TED TALKS FOR INTERPRETERS’ TRAINING: STUDENTS’ OPINIONS

Anastasia Atabekova¹, Tatyana Shoustikova² , Rimma Gorbatenko^3
1Full Prof., Dr. Sc.in Comparative Linguistics, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia,
 Russian Federation,
aaatabekova@gmail.com, atabekova_aa@pfur.ru
²Full Prof., Dr. Sc.in Pedagogy, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia,
 RUSSIAN FEDERATION,
shoustikova_tv@pfur.ru, shoustikova@yandex.ru
³Associate Prof., Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia,
 Russian Federation,
gorbatenko_rg@pfur.ru
*Corresponding author Anastasia Atabekova

Abstract

The paper explores the TED talks didactic potential for university-based interpreters’ training.
The article strives to map the research within contemporary vision of TED Talks and Interpreting Industry needs. The research explores academia and industry attitudes to TED Talks status in education and tries to check the preliminary hypothesis that there might be positive and questionable aspects of integrating Ted Talks technology into interpreter’s training. The analysis aimed to explore the relevance of TED Talks integration into interpreters’ training.
The research combined theoretical and empirical studies, included students experimental training with the resource under study inclusion in educational aids and students’ survey on the resource usefulness for their learning. The analysis revealed the connection among such variables as students’ academic progress, their origin and metropolitan/ local background. The cluster and discriminant types of analysis were implemented to shape the picture on TED Talks positive and questionable didactic aspects regarding interpreter training. The SPSS was used for data processing.
The findings have made it possible to underline the importance of thinking over reasons, conditions and techniques before integrating TED Talks into interpreters’ training thus paying just a kind of tribute to a fashionable technological resource. The experimental training with use of TED Talks confirmed its didactic potential. The survey results  revealed concrete pluses in terms of the source contents.
The research showed that TED Talks  as a training tool can be of use for Interpreting Industry though students did not mention creativity and innovation as positive aspects of the resource under study.

Keywords: TED Talks, interpreter’s training, didactics, higher education.