The colour and the shape of translation in the foreign language classroom: The dis/integration of an interdisciplinary field?

This paper reflects on the integration of translation in the foreign language classroom. Underneath the increasing acceptance of translation in foreign language teaching and learning there is a lack of unison in the field as well as an uncertain and rather vague approach to it. For this reason, it seems that translation may be condemned to remain a fragmented area. In order to analyse the status of this practice, I will first consider its background, its progress both in theoretical and applied research contexts and the effect of both. The definite expansion but cautious establishment of translation in the foreign language classroom is largely due to a substantial amount of research from and within various disciplines. As an interdisciplinary field it has been rebuilt upon linguistics, translation studies, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, cultural studies, etc. However, significant efforts in revisiting and rebuilding this area have not led to a unified discipline. Is it therefore possible to promote a common territory between all these fields? Does translation in the foreign language classroom represent a kaleidoscope that illustrates the complexity of the areas involved within? Or does translation in the foreign language classroom represent a fragmented area as a result of the number of disciplines involved? It is necessary to explore how translation in the language classroom can successfully integrate various streams of thoughts in the academic discourse that discard disintegration