Project-based translation of Wikipedia articles in a tertiary ESP context: planning, execution and lessons learnt

Abstract

Contemporary ESP instruction tends to avoid traditional teaching methods such as translation, since these were seen as obsolete and believed to discourage communication skills. Attitude towards translation of specialized authentic texts, however, has been changing, mostly because of its potential as an activity that contributes to students' content and language knowledge and transferable skills, such as problem-solving, collaboration, decision-making, etc. Following the constructivism-based learning theories, this article presents the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in a tertiary ESP context on a collaborative English-Serbian translation and peer review project of selected Wikipedia articles. It outlines the project execution phases and reports on the results of a questionnaire investigating students' evaluation of the project. The results indicate the respondents' overall satisfaction, especially regarding the acquired content knowledge, technical and teamwork skills, and a better grade gained in the course. The results also indicate room for improvement in both the organizational aspects of the project, and collaboration between ESP teachers and project participants, as this may lead to more proficient language competencies.