Course syllabus

 

SEMESTER 2, 2018
Course Information

Translation Studies

TRANSLAT716 – Chinese Specialised Translation

Class time: Monday, 2-5 pm

Class room: 207-312

 

Course Coordinator 

Associate Professor Minako O’Hagan – minako.ohagan@auckland.ac.nz

Teacher

Dr. Yan Ding – yan.ding@auckland.ac.nz

Course delivery format

3 hours of lectures

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 

Summary of Course Description              

This course focuses on developing the skills required for translating into your declared language direction (80% of the coursework into your selected first language and 20% into your selected second language) through extensive exposure to authentic translation materials in both languages. Fields covered will be chosen from: literature/culture, industry, finance, commercial correspondence, technical, and selective translation of official certificates.

Lessons are interactive, with opportunities for practice in pairs, small groups or the whole class. Attendance at all lectures is strongly recommended in order to benefit from interactive activities which help develop translation skills and ensure steady progress.

Aims of the Course

The overall intended learning objectives are to develop translator competence–which includes linguistic, intercultural, documentary, technological/ instrumental, thematic, transfer, business-related, and ethical competencies–within general and specialised knowledge domains.

Specific skills include:

• Mastering the different phases in the translation process
• Understanding the main textual and contextual features of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) texts
• (Online) documentary research skills: linguistic and subject knowledge acquisition
• Correct use of linguistic resources and translation technology solutions
• Source text analysis strategies, meaning interpretation and negotiation, writing skills, and editing and proof-reading skills
• Ethics and intercultural competency
• Knowledge of the translation industry and market/ business-related skills.

This is achieved through:

• Full translations into your declared first language (approximately 80% of final mark)
• Full translations into your declared second language (approximately 20% of final mark)
• (Co-)Textual analysis and discussion
• Topic-based research
• Summary and selective translation

Assessment breakdown

This course has 100% on-course evaluation:

• 3 translation assignments @ 20% each 60%
• 2 in-class translation tests @ 15% each 30%
• Reflective translation journals: Logbook 10%

Workload

Time management is essential to academic success, and it is the responsibility of students to manage their academic workload and other commitments so that all assignments can be submitted on or before the due dates.

As with other 30-point courses (3 contact hours per week), the University of Auckland’s requirement is that students spend 20 hours per week on this course.

Weekly Topics

Week	Date	Topic
1	16 July 2018	Introduction Translation process and quality
2	23 July 2018	Translation competence and ethics Translation Problems and Translation Strategies
3	30 July 2018	Translation equivalence and Cultural issues in translation 1
4	6 August 2018	Specialised translation - Tourism
5	13 August 2018	Specialised translation – Legal texts
6	20 August 2018	In class test 1
7	10 September 2018	Skopos theory / Functionalism and Cultural issues in translation 2
8	17 September 2018	Specialised translation - Certificates
9	24 September 2018	Specialised translation - Literature
10	1 October 2018	Specialised translation - Business
11	8 October 2018	Presentation
12	15 October 2018	In class test 2

Note: The above class content schedule may change according to students’ learning needs, learning processes and/or learning speeds.

 

Course Material:

Course materials will consist of academic articles dealing with each topic discussed in class, which will be distributed to the students in class. Additional material may be used in class and uploaded on Canvas.

 

Submission of assignments, extensions and late penalties

Submission of assignments

• Unless indicated otherwise by the Course Convenor, hard copies of assignments should be posted in the appropriate assignment box on the 3rd floor of the Arts 1 building before 4 pm on the due date. Assignment boxes are cleared at 4 pm and any assignment handed in after 4 pm will not be date-stamped until the next working day.
• Penalties for lateness (see below) apply from 4pm on the due date for the submission of the hard copy.
• The Reception Area is not open on Saturday or Sunday or during public holidays.

Extensions

In serious circumstances* beyond the student’s control (see below), s/he may request an extension from the person in charge of that section. The request should

• be made by email to the course coordinator at least 2-3 days BEFORE the assignment due date
• provide an explanation of the circumstances
• be supported by a satisfactory medical certificate or other documentation.

If an extension is granted, you will be given a new due date. The completed assignment must be submitted on or before the new due date together with the medical certificate and other documentation. If an assignment is submitted after the new due date, penalties for lateness apply as below.

• Only ONE extension can be granted to a student per assignment.
• Only in extreme circumstances will late requests for extensions be considered.

*Serious circumstances means sudden illness (in the case of in-class tests etc.) or mid/longterm illness (for assignments etc. done over a week or more). It does NOT mean time management difficulties, wanting to go on holiday, relatives visiting from overseas, computer breakdowns, etc.

 

Deadlines and penalties for late submission

If an extension has not been granted, any work submitted after the due date will be treated as overdue and penalties will apply (see below).

• The mark given to an overdue assignment will be reduced by up to 10 per cent (at the discretion of the Course Convenor) of the total possible marks for that assignment for each day that it is late up to 5 days (e.g. for an assignment marked out of 20, up to 2 marks per day may be deducted up to a total of 10 marks). Assignments which are due on Friday, or the day before a university holiday, but are not received until the next working day will be counted as TWO days late.
• Overdue assignments that are submitted more than five days late will not be marked; nor will assignments be marked if submitted after the assignment has been marked and returned. Unmarked assignments will be held by the marker until the end of the semester, and in cases where the final grade for the student is borderline (D+), the marker may choose to award a minimal completion mark. For this reason, it is better to hand in an assignment late than not at all.

Illness at test time

When serious circumstances (e.g. sudden serious illness or a car accident) cause a student to miss an in-class test, it is expected that the student will notify the course coordinator at the earliest possible opportunity, if possible before the scheduled test takes place.

• In the case of illness for a test, you must also obtain a form, “Notes of Consideration for Written Tests Application” from the Clocktower Information Centre (x88199/88378), Clocktower Building, 22 Princes St, complete it and hand it in within a week of the date of the scheduled test or exam. In the case of illness for a final exam, you must complete an SA49 form, obtainable from the Examinations Office (x87557).
• If the student or his/her representative makes no contact within five days of the scheduled test, a zero grade will be awarded for that piece of assessment.
• Extreme cases will be judged on their own merits. Documentation may be required.

Academic integrity

The University of Auckland takes any form of academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism) extremely seriously and it is compulsory for all incoming students to complete a short academic integrity module: ignorance of the requirements will not be considered a defence in cases of academic misconduct.