LA881-7-AU-CO:
Translation Portfolio (Chinese-English) I
2024/25
Language and Linguistics
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 13 December 2024
15
15 March 2022
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
DIP T1Q909 Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting
In this module, you will be engaged in weekly translation of texts belonging to different domains and genres, to familiarise yourself with specific requirements of each translation tasks. Texts will be taken from educational, socio-political and promotional areas mainly.
You will learn to analyse the source texts at various levels, identify translation challenges and overcome them by applying different strategies and translation techniques.
In line with current translation practices, you will be trained to translate into both English and Chinese, with an emphasis on English to Chinese translation.
The aims of this module are the following:
• To develop your practical ability to translate from English to Chinese and vice versa through a wide variety of tasks.
• To develop your awareness of specialist fields of knowledge (educational, socio-political, promotional) and their characteristic text types.
• To become aware of the multiple dimensions of meaning of written texts, representing different genres and text types, and to recognise their most salient features for the purposes envisaged for the original text and the target text.
• To refine and deepen your understanding of both your Chinese and English language and culture. Issues of cultural transfer will be addressed as they impinge on the translation process. You will become familiar with a variety of strategies for dealing with mismatches between source and target languages and cultures.
• To enhance your skills as a professional translator in:
- Preparation for translation assignments
- Solving translation problems in various aspects
- Quality Assurance
- Development and evaluation of your own performance as a translator and that of your peers
On successful completion of the module, you will demonstrate:
• Improved skills and strategies in English-Chinese and Chinese-English translation.
• Ability to identify and record the characteristic terminology, structure and stylistic features of texts from different fields of knowledge, recognising a range of specialist texts and devising a suitable strategy for translation.
• Sensitivity to language structure, language function and the intricacies of intercultural communication, as well as sufficient understanding of core linguistic and cultural concepts to be able to recognise potential translation problems and adopt creative solutions.
• You will have learned:
- To develop a good method to prepare for translation assignments (e.g. background reading on subject field, use of parallel texts, etc.)
- To use techniques to compile and maintain a glossary of terms relevant to each translation task
- To run quality assurance checks
- To evaluate the effectiveness of techniques used and be able to argue knowledgeably for and against specific translation choices
Weekly lectures on relevant theories and seminars on practice of translation belonging to different genres and dealing with different topics such as: educational, socio-political, and promotional. Classes will be complemented by departmental workshops and seminars led by professionals in the field. Please refer to the schedule that will be circulated by the MA Director.
Some of the topics to be covered in class include:
• Introduction to translation
• Translation as a process and as a product
• Translation loss and compensation
• Cultural transposition
• Translation of consumer-oriented texts
• Revising and editing TTs
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Coursework |
Improved Homework |
11/11/2024 |
40% |
Coursework |
Timed Translation |
13/12/2024 |
60% |
Additional coursework information
N/A
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Ms Antonia Wu, email: a.wu@essex.ac.uk.
Antonia Wu
3.304, y.wu@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Chonglong Gu
University of Liverpool
Lecturer in Chinese Translation Studies
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 18 (90%) hours available to students:
2 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.