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TRAN 816 Introduction to Translation Theory and Practice
Availability : |
D1, D2 |
Credit Points |
4 PG |
Convenor(s) |
Mr. Izumi Inoue |
Practicum Convenor(s) |
|
Quick Links |
Unit Outline - pdf |
Please note:
There is a compulsory practicum component for both translation and interpreting in this program. The practicum will introduce students to aspects of professional practice. Please follow the link to the practicum page for more information.
TRAN 816 is a general introduction to translation studies and a practical translation unit. The unit includes 5 lectures for students from all language groups together from week 3 to week 7 and 13 weeks of tutorials separate for each language group. Students please note that you have to attend 4 hours of tutorials per week from week 1 and additionally 10 hours of lectures from week 3 to week 7. In other words, even though the lectures start in week 3, the unit starts from week 1.
The theory lectures are designed to introduce you to basics of translation theory and a number of lecture related tasks that will be done during the tutorial classes. The material covered during the lectures and the language specific practical task-solving tutorials directly related to the material covered during these lectures will examine important aspects of translation as a profession as well as issues of achieving equivalence. Your knowledge and skills in this area will be tested in the mid-semester theory examination.
The fifth and last lecture will be devoted to the ethics of the profession. The material covered in this lecture will be tested in the “Ethics of the profession of the final examination at the end of the semester"
Practical tutorials, as well as most of your homework will be devoted to translation tasks. You will have four hours of tutorials per week:
- two hours focused on translating from English into your language other than English (LOTE) and
- two hours per week focused on translating from LOTE into English.
- You will also get translation assignments in both directions, half of them from English into LOTE, the other half from LOTE into English.
- During the semester students will translate approximately 4,000 words in the form of assignments marked by their tutors
- During the mid-semester break, students will translate 2,000 words and self-assess their work using reference translations and discussion during the tutorial after the break. There will be no marks for this, just credit indicating that it has been done. No student can pass the unit without this credit.
- During the second half of the semester, students will also have to do the required practicum part of the unit and translate 5,000 words in preparation for the exam. The practicum part of the unit will also result in credit given for the work as pre-condition to passing the unit, but no score will be awarded for the practicum as a whole.
- Summing up, TRAN 816 students will have translated a minimum of 11,000 words in both directions, from and into English, during the semester.
- Translation skills you will learn during the tutorials will be tested in the “practical” part of the final examination, where you will be asked to translate one text from English into your LOTE and one text from LOTE into English.
Assessment and final grade for the unit
Each component of the unit will be assessed and will contribute to your final grade as follows:
| Mid-semester exam (theory) | 20% |
| End-semester exam (practice) | 40% |
| 8 English into LOTE marked assignments | 15% |
| 8 LOTE into English marked assignments | 15% |
| Translation project and presentation | 5% |
| Portfolio | 5% |
| Practicum* Credit |
Total maximum score for the unit: 100 + credits for 2,000 translated words + credit for practicum
Minimum for pass: credit for 2,000 translated words +practicum + 50 points
Your final grade for the unit will be given on the basis of the joint scores for the theory exam, translation assignments and practical translation exam. The raw results will be mathematically processed to be a fraction of the total of 100, then grades will be assigned according to the table given below:
| Processed Score | Final grade |
| 85-100 | HD (High Distinction) |
| 75-84 | D (Distinction) |
| 65-74 | Cr (Credit)C |
| 50-64 | P (Pass) |
| 45-49 | PC (Pass conceded) |
| 0 – 44 | F (Fail) |
Textbooks
All students should buy the book by Mona Baker listed below and Course Notes at the University Co-op Bookshop. Both will be used as textbooks during workshops on equivalence and in all the tutorials from the start. Please note that you cannot participate in the lecture or the tutorials in a meaningful way if you do not have these textbooks:
- Baker, Mona, In Other Words: a Coursebook on Translation, Routledge, London and New York, 1992. Available from the Co-op University Workshop.
- Ronowicz, Eddie, TRAN 816 Course Notes, Macquarie University, 2005
- Strongly recommended (but not obligatory): Bell, Roger. 1991: Translation and Translating: theory and practice, Longman, London
You will also receive a workbook containing tasks, exercises and texts to be translated from your tutor. Please note that all translations must be submitted to your tutor on due date and in printed form. Your tutors may also ask you to additionally submit the texts electronically, by sending them to their email addresses.
OTHER IMPORTANT REFERENCES
The books and papers listed below are important recommended references. Students may choose to read the books and papers by borrowing them from the library or, in case only one or two copies are available, by reading them in the RESERVE section of the library. Some may not be available in our library and then quotations from them will be included in the Course Notes and students may wish to obtain those books by using the interlibrary borrowing service or simply finding on the internet if the work in question is available in the libraries of other universities in Sydney. We do, however, either have most of the references or have included large fragments in the Course Notes. Copies of some of the books listed below are available for buying from the Co-op bookshop on campus (only books which are still in print). It is highly recommended that students refer to full original texts whenever possible and read more. Course notes and quotations cannot possibly cover all aspects discussed in those important, highly recommended books. Finally, the list also contains books which are considered good additional readings in various areas of translation studies or related areas (e.g. pragmatics and cross-cultural studies).
Brick, Jean, 1991, China. A Handbook in Intercultural Communication, National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, Sydney.
Catford, John C. 1965. A linguistic theory of translation, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Dancette Jeanne 1997: “Mapping meaning and comprehension in translation. Theoretical and experimental issues. In: J.Danks, G.M. Shreve, S. B. Fountain and M. K. McBeath eds: Cognitive Processes in Translation and Interpreting, Sage Publications, London, pp 77-103
Gile Daniel 1995: “Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training”, John Benjamins, Amsterdam
Grice, H.P. (1975): Logic and conversation, In: L. Cole And J.L. Morgan (eds): Syntax and Semantics, 3: Speech Acts, New York, Academic Press
Halliday, M.A.K. and Hasan R. (1976): Cohesion in English, Longman, London and New York
Hatim, B (Basil) & Mason I. 1990. Discourse and the translator, Longman, London 1990.
Hatim, B. and Mason I.1997. The translator as communicator, Routledge, London
Hickey, Leo (ed) 1998: The Pragmatics of Translation, Clevedon [England] ; Multilingual Matters
Hurtado Amparo 2003: Acquiring Translation Competence: Hypothesis and Methodological Problems in a Research Project" in: Beeby, A., D. Ensinger and M. Presas (eds.): Investigating Translation, Amsterdam: John Benjamins
Koyama T. (1993): Japan. A handbook in intercultural communication, National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, Sydney.
Leech, Geoffrey N. 1983: Principles of pragmatics, London ; Longman
Newmark, P. (1988). Approaches to translation. New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Nida, Eugene A. & Taber C.R. 1974: The theory and practice of translation, Brill, Leiden
Nord Christine. 1997. Translating as a purposeful activity: functionalist view Manchester, UK: St Jerome Pub.
O'Sullivan K. (1994): Understanding Ways. Communicating between cultures. National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, Sydney
O'Sullivan K. and Songphorn Tajaroensuk (1997): Thailand. A Handbook in Intercultural Communication. National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, Sydney
Ronowicz, Eddie (2003): Source Language Text Processing in Translation, The Translation Quarterly No 29
Ronowicz, Eddie and Colin Yallop (eds) 1999: English: One Language, Different Cultures, Cassell, London
Ronowicz, Eddie, Kyoko Imanishi (2003): A Comparison of Task Management and Lexical Search Mechanisms in Novice and Professional Translators/Interpreters, Interpretation Studies No 3 (December), pp 16-34, Japan Association for Interpretation Studies
Ronowicz, Eddie, Joanna Hehir, Toshihiro Kaimi, Keiko Kojima, and Deok-shin Lee (2005): Translator’s Frequent Lexis Store and Dictionary Use as Factors in SLT Comprehension and Translation Speed – a comparative study of professional, paraprofessional and novice translators. Meta Vol 50 no 2, 2005
Wilss, Wolfram.1982. The science of translation: problems and methods, Tubingen: Gunter Narr Verlag
Yule, George, 1996: Pragmatics, Oxford University Press
DETAILED TIMETABLE OF WORK DURING THE SEMESTER:
WEEK 1: The nature of translation
- information about the unit organization.
- purchase course notes at Co-op bookshop.
- initial testing of students
- preparation of students for assignments 1 & 2
WEEK 2: The nature of translation
- Discussion of initial test, pointing out specific problems, and nature of translation.
- Collection of assignments 1 & 2 for marking.
- Preparation of students for assignments 3 & 4.
WEEK 3: The nature of translation
- Discussion of assignments 1 & 2 and problems encountered by students.
- Collection of assignments 3 and 4 for marking.
WEEK 4: Orientation or comprehension of the SLT
- Discussion of assignments 3 & 4 and problems encountered by students in view of what they were told about the nature of translation during lecture 1.
- Collection of assignments 5 & 6 for marking.
- Work on, and discussion of, task 3.2
- Preparation of students for work on tasks related to the lecture. Students to do task (4.1) at home in preparation for task (4.2)to be done in class in week 5. Students should read the relevant text from course notes and decide who is going to use what dictionaries and/or other resources to solve problems before week 5 (this can be done in class in week 4).
- Preparation of students for work on assignments 7 and 8
WEEK 5: Drafting or achieving equivalence in translation
- Collection of assignments 7 and 8 for marking.
- Discussion of assignments 5 & 6 and problems encountered by students
- Preparation of students for work on tasks relevant to the lecture. Note that there are no other translation assignments than those included in the tasks due next week – but you must do all the tasks given below as homework for next week.
WEEK 6: Professional translation; translator competence
- Discussion of assignments 7 & 8 and problems encountered by students in view of what they have been told about achieving equivalence during lecture 3.
- Extensive discussion of students’ work on tasks related to finding equivalence
- Preparation of students for work on tasks related to the topic “professional translation”, with special emphasis on the “translation brief”
- Administration of assignments 9 and 10
WEEK 7: Ethics of professional translation. Translation practice
- Discussion of assignments 7 and 8 and problems encountered by students.
- Collection of assignments 9 and 10 for marking.
- Discussion of students’ work on tasks related to professional translation
- Explaining to students the rationale behind working on set texts. Preparation of students for
- work on set texts during the break as part of the practicum portfolio
- Class discussion of tasks related to ethics of the profession
Mid-semester translation theory exam: date and location tbd.
Mid-semester break
- All students translate 8 set texts. Due date: Tutorial 1, week 8 (the first week after the break
Second half of semester: Translation practice
Details of work in this part of the semester are for your orientation only. Tutors in different language groups may elect to focus on different aspects of translation practice in class. However, all assignments and the portfolio must be done by all students in all language groups.
Week 8: Translation practice
- Discussion of problems encountered by students in translating 8 set texts.
- Preparation for practicum work
- Discussion of assignments 9 and 10
- Preparation for assignments 11 and 12 – due in week 9
Please note: Portfolio is due by the end of week 13
Week 9: Translation practice
- Collection of assignments 11 and 12 for marking
- Discussion of assignments 9 and 10
- Preparation for assignments 13 and 14 – due in week 10
- Other activities at tutor’s discretion
Week 10: Translation practice
- Collection of assignments 13 and 14 for marking
- Discussion of assignments 9 and 10
- Preparation for assignments 15 and 16 – due in week 11
- Other activities at tutor’s discretion
Week 11: Translation practice
- Collection of assignments 15 and 16 for marking
- Discussion of assignments 13 and 14
- Other activities at tutor’s discretion
Week 12: Translation practice
- Discussion of assignments 15 and 16
- Other activities at tutor’s discretion
Week 13: Translation practice
- Activities (for instance, revision) at tutor’s discretion
- Collection of practicum translations
Remember, practice makes perfect:
The more you translate, the better your final result will be.