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2020/2021

Inverse translation (Spanish-English)

Code: 101316 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500249 Translation and Interpreting OB 3 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Patricia Rodríguez Inés
Email:
Patricia.Rodriguez@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Deborah Jane Rolph Rolph
Fiona Megan Kelso
Laura Claire Trainor

Prerequisites

At the beginning of the course students should:

  • Have advanced knowledge of their A language grammar in order to translate / interpret from it. 
  • Understand a range of complex text types written in their A language, that pose translation problems from the perspective of linguistic variation. 
  • Understand reasonably complex specialised texts covering a wide range of areas, styles and dialects in their B language. 
  • Write reasonable complex texts reflecting different text types, styles and registers covering a wide range of areas in their B language. 
  • Understand spoken English covering a wide range of areas, distinguishing stylistic and geographical differences. 
  • Express themselves in English using complex structures on general subjects covering a wide range of areas.

 

Language proficienty level required:

English: CEFR C1.3 Level

International exchange students must have a minimum level of B2 in both Spanish and English according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Objectives and Contextualisation

The aim of this course is to provide students with the necessary strategies and techniques in their foreign language B (English) to be able to translate non-specialised texts in inverse translation for the professional market.

At the end of the course students should:

  • Have a good understanding of the translation strategies and techniques regarding their foreign language B.
  • Apply this to translating non-specialised texts in inverse translation for the professional market.
  • Document and interpret problems posed by inverse translation, express and formulate opinions and judgements about translation decisions.
  • Use technological and documentation tools.

Competences

  • Applying cultural knowledge in order to translate. 
  • Mastering the main methodological principles of translation. 
  • Producing written texts in a foreign language in order to translate.
  • Solving translation problems of non-specialised texts.
  • Understanding written texts in language A in order to translate.
  • Using documentation resources in order to translate.
  • Using terminological resources in order to translate.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Applying lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge: Applying graphic, lexical, morphosyntactic, textual and linguistic variation related knowledge.
  2. Applying lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge: Applying graphical, lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge.
  3. Applying terminological resources in order to solve translation problems: Incorporating terminological resources in order to solve back translation-related problems of different types of non-specialised written texts, and specialised texts addressing non-specialised audiences.
  4. Applying the documentation resources in order to solve translation problems: Applying the documentation resources in order to solve translation problems.
  5. Appropriately following the different phases for the creation of a translation and carrying out the assigned tasks: Appropriately following the different phases for the creation of a back translation and carrying out the assigned tasks.
  6. Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of written texts of several fields: Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of various types of non-specialised written texts and specialised texts addressing non-specialised audiences.
  7. Finding the most appropriate translation solution in each case: Finding the most appropriate translation solution in each case.
  8. Formulating the appropriate informative needs in order to translate: Formulating the appropriate informative needs in order to translate non-specialised texts in standard dialect.
  9. Identifying the existing (digital and analogue) information sources in order to translate: Identifying the existing (digital and analogue) information sources in order to translate into the foreign language different types of non-specialised written texts and specialised texts addressing non-specialised audiences.
  10. Identifying the specific translation problems of non-specialised texts: Identifying the specific back translation problems of different types of non-specialised texts and specialised texts addressed to non-specialised audiences.
  11. Identifying the textual and dynamic nature of the translation equivalence: Identifying the textual and dynamic nature of the translation equivalence.
  12. Implementing strategies in order to understand written texts from different fields: Applying strategies in order to comprehend various types of non-specialised written texts and specialised texts addressing non-specialised audiences.
  13. Incorporating cultural knowledge in order to solve translation problems: Incorporating cultural knowledge in order to solve problems of back translation of different types of non-specialised written texts, and specialised texts addressing non-specialised audiences.
  14. Successfully interrogating the documentation sources in order to translate: Successfully interrogating the documentation sources in order to translate into the foreign language different types of non-specialised written texts and specialised texts addressing non-specialised audiences.
  15. Successfully interrogating the documentation sources in order to translate: Successfully interrogating the information sources in order to translate different kinds of non-specialised written texts with problems of linguistic variation and cultural references, and simple specialised texts from several fields.
  16. Using the appropriate strategies and techniques in order to solve translation problems: Using the appropriate strategies and techniques in order to solve back translation problems of several types of non-specialised texts and specialised texts addressed to a non-specialised audiences.

Content

  • Methodological principles of inverse translation. Inverse translation’s fundamental strategies, techniques and problems
  • Solving contrast-related difficulties: differences in writing, lexical, morphosyntactic and textual conventions
  • Solving translation problems in different types (narrative, descriptive, expository, argumentative, instructive) of non-specialised texts in standard language
  • Solving translation problems stemming from cultural references and linguistic variation (mode, tenor and style)
  • Solving translation problems in specialised texts for non-specialised readers (administrative texts, etc.)
  • Using basic technological and documentation tools for inverse translation

Methodology

Students will develop the specific competences they require to perform inverse translation, i.e. the general competences and skills involved in communicating in a foreign language and those unique to the use of English as a working language in translation, with particular emphasis on those of pragmatic, intercultural and comparative (A-B) relevance.

 

 

The subject combines theory and practical work, with 40% of its workload consisting of face-to-face classroom activities. It covers the bases of text analysis (from the perspectives of linguistics and translation), reception in students’ A language and text production in their B language. Work with texts (standard models and the most recent specimens) is central to the subject’s activities and the acquisition of its knowledge, competences and strategies.

 

A gender equality perspective is applied in this subject.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 15 0.6
Translation exercises 20 0.8
Translation tasks 20 0.8
Type: Supervised      
Preparation of self-assessment 5 0.2
Preparation of translation projects 6 0.24
Preparation of translation tasks 6 0.24
Type: Autonomous      
Documentation searches 8 0.32
Preparation of translation projects 18 0.72
Preparation of translations and translation exercises 42 1.68

Assessment

All information on assessment, assessment activities and their weighting is merely a guide. The subject's lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins.

 

Review

 

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

 

Missed/failed assessment activities

 

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. 

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities.

In the case of resitting, the maximum grade the student can get is a 5.

 

Classification as "not assessable"

 

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.

 

Misconduct in assessment activities

 

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject.

 

Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct. Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Coursework translations 40% 4 0.16 1, 2, 4, 3, 12, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13, 14, 15, 5, 7, 16
Final exam 30% 3 0.12 1, 2, 4, 3, 12, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13, 14, 15, 5, 7, 16
Translation project 30% 3 0.12 1, 2, 4, 3, 12, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13, 14, 15, 5, 7, 16

Bibliography

Monolingual dictionaries

The Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary London: Collins. <http://www.collinsdictionary.com/>

The BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Co.

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (the 10th edition) Springfield: Merriam Webster Incorporated (on line http://britannica.com/).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press.

Diccionario actual de la lengua española Madrid: Biblograf.

British National Corpus <http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/>. English

Corpus del español <http://www.corpusdelespanol.org>. Spanish

Corpus de referencia del español actual <http://corpus.rae.es/creanet.html>. Spanish

International Corpus of English <http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english-usage/ice/index.htm>. English: texts reflecting different geographical variants

 

Bilingual dictionaries

Collins Spanish-English dictionary online: http://dictionary.reverso.net/spanish-english/.

Diccionario Oxford español-inglés inglés español Oxford: Oxford University Press: https://es.oxforddictionaries.com/ 

Gran diccionario español-inglés inglés español Edinburgh and Barcelona: Larousse

Diccionario internacional Simon and Schuster español-inglés inglés español New York: Simon and Schuster.

Grammar books

Carter, Ronald et al. (2000) Exploring Grammar in Context. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.

Hewings, Martin (1999) Advanced Grammar in Use (with answers), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Murphy, Raymond (1995) English Grammar in Use (with answers), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Swan, Michael (1980) Practical English Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum (1980) A University Grammar of English, London: Longman.

http://www.linguee.com/english-spanish/ : (Linguee – corpus-based English-Spanish bilingual dictionary)

 

Manuals i monografies

Baker, Mona (2011)  In Other Words. London and New York: Routledge.

Beeby, Allison (1996) Teaching Translation from Spanish to English, Ottawa: Ottawa University Press.

Brinton, Ethel et al. (1992) Translation Strategies, London: Macmillan.

Butler, Penny (1991) The Economist Style Guide, London: Economist Books Ltd.

Campbell, Stuart (1998) Translating into the Second language (Applied Linguistics and Language Study).  New York: Longman 

Duff, Alan (1981) The Third Language, Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Kelly, Dorothy (ed.) (2000) La Traducción y la interpretación en España hoy: perspectivas profesionales.  Vol.13 Interlingua . Comares.

López Guix, Juan Gabriel and Jacqueline Minett (1997) Manual de traducción – inglés/castellano, Barcelona: Gedisa.

Newmark, Peter (1988) A Textbook of Translation, London: Prentice Hall.

Pokorn, Nike J. (2005) Challenging the Traditional Axioms . Translation into non-mothert ongues. Benjamins Translation Library, 62.