Our 21st Annual Chinese Teaching Conference ‘New Horizons: New Perspectives’ is coming up on 19th October 2024.

In this year’s programme you’ll find plenaries, speeches, performances as well as workshops covering a wide range of topics. In the run up to the conference, we are interviewing some of the workshop presenters to get a better idea of what can be expected at the conference. Frank Fan currently serves as the Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Melbourn Village College and the Mandarin Lead for The Cam Academy Trust. He will be delivering the workshop ‘Improve Translation Skills at A Level Mandarin’, which will cover key elements and provide practical tips for improving precision and fluency in translation, and equip educators with the tools to enhance their students’ performance in A Level translation exams.

Can you tell us a bit about your workshop content?

The workshop is designed to help Chinese teachers support their A Level students in mastering translation skills, focusing on both native and non-native speakers. It covers essential strategies for guiding students through complex translations, handling grammatical differences, and understanding cultural nuances. The workshop will offer teachers practical methods to help students improve their accuracy and fluency in translation exercises, which are vital for their exam preparation​.

What style of workshop are you planning to deliver?

I plan to lead the workshop using a PowerPoint presentation to guide the discussion, but the focus will be on group collaboration. Teachers will work together in groups to analyse and answer the exercises provided in the PDF worksheet. This approach allows for active participation, peer learning, and practical application of the strategies discussed during the presentation​.

What made you choose this subject for this year’s conference?

I have used this strategy in my A-level lessons with both native and non-native speakers, and both groups found it incredibly useful for exam preparation. The combination of guided instruction and group work helps students understand complex translation tasks and improves their performance in exams. The success of this approach in my classroom motivated me to share it with other educators​.

What will attendees take away from your workshop?

Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies for helping their students succeed in translation exercises. They will learn how to facilitate group work effectively, create engaging translation activities, and provide targeted feedback to support both native and non-native speakers in their exam preparation. The workshop will also offer insights into how collaborative learning can improve students’ overall translation skills​.

Many thanks Frank! 

We look forward to welcoming ticketholders to Frank’s workshop on Saturday 19th October 2024 at the IOE. Book your conference tickets here.