MATI 2016 Webinar Series - Literature for the Medical and Legal Language Professional: What Reading Gives You that a Dictionary Does Not

Literature for the Medical and Legal Language Professional: What Reading Gives You that a Dictionary Does Not

What can non-literary translators and interpreters working in the real, non-fiction world learn from literature? When does regular reading practice effectively complement a language professional’s maintenance or improvement of working languages? Why is applied linguistics’ research supportive of reading literary texts for a (first) second (third, etc.) language learner? This webinar turns reading - usually thought of as a leisurely activity for an adult’s spare moments – inside out, exposing the productive vocabulary-builder and grammar-master potential for the language professional.

For many of MATI’s membership, working language competency most likely came via either college study, with required coursework in literature, or via lived experience, with ample time to practice oral fluency. In this presentation, needs of interpreters and translators are established and theoretical evidence is reviewed for how analyzing literature could fill these needs, both for someone who left literary study behind at college or for a language learner who came to their bilingualism in some other way. Practical applications of how literature blend with medical and legal specialties (with work from Dr. Rita Charon in Narrative Medicine and Dr. Ralph Grunewald in Legal Studies and Comparative Literature) is also discussed. This webinar is designed to motivate the language professional, not only as a reminder of reading’s enjoyment but also of the useful, pragmatic benefit it has for the language professional.

Bio:  

Margie Franzen

Margie Franzen is a medical interpreter and research translator. She is interested in connection among professionals and intersection of individual creative efforts. She also organizes translation-related events for the organization &wordplay. More about her recent endeavors is at www.margiefranzen.org