April 25, 2005
Spanish-language textbook expands technical, cultural horizons
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Spanish translation of a computer graphics textbook written by a Purdue professor will help expand the field to a larger, more diverse group of students, he says.
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The sixth edition of "Engineering Drawing and Design," the world's third most commonly used textbook for engineering graphics, has been translated into Spanish and published in an effort to reach an expanding segment of future workers in the growing field of computer graphics.
The Spanish edition is titled "Dibujo y Diseño en Ingeniería."
"To my knowledge, this is the first engineering graphics textbook to be translated to Spanish, and this is an important step in the field," said the book's author Dennis R. Short, a professor in Purdue's Department of Computer Graphics. "Latin America is seeing tremendous growth in technology education, and it is important for these students to have high-quality resources in their own language to help them learn.
"In addition, technology programs throughout the United States, including Purdue's College of Technology, are looking to attract a more diverse student body. Making learning materials available in Spanish can help to open doors to those programs for more students."
Short, also co-director of the Purdue International Center for Entertainment Technology, said instructors had been using the English version of the book, even with Spanish-speaking students.
Because of the book's graphics and designs, instructors could use the examples without the text. But, in doing so, students missed valuable content that could have helped them understand the background for the graphics they were studying, Short said.
"Beyond graphics, engineering graphics textbooks include information on technology, manufacturing and other types of engineering," he said. "For example, you cannot successfully design and draw a casting process if you don't understand how that process works. Having the text in their native language will allow the students to be better equipped to not only make the graphics, but also to understand what they are doing, making them more marketable employees."
In addition, Short said he had been contacted by professors at American community colleges with large proportions of Latino students. These professors plan to use the Spanish translation as a supplement for students who can read it more easily.
Short co-wrote the book with Cecil Jensen, the former technical director of the R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Ontario, Canada, and Jay D. Helsel, professor and chairman emeritus in the Department of Applied Engineering and Technology at California University of Pennsylvania.
The new publication is not just an English-to-Spanish translation, Short said. Efforts were made to ensure that the language used was not a regional dialect of Spanish specific to Spain or any particular Latin American country or region. In addition, photos and examples in the book were fine-tuned to make them more applicable to Latino students.
"To really reach students, it is important to not only provide them information, but also provide it in a way that is meaningful to them," Short said. "We did things like changing examples to prominent Latin American companies the students would be familiar with. Also, taking into account the financial situations in many Latin American countries, the translation is an affordable black-and-white, soft-cover version."
During the fall semester, the textbook was used in a few classrooms around the world, and Short said that spring semester adoption of the book soon will begin in earnest.
"We have from professors and other teachers from all over the world who are excited to finally have a resource like this available," he said. "I expect, and hope, that a strong response will lead to more similar projects to help expand the field to a larger, more diverse group of students."
Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu
Source: Dennis R. Short, (765) 494-6457, drshort@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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