Applicability of translation in english for specific purposes context: Students' perception

Abstract

This paper aims at highlighting the outcome of a survey carried out on students of English at the University of Chemical Technologies and Metallurgy - Sofia in the spring semester of 2020. The survey hinged on the usefulness of translation in the teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at univer- sity level and consisted of six questions proposed to thirty-two students in their 6th semester. Students were requested to express their opinions about the possible positive influence of translation as a useful tool in their ESP learning process, on the basis of their experience in foreign language classes. After a brief introduction dealing with some scholarly opinions about translation as a pedagogical tool, the survey is described, and its results are made visible through 6 bar graphs, showing that students generally considered translation as a useful pedagogical instrument in their foreign language stud- ies, particularly as far as vocabulary acquisition and professional language practice are concerned.