Course syllabus

 

TRANSLAT718 – Japanese Specialised Translation

SEMESTER 2, 2018

30 points

Mondays 2-5pm 

Room: 417, Arts 2, Bldg 207, 18 Symonds Street

 

Course Convenor: 

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

 

Teacher:

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

 

Course delivery format:

Seminar/workshop style sessions, combining theory and practice of translation. Students are typically asked to prepare their own translations or translation related activities before coming to each class.   

(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 collaboration or the whole class, as appropriate. Attendance at all classes is strongly recommended in order to benefit from interactive activities which help develop translation skills and ensure steady progress.

 

Aims of course

The overall intended learning objectives are to develop translator competence which includes linguistic, intercultural, documentary, technological/ instrumental, transfer, thematic, industry-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 market and 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

 

Course outcomes:

A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:

• develop key competences to be able to translate a variety of semi-specialised and specialised texts at an advanced level 
• enhance autonomy in conducting necessary background research and generating terminological resources
• acquire reflective attitudes towards one's own translation work
• understand how to review and critique translations done by others
• learn to apply ethical decision-making in all phases of the translation process

 Assessment Summary:

• 3 translation assignments @ 20% each 60% due in Weeks 3, 6 and 10
• 2 in-class translation tests @ 15% each 30% in Weeks 7 and 12
• Reflective translation journals: Logbook 10% due in Week 12 (covering weeks 2 to 11)

 

Weekly Topics:

To be confirmed

 

Prescribed Texts:

The students will be provided with course handouts.

 

Recommended Texts:

The students will be given relevant articles during the course.  The following shows a list of suggested background readings:

Baker, Mona (2011). In Other Words: A coursebook on translation. 2^nd ed. London/New York: Routledge.

Byrne, Jody (2012). Scientific and technical translation explained: a nuts and bolts guide for beginners. Manchester/New York: St. Jerome Publishing.

Olohan, Maeve (2016). Scientific and Technical Translation. Milton Park; New York: Routledge.

Robinson, Douglas (2012). Becoming a translator: An Accelerated Course (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.

Sato-Rossberg, Nana and Wakabayashi, Judy (eds.) (2012). Translation and Translation Studies in the Japanese Context. London/New York: Continuum.

  

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

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.

Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.

 

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.