Course syllabus

TRANSLAT 715: Audiovisual Translation 

SEMESTER 1, 2019

30 points

Time: Weeks 1-6: 3-6 pm (Wednesdays); Weeks 7-12: 3-6 pm (Tuesdays)

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 1-7: A/P Minako O'Hagan (Overview and Introduction)

Weeks 8-12: Ms. Wendy Youens (Audiovisual Translation)

 

Delivery format:

The second half of this course runs concurrently with TRANSLAT 700: Digital Translation

 

Description

You will learn the theoretical foundation and the historical development of audiovisual translation (AVT) and gain an understanding of the link and the gap between theory and practice. You will gain increased awareness of diverse modes of AVT evolved today and be able to critically assess different AVT modes in a given use context. You will also learn to apply different theoretical principles, methods and strategies in researching and practising AVT, ranging from historical to sociopolitical points of view. The second half of the course will focus on the practical aspects of AVT through hands-on lab sessions, using AVT tools.

 

A student who successfully completes this course will:

• acquire specialised skills and knowledge needed to translate audiovisual products.
• understand specific AVT modes and processes involved, including accessibility modes. These include subtitles for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing and Audio Description for vision-impaired users.
• become familiar with tools to facilitate subtitling.
• be able to critically apply different theoretical principles, methods and strategies in researching and practicing AVT.

 

Main topics:

• AVT (Audiovisual Translation): research and practice
• Historical developments of AVT  
• A variety of AVT modes, including accessibility modes for the Deaf and the hard-of-hearing and visually impaired through audio description
• Technology applications in AVT: Machine Translation in AVT
• Tools used for subtitling, including speech recognition  

 

Assessment: 

Assignment 1: Research Essay – An academic research essay on a chosen aspect of AVT, including television, cinema, theatre or museums (worth 50%) (6,000 words)

Assignment 2: AVT Project – Subtitling practice with a film clip and its presentation to the class with a written commentary (worth 50%) (equivalent to 6,000 words)

 

Weekly topics (provisional):

Week	Content
1 6 Mar	Welcome and Introduction to Audiovisual Translation  (AVT)
2 13 Mar	Historical developments of AVT: links to the film, TV and media industries
3 20 Mar	Modalities of AVT: interlingual and intralingual subtitles, revoicing and accessibility modes
4 27 Mar	AVT as representational and interventionist practices
5 3 Apr	AVT Models: Theorisation
6 10 Apr	Research Methods in AVT
7 1 May	Student presentations of research
8 7 May	Introduction to AVT tools, subtitling (interlingual and intralingual) and audio description
9 14 May	Interlingual Subtitles – research, methods and international best practice
10 21 May	Intralingual Subtitles (closed captioning) for the Deaf – research, methods and international best practice
11 28 May	Audio Description for the visually impaired – research, methods and international best practice
12 4 June	Wrapping up: Student presentation of their projects Professional issues

 

Indicative reading:

Baños Piñero, R and Díaz Cintas, J (2015). Audiovisual Translation in a Global Context: Mapping an ever-changing Landscape. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Cronin, M (2013). Translation in the Digital Age. Oxton and New York: Routledge.

Díaz Cintas, J. (2013). “Subtitling: Theory, practice and research”.  In Millán, C. and Bartrina, F. (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies. London: Routledge, pp. 273-287.

Díaz Cintas, J and Remael, A (2007). Audiovisual translation: Subtitling. Manchester: St. Jerome.

Esser, A., Bernal-Merino, M. and Smith, I (2015). Media across borders: localizing TV, film, and video games. New York: Routledge.

O'Hagan, M. (2013). “The Impact of New Technologies on Translation Studies: A technological turn?” In Millán, C. and Bartrina, F. (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies, pp. 521-536.

O'Sullivan, C (2010). Translating popular film and the intercultural imagination. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Pérez-González, L (ed), (2019). The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.

Pérez-González, L (ed), (2014). Audiovisual translation: theories, methods and issues. London: Routledge.

 

Requirements for the preparation 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:

File names:

Please name your files in the following way: "FamilyName_StudentID_Assignment#.doc". Example: "Modi_ 234567_assignment1.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 justified.

Name:

Please add your name and student ID at the top of your MS Word document in all your work.

 

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

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. 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 – see below for details for details.

 

Assignments policy: extensions, deadlines, and penalties:

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 coordinator. 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.  

DEADLINES & PENALTIES FOR LATENESS

Any work submitted after the due date and without an extension form or permission in writing from the Course Coordinator 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 percent (at the discretion of the Course Coordinator) 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, 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 Coordinator 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 Coordinator on their own merits. Documentation may be required.

 

Plagiarism and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT):

PLAGIARISM

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating or assisting others to cheat and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offense. 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 computerized detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerized review.

Students may not translate work from another source without proper acknowledgment and reference.

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 http://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?p=overview.

All students entering the University are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module. For further information on this module please see https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/learning-and-teaching/policies-guidelines-and-procedures/academic-integrity-info-for-students/about-academic-integrity/academic-integrity-course.html.

Information about third-party assistance in postgraduate coursework can be found at 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://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/the-university/how-university-works/policy-and-administration/teaching-and-learning/students/academic-conduct-statute.html.

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 the 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.

 

Inclusive learning:

Students are urged to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face-to-face and/or in written form with the Course Convenor, Lecturer and/or Tutor. Please contact AP Minako O’Hagan 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 https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/current-students/cs-academic-information/cs-regulations-policies-and-guidelines/academic-disputes-and-complaints..html.

 

Aegrotat information:

For information on how to seek either Aegrotat or Compassionate consideration, please see Aegrotat Information sheet_09Feb17_final.pdf

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.