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The Practice of Translation

Module description

This module is both practical and professional in nature: it presents the key concepts associated with the practice of translation; the methods and skills necessary for translation; the strategies of analysis for approaching a source text and for supporting translational choices; the different means— lexical, semantic, syntactic—for expressing meaning in a target language; and the various electronic and print resources for effective translation. Applied translation is a key feature of this module: you will translate a range of text types frequently used in professional translation. You will also develop key competencies of the profession, including professional ethics, team-based approaches, editing and proofreading for translation.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to introduce:

• The strategies used in effective professional translation, including the linguistic and cultural basis for the different expressions of meaning across languages
• The key concepts and tools of professional translation
• Important aspects of the translation profession such as collaboration, editing and proofreading

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Acquire an in-depth knowledge of the nature of language that will enable you to translate a range of text types from the source language to the target language
• 2. Acquire knowledge of various types and modes of translation
• 3. Acquire an in-depth understanding of the various methods and strategies for translating

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Develop the skills necessary to analyse the text to be translated
• 5. Develop expertise in translation, and justify both linguistically and culturally the chosen solution to translation problems

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Produce, to deadline, a substantial translation (written text) of a complex nature and present it to the required professional standards and with a theoretically-informed commentary justifying your decisions. The expertise acquired in translating a range of text types will be extendible to specific domains for the purposes of further professional development
• 7. Revise and proofread translations to the required professional standards
• 8. Develop the skills necessary to work collaboratively

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Types of Translation 
• Techniques of Analysis of the formal properties and function of the source text 
• Strategies and methods of translating 
• Professional aspects and competencies of translation
• Team-based approach to translation
• Editing for Translation
• Proofreading
• Other modes of Translation

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment. 

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Mona Baker, In Other Words, second edition, London, Routledge, 2011.
• Relevant book of the Thinking Translation series (German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese). London, Routledge.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6991

Key words search

Practical translation, methods and skills of translation