Technology-Enhanced Education: Digital Media in Training Future Language Teachers/Translators/Interpreters

The current study aims at identifying students’ attitudes towards digital media presence in the classroom, their usability and likely output in educational practices. A future language worker should know how to deal with all these new epoch communication aspects and should be trained to recognize and arrange the much needed communicative mechanisms and instruments to undergird and sustain fruitful educational collaboration. Teaching-learning agenda for the students that are seeking to become teachers/translators/interpreters should be based on some non-linear discourse-oriented model. The paper further analyzes the options that can be proposed to train proper communication skills (including mediation competence) through practicing media-centered activities. A group of respondents was introduced to and involved in a set of assignments and activities based on media platforms content with built-in links to provide a vibrant speech practice discussion or a challenging self-study assignment to improve students’ communication and mediation skills. Results indicate that the web-based tasks focus on some pressing topics and can fruitfully recontextualize the academic planning either for specific linguistic disciplines (Media Discourse, Language-Culture Study) or just for speech training at language classes. The study highlights the opportunities for both teachers and students to realize their language and mediation potential.