Module Directory

LA053-5-SP Practice of Translation and Cultural Mediation I will be delivered in the Spring term to complement the more theoretical teachings of LA052 Grammar and Pragmatics for Translation introduced in the Autumn term. The study of the major and minor languages is inherently intercultural in that it highlights and enable students to understand the similarities and differences between cultures. The latter are understood in the broadest sense of the term, as a wide spectrum including high, popular and traditional culture, as well as global and local which also include the traditions and practices of everyday life. This module reinforces this study focussing on the language aspect and offers relevant practice by means of translation and interpreting sessions where students will learn to “read between the lines” and unpack information in such a way that understanding, and not translation precision, will be ensured. This task is highly complex and therefore a transdisciplinary framework is needed to build up students’ intercultural competence. That is why LA052 will navigate across disciplinary frameworks by drawing on concepts from the fields of psychology, anthropology, international business, applied linguistics and discourse studies.

In translation students will be mainly working with text belonging to different genre types and registers decoding and encoding them using adequate vocabulary, levels of formality and equivalent tones.  They will learn to act as moderators, cultural mediator especially in bilateral interpreting settings, and manage discourse at a micro and macro linguistic level, which ultimately will also allow them to understand ideas and events that cross national boundaries. The module will be delivered in language-specific class with the major language in combination with English at the relevant level.

The aims of this module are:

• To provide students with practical aspect of Translation and Cultural mediation


• To prepare students to perform accurate text and speech analysis propaedeutic to translate and interpret texts of general interest nature displaying different levels of formality register and terminology.


• To encourage students to increase their own cultural understanding and that of the target culture as well as to apply that knowledge in a range of situations where they can engage in critical decision making tasks.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Recognise register sub registers and different level of formality


2. Recognise and work with terminology


3. Translate and interpret texts pertaining to genres of general interest (media, promotional)


4. Reframe the fundamental strategies for a translator so that students do not only consider the source and target linguistic material but also the cultures embedded in them


5. Understand key theories concerning intercultural mediation and apply them in practice with a high level of autonomy.


6. Understand the role that pragmatic plays in language


7. Develop insights into the culturally determined nature of language use


8. Demonstrate an increased awareness of pragmatic differences in contexts in which language use illustrates cultural variation

Syllabus Information

The practical sessions on translation and interpreting will be informed by examples taken from selected sources. In particular, we will be studying the following points.

• Equivalence and equivalent effect in translation


• Studying translation product and process


• Functional theories of translation


• The formal properties of texts (Discourse and intertextual issues in translation)

Discourse analysis

This module will be delivered via:

• A 2-hour language-specific seminar/practical session per week

The practical sessions on translation and interpreting will be informed by examples taken from selected sources.