SPECIALIST TRANSLATION I - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module provides students with little or no previous experience of specialized translation with the opportunity to reach an acceptable level of linguistic, thematic, intercultural, information-mining and technological competence in the translation-service-provision industry. It combines lectures covering methodological and technical translation skills, professional development seminars, and regular language-specific specialized translation workshops (subject to demand) in Arabic, Chinese. French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish paired with English.

Module provider

School of Literature and Languages

Module Leader

FRANKENBERG-GARCIA Ana (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Native or near-native competency in English and another language offered in the programme

Module content

Indicative content includes:
• Lectures on translation methodology which include hands-on sessions on linguistic and terminological research, file and project management, editing/reviewing/proofreading, and document layout and formatting.
• Practical, language-specific translation workshops taught by professionals. Texts are selected from a variety of sources that reflect the needs and demands of the market in selected sub-fields. The specific subject matter will vary depending on tutor expertise.
• Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) Seminars, focusing on professional development activities and invited talks by experienced practitioners and Translation Studies scholars.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to follow instructions, cope with different aspects of translation (e.g. deadlines, research, drafting, editing, proofreading, layout and formatting) and to translate specialized texts to an acceptable level.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
• A translation methodology assignment (40% weighting)
• A translation of a specialized text of circa 500 words and short commentary at the end of the semester (60% weighting)

Formative assessment

Students will receive regular translation and translation-related tasks to practice and learn during the semester.

Feedback
Students will receive a combination of written and oral feedback on classwork and homework during the semester, as well as written feedback on their assignments.

Module aims

• Provide students with an acceptable level of competence in the translation of specialized languages
• Provide a grounding on activities that revolve around translation practice per se, including knowing how to: o draft, rephrase, restructure, condense and post-edit texts
  o manage electronic documents efficiently
  o extract and process relevant information for a given task (e.g. search for appropriate information to gain a better grasp of the thematic, terminological and phraseological aspects of a document, use search engines efficiently, evaluate the reliability of documentary sources and the suitability of translation technologies)
  o produce professional-looking documents
  o work in a team performing different roles (e.g. translator, editor/proofreader)
  o manage time and meet deadlines
  o comply with professional ethics and standards
  
• • Familiarise students with terminology and style from selected sub-fields through practical work on texts and enable students to produce a register appropriate to a given situation for a particular document
• Offer the opportunity for background reading in specialized domains as a basis for informed translation practice
• Encourage research into subject-specific topics in order to gain an insight into the complexities of specialized translation

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
• Stimulate critical thinking and independent research
• Raise awareness to professional ethics and standards
• Provide opportunities for developing interpersonal skills
• Encourage student participation

The learning and teaching methods include:
• Introductory lectures focusing on methodological aspects of translation (8 hours)
• Language-specific translation practice workshops (normally 10-14 hours)
• CTS Seminars (normally 8 hours)
• Contact hours will be complemented with materials and activities for guided study and self-study

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: TRAM488

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.