Translators believe that good translation theories does not guarantee good translations – or vice versa. In non-English societies, a jump from universals to specifics will not necessarily create a better community of translators or readers of translations. But engaging with the pedagogical and ideological implications of teaching translated texts will aid in the larger process of creating such a community, actively interested in the production and reception of translated texts. This paper presents theoretical discussions briefly and, instead, engages with the practice of teaching translated texts. The article, then, is about the pedagogy of translation more specifically, but also about the pedagogy of the translated, in a broader sense. It seeks to raise a number of questions such as: how should translated texts be taught and understood? What is gained by teaching translated texts and what is lost? What are the dangers of considering translated texts as ‘originals’? What, on the other hand, are the pitfalls in banishing translations altogether from the classroom? In approaching such questions, the paper will argue that teaching translated texts is at best a halfway house. It should also be mentioned that, as long as the system of instruction is monolingual in some courses and bilingual in others, it will always clash with a culture which is essentially monolingual.

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