CONSECUTIVE AND DIALOGUE INTERPRETING (ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE) II - 2024/5

Module Overview

This module builds on the skills learned and settings covered in Consecutive and Dialogue Interpreting I (TRAM484) and focuses on the advanced practice of spoken-language interpreting between English and the chosen language not only monologically (i.e. in one direction) but also dialogically (i.e. both-ways). The module provides students with advanced skills, strategies and practical knowledge to perform consecutive and dialogue interpreting tasks professionally and confidently in a variety of relevant communicative situations which require interpreting both-ways.

Module provider

Literature & Languages

Module Leader

WANG Fang (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 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

The module focuses on the intensive practice of consecutive and dialogue interpreting, and encourages students to analyse and reflect upon their own interpreting practice. Particular emphasis is on dialogue interpreting exercises to enable students to deal with the bi-directionality of many interpreting situations. The module strongly builds upon student learning in TRAM482 and helps to acquire more advanced skills in preparation for professional life, greater emphasis is placed on detailed and nuanced renditions, the projection of the speaker’s intentions, and coordination of the interaction (in dialogue situations) and delivery of the target speech. There is also more emphasis on the preparation of more complex interpreting assignments. Furthermore, students are enabled to develop sight translation skills (both-ways).

Indicative content includes:

• A language-pair specific component focusing on the consolidation of the practical interpreting skills acquired in Semester 1 and on target speech production with particular reference to the associated language-pair specific linguistic, social and cultural challenges. Students are given the opportunity to practise in role-play situations and simulated ‘real- life’ interpreting tasks. In-class analysis and discussion focuses on the students’ own practice as well as prototypical interpreting scenarios, their respective challenges, and the knowledge and strategies required to master them. The module also includes discussions of clients’ needs, the interpreter's role and relevant codes of conduct for interpreting, which are fundamental dimensions of employability, resilience and resourcefulness. Materials include live speeches and recorded materials from semi-specialised and specialised registers, including the interpretation of visual aids (e.g. presentation slides).

Multilingual group simulations of real-life interpreting situations (ranging from international conferences to business meetings, and public service settings such as police and courtroom communication, doctor-patient conversations, social service encounters and  other relevant scenarios), which provide students with opportunities for further hands-on practice, to consolidate their interpreting skills continue to develop and finetune professional practice with regard to preparation; enhance flexibility in switching from one mode to another; boosting confidence and public-speaking skills by performing in front of live audiences. Simulations will be covered in class as well as in student-led small group practice regularly throughout the module and, where possible, with input from invited professionals who may work with interpreters (e.g. lawyers, judges, nurses, businesspeople, etc) who may participate in simulations as role players. As a by-product, students also develop skills related to interaction with clients, follow-up of interpreting assignment and working as a team. This complements the knowledge and skills acquired by participating in the Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) Seminars, focussing on professional development activities and invited talks by experienced practitioners and Interpreting Studies Scholars

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Interpreting test: Dialogue interpreting with written translation (both-ways): where a face-to-face arrangement is not practical, the assignment may be carried out remotely Final Interpreting test: Dialogue interpreting with sight translation (both-ways): where a face-to-face arrangement is not practical, the assignment may be carried out remotely

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their practical interpreting skills as well as their reflective skills, alongside the other module outcomes, via both formative assessment (ongoing throughout the module) and final summative assessment.. Through this strategy, this module empowers students to build self-evaluation into assessment process and creates space for them to reflect and critically comment on own performance. Also, students are encouraged to identify which aspect(s) of their work they would like to request feedback, thus developing them into independent learners.


Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• One Assignment of Dialogue Interpreting During the Semester Inclusive of a Written Translation Component (Both-Ways) (40%)
  as part of the assignment preparation
   


• One End-of-Unit Interpreting Test: Dialogue Interpreting with Sight Translation (Both-Ways) (60%)
  aiming to assess students’ interpreting performance and skills holistically through simulation including dialogue interpreting and sight translation (both-ways)

 

Formative assessment and feedback

Students receive regular comprehensive feedback and feedforward from tutors, peers and clients on their preparation and interpreting skills during the practice in class, which allows them to monitor their progress week by week. In the formative interpreting exercises, tutors use the same assessment criteria as in the two summative assignments. The criteria are made available to and explained to the students in class.

Module aims

• The module aims to: help students acquire advanced skills and strategies for consecutive and dialogue interpreting
• enable students (through a range of advanced exercises and role-play simulations, and increased exposure to a variety of speech types, accents and stances) to consolidate and expand the skills developed in Consecutive and Dialogue Interpreting I (TRAM482) and to apply them in a professional capacity
• help students to prepare for professional practice in a wide variety of situations, through critical reflection upon different interpreting scenarios
• enable the acquisition of sight translation skills and strategies (also both-ways), and a consolidation of the skills and strategies required to interact in face-to-face and technology-mediated environments
• offer language-pair specific practice workshops (subject to demand) in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish, Korean, Romanian paired with English

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to

• Combine teacher-led input and discussion (approx. 30%) and hands-on activities (approx. 70%) allowing for extensive practice using the School’s facilities


• Enable learning in language-pair specific small group workshops allowing students to develop their practical skills and expertise in interpreting


• Encourage critical self- and peer-evaluation of the students’ performance

 

The learning and teaching methods include

• Language-pair specific practice workshops that enable students to develop advanced interpreting skills through extensive practice, extended interpreting assignments and thematic approaches to the study of interpreting and receive a large amount of formative feedback from their tutors and peers. Workshops include opportunities for hands-on practice in simulated real-life scenarios.


• Independent study during which students are expected to research the subject areas and are encouraged to develop digital and research skills to enable them to find appropriate materials for preparation; students are also expected to spend time practicing on interpreting materials, individually and in groups; and carry out regular (self-)recording to analyse and enhance different aspects of their performance; interpreting problems arising from assignments are discussed in class.


• Students are encouraged to be active participants throughout the practical sessions, and support one-another during the process, and in doing so, develop as informed, confident, collaborative and independent learners.  

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: TRAM485

Other information

Native or near-native competency in English and another language offered in the programme, and attendance and submission of units of assessment of Consecutive and Dialogue Interpreting (Additional Language) I.

Surrey's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in a range of areas.

The module is designed to equip students, in a gradual yet incremental way, with advanced skills competencies required of professional interpreters working in the consecutive and dialogic mode. The language-specific part of the module is taught by practicing interpreters, who bring into the classroom some invaluable experience and insights on the current language industry landscape and market demands. The tasks and assessment undertaken across the module reflect the challenges of real-life scenarios, with a level of difficulty proportional different learning stages, and are specifically chosen to finetune students’ skills and knowledge towards increased professional competence and awareness. Successfully completing the module requires resilience, consistent and regular practice (both individually and in small groups), as well as persistence to engage in the process of trial and error that is needed to finetune such skills and manage an inherently multitasking activity like interpreting. Employability and sustainability are also enhanced by the fact that successful completion of this module in combination with TRAM482 (semester 1) is officially recognised as fulfilling part of the entry criteria of the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), thus facilitating access to a key player for interpreters’ professionalisation and work ethics and standards in the UK.

The module is taught in an interactive way, with hands-on practice carried out in small groups and in a truly collaborative manner. As the course is inherently multilingual and multicultural, students are encouraged to engage with, and learn from, different perspectives to develop the skills necessary to learn how to convey content across languages and cultures in an accurate, clear and appropriate manner, thus developing their global and cultural capabilities. Students will develop their own resourcefulness and reflective skills that will benefit their critical thinking and ability to identify solutions and strategies to professionally cope with a range of different challenges in real time. Altogether, this will contribute to building students’ own confidence and self-efficacy and making them all-round professionals.

The resources available for this module are available digitally, and students will be encouraged to navigate and utilise several digital and technological resources for their assignment preparation and practice. . Furthermore, students will train in state-of-the art interpreting labs, equipped with hardware and software solutions to practise in both in-person and hybrid interpreting, which will boost digital skills and well as sustainability, by raising awareness of different, remote modalities of interpreting delivery. This module is linked to other TRAM modules in semester 1 and 2, where students explore various challenges related to interpreting scenarios and scholarly frameworks to analyse them, which can be then tested and put into practice here. The topics and knowledge acquired will also be beneficial to seminar-based modules that focus on interpreting and technology and on interpreting in public service settings) as well as to the dissertation module particularly in the interpreting plus commentary format.

Programmes this module appears in

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 2024/5 academic year.