Search

Contemporary researchers consider mediation as a kind of language activity where both receptive (listening and reading) and productive (speaking and writing) activities interact. These kinds of language activity are examined from a psychological point of view to make the practical development of the language activities more efficient and the teaching strategies more powerful and accomplished. Mediation as a kind of language activity must be taught and consequently psychological reasons of studying mediation should be studied thoroughly. Interaction of receptive and productive language activities implies the interaction of psychological grounds of listening and speaking, on the one hand, and reading and writing, on the other hand. Such interaction cannot be considered as addition one language activity to another. Apparently it is some kind of a complicated integrated unity of psychological entities. The paper is focused on psychological aspects of mediation as a language activity. It analyses different aspects of mediation and some issues of their application in teaching practice.

Contemporary lingo didactics both in Europe and in Russia considers linguistic mediation in its forms translation, interpretation, a paraphrase, summary or record, as a language activity. Linguistic mediation should be trained and taught in different education institutions. Teaching any language activity such as listening, speaking, reading and writing is based on a number of principles: pedagogical, psychological, general didactic, specific principles of teaching a particular language activity and others. Consequently teaching and training linguistic mediation, especially linguistic mediation in a professional setting primarily in the forms of translation and interpretation should also be realized taking into consideration both different educational principles and approaches as well as specific features of students' professional setting. This paper concentrates on the analysis of some educational principles and approaches that are used in teaching and training different kinds of mediation especially translation and interpretation in law professional setting. The practical experience of teaching translation and interpretation to students studying law at the Institute of Law at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia is presented.