Application of English-Japanese translation strategies on four-frame comic strips :How do tasks make learners aware of the Japanese spoken language characteristics?

Abstract

This paper introduces a series of tasks applying English - Japanese translation strategies for upper intermediate to advanced level learners. These tasks modify Japanese four-frame comic strips and enhance noticing the characteristics of Japanese spoken language by the learners during the translation process to produce meaningful output. The results of carrying out such tasks show that even advanced learners have difficulty in producing socially and linguistically appropriate Japanese texts, unless they comprehend clearly the notions that have been expressed in the original context.