Course syllabus
TRANSLAT 713: Community Interpreting and Contextual Studies
SEMESTER 1, 2019
30 points
Time: 1-4pm (Mondays)
Room: 207-312 (Translation Studies Lab)
Course Convenor: Associate Professor Minako O’Hagan
Email: minako.ohagan@auckland.ac.nz
Office hour: Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 pm
Office: Room 417, Arts 2, Bldg 207, 18 Symonds Street
Lecturers:
Weeks 1 - 4: Community Translation
Associate Professor Minako O’Hagan
Email: minako.ohagan@auckland.ac.nz
Office hour: Please see above.
Weeks 5-7: Medical Terminology
Dr. Wendy-Llyn Zaza
Email: w.zaza@auckland.ac.nz
Office hour (weeks 5-7): 2.30-3.30
Office: Arts 2, Room 407
Weeks 8 – 11: Community Interpreting
Ailun Guo
Email: aguo556@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Office hour (weeks 8-11): Mondays 4:00-5:00 pm
Office: Arts 2, Room 313B
Course description:
This course aims to equip students with the linguistic, translational and cognitive skills that are necessary to provide so-called public service, or community interpreting services. In particular, we will focus on providing: 1) An overview of and a theory-based introduction to community translation and interpreting; and 2) An introduction to the essential subject areas of medicine and technology applications in translating and interpreting that will be relevant for working as translators and community interpreters in New Zealand and elsewhere.
The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the issues in cross-cultural communication and the profession of community interpreting. The course foci are on the role of the interpreter in the interpreting process and the contextual knowledge of medical terminology as well as technology applications in interpreting practices. Basic skills such as notetaking and public speaking are considered as important as the discussion of professional ethics and terminological knowledge. Secondary objectives include giving students an overview of different interpreting types, analysing interpreting skills, understanding communication processes and comparing interpreting and translation process in rapidly technologising environments.
Main topics:
- Varied working environments for community translators and interpreters
- Modes of community translation and interpreting
- Cross-cultural communication and crisis communication
- Domain-specific knowledge and terminology in medicine
- Ethics for community translators and interpreters
- Interpreting skills and techniques
- Intercultural competence required for intercultural communication and mediation
The course is divided into three parts with a focus on: community translation in crisis communication scenarios such as major earthquakes; the domain knowledge of medical fields and terminology; and basic interpreting skills such as note-taking and public speaking in addition to professional ethics.
The aims of the crisis community translation section are to address the role of community translators in emergency scenarios relating to disaster management and to raise students’ awareness of the essential skills and knowledge enabling them to operate effectively and ethically under constrained circumstances typical of crisis communication. Students will learn to:
- Become aware of the critical role played by community translation in crisis communication;
- Minimise the risk of miscommunication under various constraints of crisis communication;
- Apply problem-solving skills, including the use of technology and cultural knowledge, to respond to time-critical translation demands and
- Be able to make ethical decisions in acting as a translator in crisis communication
The aim of the medical terminology section is to give a solid grounding in how to approach medical terminology for translating and interpreting. Students will learn to:
- Analyse words, by dividing them into component parts;
- Relate medical terms to the structure and function of the human body;
- Analyse medical terms specific to the structure, function, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of the digestive, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and
- Develop their critical reflection skills.
The aims of the interpreting section are to introduce students to basic interpreting skills such as note-taking and public speaking in addition to professional ethics.
Assessment:
1. Community Translation 35%: Project 35% (including a narrated PP presentation)
2. Medical Terminology 30%: Online test 10% and Project 20%
3. Community Interpreting 35%: Essay 20% and In-class test on sight translation 15%
Weekly topics (provisional):
Indicative reading:
Angelelli, C. V. (2004). Medical Interpreting and Cross-cultural Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Berk-Seligson, S. (1990). The Bilingual Courtroom: Court Interpreters in the Judicial Process. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Burns, A. (2001). “Analysing Spoken Discourse.” In Burns, A. and Coffin, C. (Eds.), Analysing English in a Global Context. London: Routledge. 123-148.
Colin, J. and Morris, R. (1996) Interpreters and the Legal Process. Winchester: Waterside Press.
Crooker, C. E. (1996). The Art of Legal Interpretation – A Guide for Court Interpreters. Portland, USA: Portland State University Continuing Education Press.
Delisle, J. (1995). Translators through History. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Federici, F. (ed), (2016). Mediating Emergencies and Conflicts: Frontline Translating and Interpreting. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gile, D. (1995). Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Gillies, A. (2005). Note-Taking for Consecutive Interpreting - A Short Course. Manchester: St. Jerome.
Gentile, A. et al (1996). Liaison Interpreting. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
Ginori, L.and Scimone, E. (1995). Introduction to Interpreting. Sydney: Lantern Press.
Hale, S. B. (2004). The Discourse of Court Interpreting: Discourse Practices of the Law, the Witness, and the Interpreter. Amsterdam: Philadelphia: Benjamins.
Hale, S. B. (2007). Community Interpreting. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Hurn, B. J. (2007). “The Influence of Culture on International Business Negotiations”. Industrial and Commercial Training, 39(7), 354-360.
Jones, R. (1998). Conference Interpreting Explained. Manchester: St Jerome.
Mikkelson, H. (2000). Introduction to Court Interpreting. Manchester, UK: St. Jerome.
Morris (ed), (1995). Translation and the Law. American Translators Association Scholarly Monograph Series, Volume VIII. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 263-279.
Schwarts, A. et al. (eds), (2016). The Handbook of International Crisis Communication Research. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell
Schweda-Nicholson, N. (1990). “Consecutive Note-Taking for Community Interpretation.” In Bowen, M. (ed.) Interpreting – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. New York: State University of New York at Binghamton.
Sussman, L. (1993). “The Interpreted Executive: Theory, Models. And Implications”. Journal of Business Communication, V30(4), 415-434.
Sussman, L. and D. Johnson. (1996). “Dynamics of the Interpreter’s Role: Implications for International Executives”. The Journal of Language for International Business, 2 (2), 1-14.
Taibi, M. and Ozolins, U. (2016). Community Translation. London: Bloomsbury.
Taibi, M (ed), (2018). Translation for the Community. PA: Multilingual Matters.
Tebble, H. (1998). Medical Interpreting: Improving Communication with Your Patients. Canberra, ACT: Language Australia.
Course materials:
Course materials will consist of academic articles dealing with each topic discussed. Additional material, including PowerPoint presentations and other audio-visual material, will be uploaded on Canvas.
Teaching format and methods:
Course contents will be taught through lectures and guided group discussions and activities dealing with different topics. Teaching methods will promote both individual work and team work for students to develop their own specialised knowledge, intellectual skills and interpersonal qualities. Students will be provided with opportunities to 1) actively participate in and reflect on their own learning processes, 2) structure their own learning experiences and relate them to the course syllabus, and 3) gradually become independent learners. Students will be most welcome to contact the academic staff outside class times (in particular during their office hours or by appointment), should they have any questions and/or learning difficulties regarding class contents, coursework, etc.
Inclusive learning:
Students are invited to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face-to-face (e.g. office hour) and/or in written form with the course convenor, lecturer and/or tutor.
Expectations of students:
The University of Auckland’s requirement for 30-point courses (3 contact hours per week) is that students spend 20 hours per week. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Students will be expected to read a wide range of texts and recommended bibliography and submit written discussions on different topics. In addition, students will be expected to actively participate in class, be involved in their own learning experience and learning process, and cross-assess peer work.
Requirements for presentation of work:
Assignments will be prepared electronically, i.e. no hand-written works will be accepted, and submitted in electronic format. Unless otherwise specified, hard copies of assignments must also be submitted to the Arts Assignment Centre on Level 4 of the Social Sciences Building, 10 Symonds St (201E-413). For information on opening hours, submssion and collection of assignments, please see http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/student-space/arts-assignment-centre.html. Uncollected assignments will be disposed after the second week of the subsequent semester, including Summer School.
Procedures for submission of work:
Please send to the respective examiners
File names
Please name your files in the following way:
"LastName_StudentID_Essay#_CourseCode.doc"
Example 2: "OHagan_1234567_essay1_713.doc"
Layout
Please work on an A4 paper format (21 cm x 29.7 cm), portrait, with margins of 2.5 cm top and bottom, and 3 cm left and right.
Basic presentation
Use Times New Roman, 12 points, black, 1.5-spaced, as your basic font. Your text should be thus justified.
Name
Do not forget to add your name and student ID at the top of all MS Word document submitted.
Please also visit:
Student Learning Services for tutorials and consultations on academic writing skills.
(http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/about-us/student-learning-services)
Assignments Policy: Extensions, Deadlines and Penalties:
TIME MANAGEMENT
Time management is essential to meet the learning objectives, and it is the responsibility of students to manage their time so all assignments can be submitted on or before the due dates.
HOW TO SEEK/ REQUEST/APPLY FOR AN EXTENSION
In serious circumstances* beyond the student’s control (see below), s/he may request an extension from the course convenor. The request should…
- be made by email at least 2-3 days BEFORE the due date for the assignment
- 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. 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 long-term illness (for essays 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.
SUBMISSION OF ALL ASSIGNMENTS
Unless indicated otherwise by the Course Convenor, hard-copies of assignments should be posted in the appropriate assignment box on 3rd floor 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 till the next working-day.
The Reception Area is not open on Saturday or Sunday or during public holidays.
DEADLINES & PENALTIES FOR LATENESS
Any work submitted after the due date and without an extension form or permission in writing from the Course Convenor 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, deduct up to 2 marks per day 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.
OUT-OF-CLASS ASSESSMENT (i.e. take-home essays/projects/assignments etc.)
When a staff member grants an extension they will set 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 above.
IN CLASS TESTS, ELECTRONIC TESTS AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS ETC.
When serious circumstances (e.g. sudden serious illness or a car accident) cause a student to miss an in-class test/assessed presentations or electronic test it is expected that the student will notify the course convenor at the earliest possible opportunity, if possible before the scheduled test or presentation takes place. If the student or their representative makes no contact within five days of the scheduled test/presentation, they will be awarded a zero grade for that piece of assessment.
Extreme cases will be judged by the course Convenor on their own merits. Documentation may be required.
Plagiarism and use of Information and Communication Technology:
PLAGIARISM
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Students may not translate work from another source without proper acknowledgment and referencing. The use of translation machines to translate and copy texts into the target language of an assignment constitutes academic dishonesty.
The penalties for plagiarism are severe and can range from gaining no marks for the assignment to disciplinary action under the terms of the Examination Regulations.
For further information and advice on University regulations and how to reference appropriately, see:
All students entering the University are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module, see:
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/about/teaching-learning/academic-integrity/tl-about-academic-integrity
Information about third-party assistance in postgraduate coursework can be found here: http://www.auckland.ac.nz/webdav/site/central/shared/about/teaching-and-learning/policies-guidelines-procedures/documents/guidelines-third-party-assistance-ugpg-senate-appr-05112007.pdf
The Student Academic Conduct Statute can be found here: https://policies.auckland.ac.nz/policy-display-register/student-academic-conduct-statute.pdf
Referen©ite, The University’s official academic referencing resource, can be found here: http://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/
USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (E.G. CLASS FACEBOOK PAGES)
If students in any course wish to set up a Facebook page for the course or to use any other form of ICT, they need to be aware that the University of Auckland Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Statute sets out rules governing use of any ICT hardware or software at or for University activities. It forbids using ICT “to store, display or communicate… files containing any text, image that is deceptive or misleading, is abusive or defamatory, contravenes anyone’s privacy… or that reproduces all or part of any work in breach of the Copyright Act 1994”. The Statute refers students to the relevant University Disciplinary Statute and the penalties that may apply. It can be found at: https://policies.auckland.ac.nz/student-undergraduate.aspx
Students with impairments:
Are asked to discuss privately with the course convenor (face–to-face and/or by email) any impairment-related requirements regarding delivery of course content or course assessments. Please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible if you have any impairment-related needs.
Complaint procedures:
The University of Auckland seeks to encourage the prompt and informal resolution of all students’ learning and research grievances as they arise. Students should be aware that support is available through either their class or faculty representative, the Student Advocacy Network or their Students' Association. For detailed information on academic disputes and complaints, see http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/for/current-students/cs-academic-information/cs-regulations-policies-and-guidelines/academic-disputes-and-complaints.
Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.
Course summary:
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