Didactic potential of propaedeutic exercises in language training of translators / interpreters

This article considers the issue of didactic potential of the propaedeutic module when learning a foreign language at a higher educational institution. The authors focus on the importance of the initial stage of linguistic education that should be aimed not only at mastering a certain system of knowledge, skills, and competencies, but also at understanding and learning the basic professional skills. The introduction of the propaedeutic module helps in large part to professionalize language training of future translators / interpreters and builds a guideline base needed for the becoming of trainees' professional linguistic identity. The article describes the propaedeutic module structure, sets forth the ideas of building the fundamentals of professional cross-cultural communicative competence in propaedeutic training and presents a system of exercises and techniques ensuring that this competence is effectively formed by means of the mother tongue and a foreign language. Using the example of language training of future translators / interpreters, the authors introduce the reader to a set of propaedeutic exercises classified and systematized as per the author's conceptual idea. Occupying a special place in this system are integrated exercises of the propaedeutic module's motivation / guidance, procedural and control / assessment units providing the best conditions to develop and improve trainees' personal qualities and to form their professionally relevant skills that indicate the becoming of an translator's / interpreter's professional linguistic identity. Based on the trial training results, a conclusion is made on whether it is advisable to use the system of propaedeutic polyfunctional exercises and techniques helping to optimize the trainees' initial language training and to prepare them for professional learning of languages in new educational conditions.

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