose of the SJTU-EPT wordlist, analyzes the deficiencies of the wordlists attached to college English teaching syllabi, presents the basis and methods of developing the SJTU-EPT wordlist, and explains in detail the steps and process. The paper also discusses the profound impact of the SJTU-EPT wordlist on national college English teaching and school-based tests.
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  Washback of a school-based college English proficiency test on science and engineering majors

  JIA Fan, KONG Yuqi, YI Hong

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 56-62.

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  The present study investigated the washback of Shanghai Jiao Tong University English Proficiency Test (SJTU-EPT) on learners. The study collected questionnaires from 263 students majoring in science and engineering, and conducted semi-structured interviews among 6 students and 4 English teachers. The results showed that the students demonstrated positive feedback on SJTU-EPT. There was significant difference in learning methods and learning outcomes before and after the test. However, learning confidence of some students was negatively impacted due to high test difficulty. The study further discussed the reasons behind positive washback to provide enlightenment for future reform and development of school-based tests.
Teaching of Translation
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  Convergence of technical writing and translation: Status survey and its implications for education

  LI Shuangyan, SUN Yepeng, LI Xinchun

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 63-71.

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  Technical writing and technical translation have become closely converged in the language service industry with the development of globalization and localization. This study, based on a questionnaire survey of the convergence of technical writing and technical translation in China, finds that technical writing converges with technical translation in different degrees and in different ways, but with unsatisfying effects. It also analyses various opinions from universities and enterprises about technical writing competences, and reveals some cognitive gaps between the two sides. Therefore, with the establishment of “International Language Service” as a new discipline, efforts need to be redoubled to advance the education of technical writers and translators, so as to bring forth more marketable talents to help with the globalization of enterprises, and to strengthen the images and international communication competences of Chinese brands.
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  On an innovative learning assessment model of translation technology in the new media environment

  WANG Shaoshuang, ZOU Deyan

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 72-79.

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  As an essential part of the translation technology course, learning assessment examines and promotes students' learning of translation technology. Based on the guiding principles of the Teaching Guide for University Undergraduate Translation Major and the constructivist learning theory, this paper interprets the concept of translation technology learning assessment, analyzes the learning assessment dilemma of the translation technology course, and attempts to construct an innovative learning assessment model of translation technology in the new media environment by using WeChat Official Account as a platform to publish students' learning outcomes. In doing so, students are expected to shift from homework-oriented thinking to publication-oriented thinking and from passive learning to active learning, improving their sense of fulfillment and achievement in translation technology learning. The model aims not only to improve students' translation technology literacy, but also to cultivate such qualities of students as media & information literacy, problem solving competence, and content production competence in the new media environment.
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  Automatic scoring based on the Interpreting Scale of China's Standards of English Language Ability

  WANG Weiwei, WANG Ke, ZHANG Yuqi

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 80-87.

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  Based on the Interpreting Scale of China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the current study develops an automatic scoring system for interpreting, hopefully applicable to interpreting teaching, learning, and testing. Preliminary data shows that the Pearson coefficient of the AI algorithm model 1.0 and human reviewers is 0.95 in the homogeneous interpreting student population. In the case of heterogeneous interpreting students in different application scenarios and high consistency among human reviewers, the scores of AI model fluctuate in a certain range. The study concludes that it is feasible to use AI algorithm models to apply CSE-Interpreting Scales in automatic scoring of interpreting.
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  A study on the effect of online consecutive interpreting teaching: From the perspective of TAM

  LI Bihao, ZHANG Yi, ZOU Bing

  Foreign Language World. 2022, 0(2): 88-96.

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  Based on the Technology Acceptance Model, this study aims to delve into the effect of online consecutive interpreting teaching through a questionnaire survey and a semi-structured in-depth interview conducted among teachers and students. The results are as follows. (1) Albeit worse than offline teaching, online consecutive interpreting teaching achieves relatively good overall effect, especially in teaching preparation and online teaching of knowledge-oriented contents. (2) The online teaching effect of skill-oriented contents is unsatisfactory, note-taking training in particular. (3) The online teaching mode largely improves the utilization and sharing of online interpreting teaching resources. (4) The interpreting teachers can flexibly deal with each teaching link, and weigh what is primary and what is secondary in using multiple platforms to assist consecutive interpreting teaching. The study further suggests that a knowledge-oriented and skill-oriented contents coupled teaching mode for consecutive interpreting, an all-in-one multifunctional interpreting teaching platform, and an interactive interpreting teaching online community may constitute a new impetus for online interpreting teaching to step onto a new stage.