Unit 4 Speaking Skills

Overview:

This module aims to develop students' speaking skills in relation to interpreting, enabling them to effectively communicate and convey messages accurately and fluently. The module focuses on the sub-skills of speaking, types of speaking, and methods of teaching speaking, as well as the application of connectivism principles in the teaching and learning process.

  ( Interpreting and Listening / Speaking Skills)

Speaking

 

Public speaking is an important part of training to become an interpreter for several reasons. First, many people studious enough to have acquired a thorough grasp of two or more working languages tend to be of a somewhat shy and retiring disposition and, when faced with an audience, may freeze up and develop mental blocks. Second, interpretation assign- ments – especially the better ones – often require interpreters to perform before large audiences of important people, which can be rather intimi- dating even for those of us who are not especially shy. But stage fright can be overcome by the same method that student actors use: rehearsal. Last but not least, an interpreter, like an actor, a talk-show host or a news announcer, must learn how to use his or her voice.

In order to understand the kind of language used by public speakers and at international conferences, interpreters should appreciate how it differs from everyday speech. We use language in our daily lives primarily to com- municate information and express feelings. But the main function of lan- guage as used by public speakers such as diplomats, officials, and corporate executives, who are usually acting as spokesmen for groups, is advo- cacy. A campaign speech by a candidate for office is designed to win the listeners’ votes. A speaker praising a public figure is seeking to persuade listeners of that person’s merits. An official making a public explanation or apology for an error or embarrassment is trying to persuade the public to forgive and forget. A diplomat making a lengthy policy statement is try- ing to persuade other diplomats to support her positions by striving to portray her country and its policies in a favorable light. Even a speaker using expository language to relate facts or report information is often doing so in order to support a particular viewpoint, thesis, or proposal.

Public speakers have usually acquired some proficiency in the art of

persuasion, and interpreters must be able to mirror that skill. So, inter- preters should strive to be good public speakers. An important step in

 

becoming an effective public speaker is to learn not only to use one’s skill at expository and descriptive speech but also to draw on one’s own powers of persuasion. Enhancing this skill will also help the interpreter to acquire greater confidence and thus overcome stage fright.

(Speaking )Skills

Speaking Skills. Speaking skill is considered as important, as it is the concern of interpreters during their training. Interpreters need to have clear voice, ability to select appropriate terms, vocabulary and sentences, consequently, the audience understand the message as it is in the source language

-Timely adjustment

Interpreters should occasionally change how language is organised in order to make timely adjustments. Usually, by adding, we can clarify the meaning, the tense, or other subtle details in the SL.

-Adding information

Due to the difference in culture and habits, sometimes interpreter add some words or change the sentence structure to express the speaker's meaning.

-When the interpreter fails to hear or understand certain segmental information in the disclassse, he can try to reconstruct it with the help of the context. His knowledge of the language, his understanding of the subject and the situation he is in may also help him to reconstruct. If it is successful, the reconstruct can result in full recovery of the information.

-Reformulation

It is highly probable that the interpreter will overlook certain information when the information density is too great for him to handle due to the limitations of one's processing ability. In these circumstances, the interpreter may generalise the fundamental notion.

-Paraphrasing and explaining

For the so-called checkmates, it is impossible to determine an equal ion Target Language in a timely manner, and the equation is insufficient to ensure that the audience comprehends the source speech's meaning; in these circumstances, paraphrase and explanation are required.

There are four fundamental aspects of interpreting skills, according to the explanation. They are the following: listening, decoding, recording, and expression skills

 

Speaking skill:

   - Timely adjustment - Adapt and modify interpretations in real-time to accurately reflect changes in context or meaning.

   - Add information - Integrate additional relevant details to enhance the comprehensiveness of the interpretation.

   - Reformulation - Restructure and rephrase content to convey the intended meaning effectively.

   - Paraphrasing and explaining - Express content in alternative wording and provide explanations as needed.

CONNECTIVISM PRINCIPLE

 

            .Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources

            This connectivism principle talks about using technology and the Internet to obtain information and create new content. In this case, students can go to any Web page they want and check the content they think fits better for their assignments. Utrecht claims that “information can be taken from various sources and create something new and meaningful

 

 

 

:Pre stage for speaking skill

    Clearly define the speaking task or objective-

    -Provide relevant background information or prompts to prepare students for the speaking activity

   -Engage students in pre-speaking activities, such as brainstorming ideas or organizing thoughts related to the speaking task

 

: While-stage for Speaking Skill

   - Provide opportunities for structured practice of the speaking skill, such as pair or group discussions, presentations, or role-plays

   - Encourage students to actively participate in the speaking activity and provide support as needed

 

Post-stage for Speaking Skill:

   - Facilitate a debriefing session to reflect on the speaking activity and encourage students to share their experiences and challenges.

   - Offer constructive feedback on speaking performance and provide specific guidance for improvement.

  

 

 

Objectives:

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

 

-Identify and explain the sub-skills of speaking in relation to interpreting

-Recognize and apply different types of speaking in interpreting contexts

-Use effective methods and strategies for teaching and learning speaking skills

-Apply connectivism principles to enhance speaking skills in interpreting

-Evaluate and provide feedback on speaking performances in interpreting contexts

 

Sub-skills of Speaking:

 

-Pronunciation: accurate production of sounds, intonation, and rhythm

. Fluency: ability to speak smoothly and continuously-

-Vocabulary: use of appropriate and accurate words and phrases

-Grammar: correct use of sentence structures and language rules

. Comprehension: ability to understand spoken language-

. -Interaction: ability to engage in conversations and respond appropriately

 

Types of Speaking:

 

. Interpersonal speaking: face-to-face conversations-

. Presentational speaking: formal presentations to an audience-

. Transactional speaking: exchanging information or negotiating-

. -Interpretive speaking: conveying messages from one language to another

 

Methods of Teaching Speaking:

 

- Communicative Language Teaching (CLT): focuses on authentic communication.

-Task-Based Learning (TBL): involves real-life tasks to develop speaking skills.

- Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): integrates language learning with subject content.

- Flipped Classroom: reverses traditional teaching methods, with instruction at home and practice in. class.

 

Teaching Aids:

 

- Audio and video recordings.

- Role-plays and simulations.

- Authentic materials (e.g., news, videos, podcasts(

- Language learning apps and online resources.

- Whiteboards and presentation software.

 

Strategies:

 

. Encourage authentic communication and interaction-

. Provide opportunities for practice and feedback-

. Use visual aids and multimedia resources-

. Focus on fluency and comprehension-

. Encourage self-assessment and peer feedback-

 

Applying Connectivism Principles:

 

. -Networked learning: connect students with others to enhance speaking skills

. -Diversity and inclusivity: incorporate diverse perspectives and languages

. -Complexity and uncertainty: encourage students to navigate ambiguity

. -Autonomy and agency: empower students to take ownership of their learning

. -Openness and sharing: facilitate collaboration and resource sharing

 

Teacher's Role:

 

- Facilitator: creates opportunities for speaking practice and feedback.

- Coach: provides guidance and support for students.

- Assessor: evaluates student speaking performances.

- Resource provider: offers language learning resources and materials

 

Student's Role:

 

-Active participant: engages in speaking activities and practices .

- Self-assessor: evaluates own speaking performances.

- Peer evaluator: provides feedback to peers.

- Resource seeker: explores language learning resources and materials.

 

Evaluation :

 

- Formative assessment: ongoing evaluation of speaking skills.

- Summative assessment: final evaluation of speaking skills.

- Self-assessment: students evaluate their own speaking performances.

 

FEEDBACK

 

- Speaking: Record yourself speaking and listen to the recordings to identify areas for improvement. Seek feedback from native speakers or language instructors to help you fine-tune your pronunciation, intonation, and fluency.

- Peer feedback: students provide feedback to peers.

Teacher feedback: teacher provides feedback to students .

 

ACTIVITIES

1. Write an imaginary letter to a public official urging that a law be passed to remedy what you consider to be a serious social problem. What arguments would you use? Read the letter aloud as a speech, record it, listen to it at a later time, and consider what you could have said to make it more convincing.

 

2 . Think of someone you know who would disagree with you about an important question. What arguments could you use to change that person’s mind? Suit your arguments to what you know about that person’s psychology.

 

3 . (a) Choose a significant event from a newspaper and write a 200- word speech commenting on it. Read out the speech into your tape recorder, then listen to it. Was it convincing? Could the speech be improved by changing your delivery, intonation, organization, or diction (choice of words)? If your speech were a broadcast editorial, would listeners pay attention?

 

4 .Write a short speech in praise of a public figure whom you admire. Read it out into your tape recorder and listen to it. Would it be convincing to a listener who did not know that public figure?

 

5   The following statements of opinion on various issues are calculated to be controversial and to spark debate. Choose one of the positions presented and defend that point of view to an imaginary audience of skeptical listeners, first in your mother tongue and then in your other working languages. Then, repeat the exercise, taking the opposite point of view.

 

6  Use the topics in (5) above for a session of classroom debates, choosing a “pro” and “con” speaker for each topic by random drawing. Conduct at least one debate in each language. Ask students from the audi- ence to summarize the “pro” and “con” statements of each debate in a different language.

 

7  Choose any one of the propositions offered below and prepare a three-minute speech, to be given in class, arguing either for or against the proposition you have selected. You may use outlines or notes, but your speech should not be written out and read verbatim to the class. Use both logic and emotion to make your points. Maintain eye contact with your audience. After your speech, another student will be called on at random to briefly recapitulate what you have said; another will be called on at random to briefly critique your delivery; then, the rest of the class will be invited to ask you questions about any points in your speech that did not seem clear; finally, anyone in class who wishes to offer a brief rebuttal of your speech will be invited to do so.

(a)     The Global Biodiversity Assessment, based on the work of 1500 scientific experts from all over the world, indicates that almost three times as many species became extinct from 1810 to the present (112 species) as between 1600 and 1810 (38 species). But protecting endan- gered species can hamper economic growth, and a 1995 Harris opinion poll of 1007 adults indicated that only 42% believed that government had struck the right balance between protecting the environment and protecting jobs.

Once a species is gone, it is gone for good. So, preserving biolog- ical diversity is more important than promoting industrial progress and creating jobs, and endangered species should be protected by law against the spread of industry and pollution even if jobs are lost in the process.

(b)     Economic prosperity cannot be sustained unless everyone in the population has access to health care. If private insurance coverage does not provide such access, health care should be made a public service funded by public revenues.

(c)      Free trade fosters prosperity and understanding by promoting the flow of goods, people, and ideas across borders. Therefore, exerting political pressure on countries by a trade embargo is coun- terproductive. Economic sanctions should be used only to punish serious violations of international law.