Bridging Theory and Practice: Integrating Objectivist–Constructivist Pedagogy in Medical Translation Education

Developing translation competence among non-English-major students at Chinese universities remains a pedagogical challenge, especially given the rising demands of cross-cultural communication. This quasi-experimental study examined whether first-year medical students at a Chinese university could improve their translation skills using the constructivist–objectivist theoretical approach (COTA), which combines constructivist learning theories (e.g., active student participation, collaboration, analysis of real-world issues) with objectivist learning methodologies (e.g., sequential skill development, explicit knowledge transfer). In total, 110 students participated in this mixed-methods study. The research methods included (a) pre- and post-tests of students using College English Test Band 4 criteria to evaluate vocabulary, grammar, and accuracy; (b) student perception surveys; (c) semi-structured interviews with instructors; and (d) classroom observations of students, using Gagné’s nine instructional events to ensure faithful implementation of the COTA framework. The COTA-trained students showed statistically significant improvements in translation skills compared to the control group. Additionally, increased student participation and engagement, positive attitudes toward learning, instructors’ ability to implement COTA effectively, and areas for future development were identified in the qualitative findings. These results suggest that integrating constructivist and objectivist teaching philosophies can benefit curriculum designers, language and translation instructors, and policymakers aiming to enhance translation education in Chinese universities and other Asia-Pacific institutions. However, the modest sample size from a single institution limits generalizability, and future studies with larger, more diverse samples are recommended.