Voices Across Languages: Manga Back-Translation as Pragmatic Empowerment in ELT

While ELT research emphasizes pragmatic competence and Translation in Language Teaching (TILT) gains renewed attention in both English and Japanese language education, traditional approaches lack effective methods for developing pragmatic awareness in basic-level learners. This study examines how manga translation activities foster pragmatic awareness in Japanese non-English-major undergraduates at CEFR A2 level. Through analyzing students’ translations of character-based role language from English-translated manga into Japanese, this research investigates how guided translation activities contribute to learners’ pragmatic development.

The theoretical framework centers on Cummins’ linguistic interdependence hypothesis, providing theoretical grounding for how learners’ L1 pragmatic knowledge supports L2 awareness development. This is complemented by Skopos theory for analyzing translation decisions and Cook’s translation pedagogy framework for cross-linguistic pragmatic features. The methodology employs Venuti’s foreignization-domestication continuum to examine learners’ handling of character-specific role language, while Holmes’ descriptive translation studies framework guides the analysis of their sociocultural choices.

Analysis of students’ translation decisions and reasoning from a 13-week classroom study with CEFR A2 level Japanese undergraduates reveals three aspects of pragmatic development: (1) recognition of formal-informal variation in character dialogue, (2) awareness of character-specific linguistic features in English expressions, and (3) understanding of pragmatic differences between Japanese and English. These findings suggest how learners activate their L1 pragmatic knowledge to develop L2 awareness through guided translation activities.

The study contributes to language education methodology by offering practical suggestions for translation activities that enhance pragmatic awareness in basic-level learners. This approach provides guidelines for implementing translation tasks, suggesting potential applications in both EFL and Japanese language education where learners navigate between different pragmatic systems.