Axolotls, environmentally conscious mayors and watermills: Didactic proposals for raising awareness on water conservation through pedagogical translation

Abstract

The present article explores the possibilities of integrating Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #6 (Clean water and sanitation) in the content of materials designed for Spanish as a second or foreign language (S2/FL) learners in a Mexican context. The idea arose from the recent severe droughts in the country that affected water consumption in certain cities. For immersion students studying S2/FL in Mexico, this became a reality rarely discussed in the classroom. In addition, the use of pedagogical translation is proposed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the learners’ already existing linguistics skills. Considering the particularities of the context where the project was developed, the material design stage was preceded by two smaller enquiries into the perception of Mexico and Mexican culture abroad as well as the country’s representation in existing S2/FL materials. One specific point of interest was if everyday realities where the lack of water received mention in the foreign press and / or if S2/FL textbooks. The resulting activities propose to cover these rather complex topics through a ludic perspective that can be replicated and adapted to a variety of contexts and any one of the SDG.