언어와 내용의 통합에 대한 재고

Revisiting the integration of content and language: With a focus on free translation activities

This paper challenges the argument that a second language is learned most effectively through the integration of content with language learning and proposes an alternative approach. Current content-based language teaching argues that content should be primary and language a secondary concern. However, in the foreign language classroom it is obvious that language comes first and content second. Therefore this paper proposes free translation activities through which Korean college students learn English with a clear integration of content and language. In order to do this, three college students participated in a case study. Participants freely translated the script for an episode of the TV series, Grimm, and then were encouraged to memorize relevant scenes. The subjects developed awareness of word combinations through the activities and became interested in the content of the drama through the free translation activities where the context was important for understanding. The results show that the integration of language and content can be achieved through a student focus on language and it is unnecessary for a teacher to be overly concerned about the content; instead the teacher can provide explicit explanations about language, such as why learning word combinations is important.