Reflection of the English-speaking world in the stereotypes of students-translators

The article investigates the reflection of the English-speaking world in ethnic stereotypes concerning the representatives of English nationality and American people among students-translators of Novosibirsk State Technical University. This research is relevant due to the need to monitor the reflection of the world of the studied language in specialists whose successful professional activity depends on learning cultural-specific knowledge. The study involved 47 students, and the methodology of D. Peabody’s stereotypes study and a survey were used. A high degree of the judgement coherence was found out about a typical representative of English nationality and American people, including the students’ groups that chose American English or British English. Meanwhile the image of the English nationality is more harmonious. Both images have some adaptive and maladaptive features, and, in general, the stereotypes are positive. However, there is a little difference in the choice of features groups. Thus, assessing the qualities of a typical representative of American people, the students underline the features that are more identified in interpersonal interaction and indicate a rational control and self-confidence in behaviour, while assessing a typical representative of English nationality, they put moral and ethical qualities first. The article concludes that in the respondents’ minds the images of these two countries representatives merge into a single one, the English-speaking world. Additionally, there is a perceived lack of comprehensive representation of the national character of the English and Americans, which hinders the evaluation of the influence of ethnic stereotypes on the preference for the English language variant.

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