National and Kapodisitrian University of Athens Research Programme
Foreign language examination battery and certification system
GALA, 15-12-2007
Who is a “mediator”?
According to the CEFR
• “The language user not
concerned to express
his/her own meanings, but
simply to act as an
intermediary between
interlocutors who are
unable to understand each
other directly –normally
(but not exclusively)
speakers of different
languages.” (pp. 87-8)
In this talk:
All language users are
potentially mediators.
The language user in the
role of ‘mediator’ takes part
in a communicative event,
acting as a facilitator, a
meaning negotiator and
meaning-making agent
(sometimes functioning as
an arbiter of meaning or an
abritrator).
When does one take on a role as mediator?
The mediator acts as a facilitator in a social event during
which two or more parties interacting are experiencing a
communication breakdown or when there is a communication gap between them.
The mediator monitors the process of communication and
interferes/intervenes as a meaning negotiator in situations
which require a reconciliation, a settlement or compromise
of meanings.
The mediator becomes a meaning-making agent interpreting and creating meanings through speech or writing
for listeners or readers of a different linguistic, cultural or
social background.
Is mediation more important today than before?
Mediation has had a crucial role throughout history; from classical times
and on through the ages, in all social institutions, private and public
affairs, as well as in the arts (cf., JAL). But, in today’s information
society, mediation is perhaps more essential than ever before.
Because of the social shift in late modernity from the production
of goods to the production of knowledge.
How is knowledge mediated?
Through language and other semiotic modes.
Where does mediation take place?
In all types of social institutions (the church, the law, diplomacy,
politics, advertising, the mass media), during public and private
affairs, in social settings including the workplace, the educational
space, the home, places of entertainment.
Mediation as social practice
What is the purpose of mediation?
It is an activity aiming at the interpretation of (social) meanings
which are communicated/ relayed to others who may not
comprehend the source text fully or partially
Mediation is linked with negotiation of meanings during social
interaction, as reconciliation and/or compromise between two or
more participants is ususally required
What does the social role of the mediator entail?
Power relations. When someone takes (or is given) this role, s/he
assumes (or is granted) the power to interpret social meanings for
someone else. (Sometimes the mediating statement is qualified by
phrases such as “What she means is…” or “What he really wants to
say…”)
Mediation as semiotic practice
Does mediation occur only at the level of text?
The material configuration of mediation is always a text of
some sort (oral, written, visual, multimodal), but the focus
of the mediation task may be not the lexicogrammar, but
the semiotic means through which the text is articulated;
i.e., the discourse, genre, register, style, the embodied
action and/or the visuality.
Inclusion/ exclusion of mediation in ELT
Mediation has been absent from the global ELT scene
and this is related to the cultural politics of English
didactics which has traditionally banned the L1 from ELT
programmes and has undervalued the role of the NNS in
language teaching and learning, materials production, test
development and teacher training.
It has been occasionally present at a local level in the
periphery.
This issue is discussed in some detail in the JAL
Mediation and EU language politics
The recent inclusion of mediation as ‘official’ knowledge in the
CEFR, which has legitimized its inclusion in FL teaching and
assessment on a European level, has to do with:
the new demands regarding language learning (the 1+2
policy)
the increasingly important role of the intercultural
mediator in the EU member states and across Europe
Note: It is interesting that while for all other activities there are
illustrative scales, there are non in the CEFR for mediation activities.
Mediation and Greek foreign language politics
Steps to inclusion of L1 and mediation in the Greek ELT scene
The (1983 and the 1997) national ELT curricula legitimize their use in
ELT in primary and secondary schools.
Uses of L1 for purposes of ‘communicative’ teaching and mediation
activities appear in ELT materials locally produced (1984-1987).
Practices of L1 and mediation exclusion, as well as of devaluating the
NNS EFL teacher and trainer were theorized and ideological analysis of
coursebooks for ELT published (Dendrinos 1987, 1992, 1999, 2001).
Its inclusion (2002-2003) in a high stakes (state) exam for the
certification of additional language competence (KPG)
Mediation in the KPG state exam
The KPG exam battery assesses candidates’ oral and written
mediation performance and, therefore, requires that candidates have
secondary school and adult social literacy, as well as communicative
skills required at different levels of language competence:
to understand (multimodal) texts in Greek
to select salient information from the source text
to relay information from the source text in English
Successful performance of activities in all test papers of the English
exams requires that candidates are able to function as mediators:
across two languages (from Greek to English)
within the same language (from English to English)
The mediated text may be in a different mode, genre, register or style
than the source text.
Sample activities from the KPG exams
B1 level oral test
EΦΗ ΠΑΠΑΘΕΟΔΩΡΟΥ
Αν και το ευρύ κοινό τη γνώρισε φέτος, ως Θεοπούλα, η Έφη Παπαθεοδώρου έχει
διανύσει πολύ δρόμο μέχρι να φτάσει στο... “Παρά Πέντε”. Στο δρόμο την
αναγνωρίζουν αμέσως. Την πλησιάζουν για να της μιλήσουν. Είναι, άλλωστε, ένα
από τα τηλεοπτικά πρόσωπα της χρονιάς που το κοινό συμπαθεί ιδιαίτερα. Είναι
αλήθεια ότι οι περισσότεροι τη γνωρίζουν με το τηλεοπτικό της όνομα –Θεοπούλα.
Αυτός ο ρόλος της χάρισε δημοτικότητα. Γεγονός, όμως, είναι και ότι η Έφη
Παπαθεοδώρου δεν προσγειώθηκε με αλεξίπτωτο στην τηλεόραση. Έχει μια πορεία
στο θέατρο και τον κινηματογράφο που θα ζήλευαν πολλοί. Γεννήθηκε στην Αθήνα
και προσφέρει εδώ και 40 ολόκληρα χρόνια την γνώση και το ταλέντο της στo
θέατρο, τον κινηματογράφο και στην τηλεόραση – της Ελλάδας και του εξωτερικού
(πρόσφατα μάλιστα συνεργάστηκε με το BBC). Ήταν μαθήτρια του Ροντήρη και σε
νεαρή ακόμη ηλικία μαζί με τις αδερφές της δημιουργούσαν ερασιτεχνικές
παραστάσεις. Η πρώτη της μεγάλη θεατρική παράσταση ήταν η Ηλέκτρα. Ωστόσο, η
Έφη Παπαθεοδώρου έχει διδάξει Αγγλικά και σπούδασε πιάνο.
The task: Imagine that I am your English friend who heard about the Greek actress
Efi Papatheodorou on BBC. I’m wondering who she is. Use the information from the
text and tell me a few things about her.
Task analysis
The B1 activity is an interlinguistic oral mediation task.
B1
LEVEL
It requires that candidates (have lifeworld knowledge and
language awareness at the level of discourse, genre and text)
to use pertinent information from a Greek source text (in one
genre) to form a message in English (in another genre and to
deliver it in a different channel of communication).
To perform successfully, candidates must have:
cognitive skills to evaluate information and select that
which is suitable for the specific purpose
literacy to extract salient points for task completion
sociolinguistic competence to form a message suitable
for the context of situation
linguistic competence to create a meaningful message
strategic competence to form the message with available
means
B2 level oral task
B2 level oral mediation
TASK 1
Imagine I am your Italian friend who wants to lose weight. Using
information from the text, tell me what types of food I should eat.
TASK 2
Imagine I am your German friend, who works too many hours but tries
to keep fit. Using information from the text, give me some advice.
Task analysis
The B2 activity is an interlinguistic oral mediation task also.
B2
LEVEL
Both tasks tasks require that candidates use a source text in
Greek in order to extract pertinent information and form a
message in English.
To perform successfully in each of the two tasks, candidates
must focus on different bits of information in the source text
and relay selected information in ways that suit the needs of
each interlocutor.
In performing Task 1, the candidate is expected to give
instructions to someone who wants to lose weight, tell him or
her what s/he should or shouldn’t do
In performing Task 2, the candidate is expected to give advice
to a friend who just wants to keep fit and needs his/her
strength.
B2 writing mediation
B2 level writing activity
The task
Use the information in the newspaper text to help you write a
short report (150 words) about what Greeks think of their
educational system. This report is for a website conducting a
survey on what European citizens think is wrong with the
educational system of their country.

Begin your report like this: According to a recent opinion
poll…

End it by stating your own opinion about education in Greece.
TASK ANALYSIS
B2
LEVEL
The B2 activity is an interlinguistic written mediation task
It requires that candidates read and understand the specific
type of multimodal source text and use the information therein
creatively to produce a text of a different genre than the
original, suitable for the context of situation.
To perform the task successfully, candidates must have:
the linguistic competence to produce a text which reports
what different groups of people (percentages) think about
various issues concerning education
the cognitive skills to relate their personal opinion on the
topic with those of others and the linguistic skills to write
a conclusion with a personal assessment on the issue
have the sociolinguistic competence to create a
meaningful report relaying the information in the source
text in a way that is appropriate for the context of
situation
strategic competence to avoid sensitive information and to
use the means available for the creation of the report.
C1 oral mediation
Candidate A
C1 oral mediation
Candidate B
C1 oral mediation
TASK 1
Imagine that you and your partner are planning a trip for the Christmas and
New Year holidays. Exchange information from your texts and decide
about the most interesting New Year’s celebration. This decision will also
help you decide which country you might visit.
TASK 2
Exchange information from your texts with your partner and together
decide on the two most unusual customs to write about for the special
Christmas issue of your school/ local newspaper/magazine.
TASK ANALYSIS
C1
LEVEL
This C1 activity, with two different oral mediation tasks,
involves candidates in interaction and negotiation. The
ultimate goal in each communicative instance is for them to
reach a common decision.
Both tasks require that candidates have:
intercultural awareness
lifeworld knowledge
social and practical literacy
reading skills to extract pertinent points for their decision
cognitive skills for selection of suitable information and
for decision making
linguistic competence to relay information accurately
sociolinguistic competence to relay the appropriate
information in ways suitable for the context of situation and
the task at hand
conversational skills to introduce a topic, take turns, to
keep the floor when needed or to turn it over to the other
So, what does mediation activity involve?
According to the CEFR
Examples of mediating activities
include:
texts resulting from spoken
interpretation and/or written
translation
summaries of texts across or in
the same language
paraphrases of texts when the
language of the source text
creates problems of intelligibility
to the intended recipient
(p. 87)
In this talk
Mediation is viewed as social
practice which involves:
[whom?] meaning making
agents
[in what?] in acts of
communication that require
negotiation of meaning and
relaying of information across
the same language or different
languages
[for whom?] for interlocutors
(listeners or readers) of the
same or different cultural
background
Note: for other, complimentary definitions of mediation see the JAL.
What is the relationship between mediation and
translation/ interpretation?
According to the CEFR
 Oral mediation is synonymous with:



simultaneous interpretation (at conferences, meetings)
consecutive interpretation (speeches, guided tours)
Informal interpretation (e.g., in social and transactional situations
for friends, family, clients, or of signs, menus, notices)
 Written mediation is synonymous with:




Exact translation (of legal and scientific texts)
Literary translation
Summarizing gist (within L1 or between L1 and L2)
paraphrasing
In KPG mediation practices differ significantly
Translators and interpreters have no voice. Their task is to establish
equivalent meanings and/or reproduce a messages in another language, not
to express opinions or make comments.
Mediators have a voice and produce their own text, often expressing their
take on an issue, their own opinion or making side comments.
Translators and interpreters, are to remain ‘true’ to the source text, which they
are required to respect.
Mediators may selct which messages and meanings to convey and, basically,
their ‘loyalty’ is to their interlocutor rather than to the source text.
Translators and interpreters have no ‘right’ to change the discourse, genre or
register of the source text, nor resort to reported speech.
Mediators are required to decide how the message to be conveyed will be
construed. Often, they must make choices regarding the discourse, genre,
register and style of the target text –considering what is most appropriate for
the communicative event and useful for the other participant(s).
Is mediation both a spoken and written activity?
Source text
visual
or
multimodal
text
spoken
or
written
text
spoken
written
visual
multimodal
Target text
spoken
written
visual
multimodal
Is mediation an interactive activity?
Interactive exchange
Oral/written
stimulus
Immediate
response
Delayed
response
Non interactive exchange
Oral/written
stimulus
Indirect
response
Nonverbal
response
Is mediation an exclusively linguistic activity?
Mediation
Verbal
Intralinguistic
Interlinguistic
Visual
Multimodal
Cultural
Intracultural
intercultural
Mediation as a verbal activity
Intralinguistic
 Relaying the message in a
(spoken or written) text to one
or more people who fail to
understand it as it is (or for a
number of other purposes)
through a different channel
of communication
in a different discourse,
genre or register
(paraphrasing or relaying
salient information)
by conveying the main idea
or information selected to
suit the context of situation
(summarising, giving gist)
Interlinguistic
 Relaying in the target language
the message in a (spoken or
written) text that appears in the
source language (from L1 or L2 or
vice versa)
to someone who is unlikely to
understand it fully or partially
(or for a number of other
purposes, e.g., to check
comprehension)
either though the same or a
different channel, same or
different discourse, etc.
Visual and multimodal mediation
Visual
 Relaying the message in a
visual text (pie chart, graph,
table, map, sketch, photograph,
etc.) to interlocutors who may
not understand this visual fully
or partially (or for other
purposes) by performing
speech acts such as:
- explaining
- reporting
- directing
- instructing
Multimodal

Relaying the message in a text of
single modality (such as an
exclusively verbal text –either
spoken or written) into a multimodal
text or vice-versa. For example,
relaying:
 in a single mode (orally) a
message delivered in a written
text with visual effects, pictures,
maps, etc.
 in a single mode (in writing) a
message delivered orally and
visually (e.g., film review)
 in a multimodal text (spoken
text accompanied by sounds,
music, gestures, etc.) a text in a
single mode (e.g., a play)
Cultural mediation
Intracultural
 Relaying information to
someone who shares ethnic
background and L1, but
belongs to a different cultural
group/ social network from
that of the mediator
 Interpreting reality for listeners
(e.g., TV and radio) and/or
readers (e.g., printed media)
of the same ethnic and
language background as the
mediator
Intercultural
 Relaying information to some-
one who is from a different
ethnic, linguistic or/and cultural
background from that of the
mediator
 Filling in an information gap
(about social habits, operation
of social institutions, etc.) for
listeners/readers who do not
share L1, cultural experiences,
profession, etc.
What mediation involves according to the CEFR
Aiming at establishing equivalent meaning, mediation may involve the
following (strategies):

Planning


Execution


Previewing, processing input and formulating the last chunk
simultaneously in real time, noting possibilities, equivalences,
bridging gaps
Evaluation


Developing background knowledge, locating supports, preparing a
glossary, considering interlocutors’ needs, selecting units of
interpretation)
Checking congruence of two versions, checking consistency of
usage
Repair

Refining by consulting dictionaries, thesaurus, consulting experts,
rescources
What mediation involves according to the KPG
Wishing to resolve a communication breakdown or to facilitate (smoother)
interaction during a communicative event, the act of mediation may involve the
following steps:
To develop an understanding of the communication problem by employing sociocultural knowledge and experiences, communication skills and linguistic
resources (in two or more languages).
Deciding in advance what type of intervention is needed mainly by considering
interlocutors’ needs.
Listening to or reading the source text(s) with the purpose of locating the
piece(s) of information or message(s) which are to be relayed.
Recalling pieces of information and/or drawing upon the gist of the source text(s)
to frame the new text.
Decide upon what to relay and plan input.
Plan how the target text is to be formulated.
Enter a meaning making process as the target text is being articulated.
Negotiate meaning with interlocutor.
What KPG mediation requires
Depending on the mediation task, which is always context specific, KPG
mediation involves:
Socio-cultural and discourse awareness
Lifeworld knowledge
Knowledge of how 2 languages (discourse, genre, text) operate
(Critical) language awareness
Awareness of the grammar of visual design
(Inter) cultural awareness
Literacies
School literacy
Social literacy
Practical literacy
Test-taking literacy
KPG mediation requires more…
Communicative competence(s)
Linguistic competence
Sociolinguistic competence
Discourse competence
Strategic competence
Cognitive skills
To read between the lines
To select pertinent information
To retain and recall information for use in a new context
To combine prior knowledge and experience with new information
To combine information from a variety of source texts
To solve a problem, a mystery, a query
To predict, guess, foresee, infer, make a hypothesis, come to a conclusion
Social skills
To recognize the interlocutor’s communicative need
To facilitate the process of communication (by relaying the info in different form or
mode, interpret message, explain, elaborate, define, etc.)
Negotiate information by adjusting effectiveness, efficiency and relevance to the
context of situation
What do mediators really do?
The resources mediators put to use and the strategies they employ are
context and task specific
Mediators do a great variety of activities with words [and images]’,
materializing institutionally defined social or pedagogical discourses
Learning to mediate is a life-long process, but mediation skills may be
developed through pedagogic practices
Including mediation in the pedagogical context
When/for what reason does the average Greek FL user need to mediate?
What kind of mediation task does s/he usually need to perform?
What sort of communication needs does the mediation task cover?
What type of texts does s/he have to mediate?
What kind of mediation tasks does s/he usually need to perform?
What kind of knowledge, skills and strategies must the FL learner develop
so as to be in a position to perform mediation tasks effectively?
What does the mediation process in different contexts entail?
Is there a special FL pedagogy conducive to the development of
mediation skills?
Studies in mediation
Studies in Greece
Collaboration with Israel
Conference in Finland
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
Mediating Multilingualism: Meanings and Modalities
Conference rationale:
In today’s globalized world of mobilities and flows, multilingualism is
increasingly an everyday phenomenon that people encounter and have to
cope with (in work, education, institutions, leisure time and media uses). In
these various contexts, multilingualism can be mediated not only by
languages, but also by a range of other semiotic means such
as genres, discourses, styles, embodied action and visuality.
At the same time multilingualism is a mediational system in itself,
sustaining, but also mobilizing and reorganizing language user identities,
relationships and possibilities for action and the relative values of
languages. Multilingualism can thus have repercussions in terms of what
resources and possibilities individuals and groups have - to agency and
participation.
Rationale continued
The conference on Mediating Multilingualism approaches mediation and
multilingualism from this double perspective. It focuses on the
different ways and means for mediating multilingualism, viewing
multilingualism as a mediational system.
The aim is to shed light on the complexities of this relationship and to
develop new ways of investigating and understanding the roles, meanings
and modalities of mediation in multilingual settings. To this end, the
conference aims at bringing together researchers, students, teachers and
other practitioners who share an interest in exploring the interface between
mediation and multilingualism as a particular linguistic, social, cultural and
ideological contact zone where the meanings of languages, identities and
relationships are reassessed and renegotiated.
CONFERENCE SITE AND CALL FOR PAPERS
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Organized as the 26th Summer School of Applied Language Studies
June 2-5, 2008
Deadline for abstracts: January 15, 2008
Guidelines for submission:
http://www.jyu.fi/hum/laitokset/kielet/conference2008/en
Call for papers:
Submissions are solicited for 20-min. papers and posters relating to the conference
theme. Studies on any languages and disciplinary takes (e.g., sociolinguistics,
linguistic anthropology, discourse studies, pragmatics, ethnography, and language
learning and teaching) are welcome. Abstracts in English (max. 300 words) should
be submitted via ‘submission’ on the conference website.
Research Centre for English Language Teaching, Testing
and Assessment
Faculty of English Studies
School of Philosophy
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
_______________________________
E-mail: rcel@enl.uoa.gr
Το έργο συγχρηματοδοτείται από το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο και από εθνικούς πόρους