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2020/2021

Initiation to translation B-A (English-Spanish)

Code: 101433 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500249 Translation and Interpreting FB 1 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:
Mariana Orozco Jutorán
Email:
Mariana.Orozco@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Other comments on languages

Minimum level of Spanish: B2

Prerequisites

Students must be able to:

- Produce general texts in Spanish that are clear, well structured and linguistically correct.

- Understand general texts with a clear structure in English.

Minimum level of Spanish: B2

Objectives and Contextualisation

The aim of this subject is to provide an introduction to the basic methodological principles that govern the practice of professional translation and to the fundamental contrasting aspects of the language combination.

On successfully completing this subject, students will be able to:

- Demonstrate knowledge of the basic methodological principles governing translation, basic professional and instrumental aspects, and basic problems of contrastivity between English and Spanish.

- Solve basic translation problems in texts from non-specialised genres in standard language.

Competences

  • Learning in a strategic, independent and continuous manner.
  • Mastering the main methodological principles of translation. 
  • Mastering the professional aspects of translation.
  • Producing written texts in language A in order to translate.
  • Solving translation problems of non-specialised texts.
  • Understanding written texts in a foreign language in order to translate.
  • Using documentation resources in order to translate.
  • Using technological resources in order to translate.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Applying lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge: Applying graphic, lexical, morphosyntactic and textual related knowledge.
  2. Applying the documentation resources in order to solve translation problems: Applying the documentation resources in order to translate non-specialised written texts in standard dialect.
  3. Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of written texts of several fields: Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of non-specialised written texts in standard dialect.
  4. Formulating the appropriate informative needs in order to translate: Formulating the appropriate informative needs in order to translate non-specialised texts in standard dialect.
  5. Identifying the existing (digital and analogue) information sources in order to translate: Identifying the existing (digital and analogue) information sources in order to translate non-specialised written texts in standard dialect.
  6. Identifying the specific translation problems of non-specialised texts: Identifying the basic translation problems of non-specialised texts in standard dialect.
  7. Identifying the textual and dynamic nature of the translation equivalence: Identifying the textual and dynamic nature of the translation equivalence.
  8. Identifying the translation as an act of communication that is addressed to a recipient: Identifying the translation as an act of communication that is addressed to a recipient.
  9. Implementing strategies in order to understand written texts from different fields: Implementing strategies in order to understand non-specialised written texts in standard dialect.
  10. Learning in a strategic, independent and continuous manner: Formulating a plan of action in order to learn.
  11. Solving interferences between the working languages: Solving interferences between the working languages.
  12. Students must demonstrate they know the functioning of the translation labour market: Students must demonstrate they know the basic questions related to the translation labour market (occupational area, rights and duties of the translator).
  13. Students must demonstrate they know the technological resources needed to translate: Students must demonstrate they know the basic technological resources needed to edit non-specialised written texts in standard dialect.
  14. Using the appropriate strategies and techniques in order to solve translation problems: Using the fundamental strategies and techniques in order to solve basic translation problems of non-specialised texts in standard dialect.

Content

- Basic methodological principles governing the practice of translation. Fundamental problems, techniques and strategies in the translation of texts in standard language.
- Solution of contrast-related difficulties: differences in typographical, lexical, morphosyntactic and textual conventions.
- Basic aspects of the labour market and professional translation: areas of employment, rights and obligations.
- Use of basic technological and documentation tools for the translation of non-specialised texts in standard language: monolingual and general bilingual dictionaries, grammars, style manuals, general search engines, basic technological resources for the optimisation of text editing and correction; basic management of folders and files.

Methodology

The work students carry out mainly consists of:

-              Exercises

-              Translation tasks

-              Translation projects

-              Debates (in class or online)

-              Individual/group presentations in class

-              Written assignments

-              Exams

 All activity deadlines are indicated in the subject's schedule and must be strictly adhered to. The schedule may vary depending on the group’s pace.

 Students must keep abreast of the news and information published on the Virtual Campus / Moodle.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Exercises 20 0.8 2, 9, 10, 3, 11
Translation tasks and projects 32.5 1.3 1, 2, 9, 10, 3, 12, 13, 4, 7, 8, 5, 11, 14
Type: Supervised      
Debates (in class or online) 2.5 0.1 12, 7, 8
Self-assessment 2.5 0.1 10
Written assignments and translation tasks 10 0.4 1, 2, 9, 10, 3, 12, 13, 4, 7, 6, 8, 5, 11, 14
Type: Autonomous      
Exercises 15 0.6 9, 10, 3, 4, 11
Self-assessment 5 0.2 10
Tasques de traducció 37.5 1.5 1, 2, 9, 10, 3, 12, 13, 4, 7, 6, 8, 5, 11, 14
Written assignments 15 0.6 2, 4, 5, 11

Assessment

 

Assessment is continuous. Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing tasks and tests. Task deadlines will be indicated in the course schedule on the first day of class. The schedule may vary depending on the group’s work pace. Any changes will be published on the Virtual Campus/Moodle.

 

Related matters

The above 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. In the case of retaking or compensating for an activity, the highest mark that can be obtained is 5.

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.

 

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
Self-assessment/Learning portfolio/Debate/Report/Written assignments/Exercises 10 % 2 0.08 10
Translation exam 30 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 9, 3, 13, 4, 6, 8, 5, 11
Translation task 20 % 2 0.08 12, 7, 8, 11, 14
Translation task 20 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 9, 3, 7, 8, 5, 11
Translation task 20 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 9, 10, 3, 12, 13, 4, 7, 6, 8, 5, 11, 14

Bibliography

 

1. Bilingual dictionaries in Spanish

Casares, Julio, Diccionario ideológico de la lengua española, Barcelona, Gustavo Gili, 1999.

Diccionario de ideas afines. http://www.ideasafines.com.ar/

Moliner, María. Diccionario de uso del español. http://www.buscadoor.com/diccionario-maria-moliner/

RAE. Diccionario de la Real Academia Española. http://www.rae.es, http://www.goodrae.es

RAE. Diccionario inverso de la Lengua Española. http://www.dirae.es

RAE. Diccionario panhispánico de dudas. http://www.rae.es/recursos/diccionarios/dpd

REDES. Diccionario combinatorio del español contemporáneo. Madrid: SM 2008.

Signum, diccionario de sinónimos y antónimos. http://www.lenguaje.com/herramientasV2/sinonimos.html

2. Bilingual dictionaries in English

Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/

Collins Dictionary. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/

McMillan Dictionary: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/

Oxford Dictionary: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/english

The Free Dictionary: https://www.thefreedictionary.com/

Thesaurus: https://www.thesaurus.com/

Urban Dictionary: https://www.urbandictionary.com/

Visuwords: https://visuwords.com/

Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/

3. Bilingual dictionaries

Reverso: https://diccionario.reverso.net/

Wordreference: https://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=English

Collins: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/es/diccionario/ingles-espanol

4. Style guides and reference guides

Fundeu. https://www.fundeu.es/consultas/

Libro de estilo interinstitucional de la Unión Europea. http://publications.europa.eu/code/es/es-000500.htm

Martínez de Sousa, José. Manual de estilo de la lengua española. Oviedo: Ed. Trea, 2015.

RAE. http://www.rae.es/consultas-linguisticas y <ahref="http://www.rae.es/recursos/gramatica/nueva-gramatica">http://www.rae.es/recursos/gramatica/nueva-gramatica

The BBC News Style Guide. http://www2.media.uoa.gr/lectures/linguistic_archives/academic_papers0506/notes/stylesheets_3.pdf

The Chicago Manual of Style. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

The Guardian and Observer Style Guide. https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-a

Wikilengua. http://www.wikilengua.org/index.php/Portada

5. Translation manuals

Ainaud, J.; Espunya, A.; Pujol, D. Manual de traducció anglès-català. Vic: Eumo, 2003.

Baker, M. In Other Words. A coursebook on Translation. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011.

García Yebra, Valentín, Teoría y práctica de la traducción, Madrid, Gredos, 1982.

López Guix, Juan Gabriel, y Jacqueline Minett Wilkinson, Manual de traducción inglés/castellano, Barcelona, Gedisa, 2003, 4ª ed.

Newmark, Peter, A Textbook of Translation, Londres/Nueva York, Prentice Hall International Ltd, 1987. (Existe versión castellana: Manual de traducción, trad. Virgilio Moya, Madrid, Cátedra, 1992.)

Orozco, M. Traducción del inglés al castellano. Bellaterra: UAB, Servei de Publicacions, 2006.

Stockwell, R. P., J. D. Bowen y J. W. Martin, The Grammatical Structures of English and Spanish, Chicago-Londres, University of Chicago Press, 1965.

Wandruska, Mario, Nuestros idiomas comparables e incomparables, trad. Elena Bombín, Madrid, Gredos,