An empirical analysis of the assessment of Spanish as a first language in Translation and Interpreting
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Abstract
Research on assessment tools for Spanish as a first language (L1) in Translation and Interpreting (T&I) degree programmes is limited. Probably as a consequence of this lack of research, it is common to use assessment tools that were originally designed for translation assessment, which are adapted to varying extents, to evaluate students’ linguistic competence in Spanish (L1). In light of this situation, the present study aims to empirically review the assessment tools used in Spanish L1 courses to better align them with students' formative needs, thereby enhancing the formative dimension of evaluation. To evaluate the suitability of the current rubric used in Spanish L1 courses within the T&I degree programme at Jaume I University, a learner corpus was compiled in order to identify and categorize students’ errors. Furthermore, during the academic year 2023-24, a questionnaire was administered to students to explore their understanding of the rubric. Additionally, the course syllabi for Spanish L1 modules in T&I degree programmes offered across Spain were reviewed. The results indicate that there is a lack of correlation between the most frequent errors and students' perception of their weaknesses, and it is shown that students do not fully understand some of the error categories in the rubric. Finally, the review of course syllabi further reveals a scarcity of references to standardized assessment tools specific for Spanish as L1. This empirical analysis provides thus a foundation for developing more suitable and optimized assessment tools to foster a comprehensive development of linguistic competence.
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