Studied whether differential item functioning (DIF) in translated verbal items could be reduced or eliminated by revising these items. Results for six sections of an Israeli college admission test translated from Hebrew to Russian show that revisions can reduce DIF considerably. Discusses costs of the revision process. (SLD)

Discusses theoretical and practical issues pertaining to translation or adaptation of educational assessments in the United States. These include the role of language proficiency and academic background in performance on standards-based achievement tests in different languages, factors affecting the decision to translate tests in different…

A pedagogical idea for addressing National Standard 4.1 (Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of language studied and their own) suggests the deliberate use of the online translator to illustrate to students the syntactical errors that occur when translating idioms from one language to another. (VWL)

Defines the relationship that is intended between classroom-based and laboratory based activities, private study and language class, individual and collective effort, and computer-centered and teacher-led learning. Suggests that the aid the computer can provide can be effectively brought into the classroom as an integral part of the teacher's own…

Reports on ethnographic research that explores the range of ways in which Spanish-English bilingual immigrant youth interpret English language texts for their families. Focuses on interpretations of written text for close family members, done at home, and charts the domains of these multiple literacies. Argues that bilingual youth's experiences as…

Discusses a new template-automaton-based knowledge database system for an interactive intelligent language tutoring system (ILTS) for Japanese-English translation, whereby model translations as well as a taxonomy of bugs extracted from ill-formed translations typical of nonnative learners are collected. (Author/VWL)

The differential usage of negative forms in French and English is analyzed. French-speakers tend to use negatives often, as in negative questions and impersonal phrases. Study of translations also shows that many words with a positive equivalent in French are translated by a negative word or phrase. (five references) (Author/MSE)

Problems and techniques in teaching the translation of idioms that make little or no sense literally are examined, using as an example the translation of a French idiom into German. Use of bilingual dictionaries and other related activities to deepen and enrich understanding of the language are stressed. (MSE)

Describes Grammateion, a hypertext system developed to simplify the use of ancient language symbols in scholarly work by providing basic grammatical and lexical information about Greek. A sidebar discussing the benefits of such technologies to the humanities argues that they allow teachers more time to interact with students and students to work…

Methods for teaching foreign-language literature actually teach students how to approach, understand, and develop their own method of literary criticism through scholarship, interpretation, and theory. (21 references) (CB)

An interview with Melinda Greenblatt, former director of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF's Information Center on Children's Cultures, presents an overview of children's book production in developing nations and the availability of children's books from these countries in developed nations. (NH)

Chronicles the history of federal laws governing use of court interpreters, focusing on the Court Interpreters Act of 1978. The Spanish/English Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination is discussed, and problems in state court interpreter selection, policy formation, and improvement of interpreting quality are presented. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the development of phraseological machine translation based on the theory that in natural languages, phraseological units cannot always be reduced to words. Describes the phraseological translation process of computer software and machine dictionary systems that translate Russian into English and English into Russian. (JMV)

Makes a case for using transliteration in order to avoid wholesale translation of new words from the natural sciences and technology into Indian languages. Proposes introduction of the Roman alphabet (in a modified form), so that the Indian languages can accommodate new loans within their own phonetic systems without any substantial changes. (SR)

Various approaches to translation are noted, and a case is made for reconsidering the benefits of using and teaching translation in foreign language programs to meet society needs. Practical advantages are cited, including benefits to students and the broadened curriculum, and possible topics to include are listed. (15 references) LB)