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Initiation to translation B-A (English-Spanish)

Code: 101433 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2500249 Translation and Interpreting FB 1

Contact

Name:
Gema Rubio Carbonero
Email:
gema.rubio@uab.cat

Teachers

Laura Santamaria Guinot
Oscar Aznar Alemany
Ana Alcaina Caro
Isabel Galan Mañas
David Paradela López

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


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.


Activities and Methodology

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

The work students carry out mainly consists of:

-              Exercises

-              Translation tasks

-              Translation projects

-              Debates (in class or online)

-              Individual/group presentations

-              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.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous 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 exercise 20 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 9, 3, 7, 8, 5, 11
Translation project 20 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 9, 10, 3, 12, 13, 4, 7, 6, 8, 5, 11, 14
Translation task 20 % 2 0.08 12, 7, 8, 11, 14

Continuous assessment

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. These activities are detailed in the table at the end of this section of the Study Guide.

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.

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. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. In case of retaking, maximum grade will be 5 (Pass).

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 student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.

Single assessment

This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting.

Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the teacher responsible for the subject, for the record.

Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website.

On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).

Single assessment activities

Single assessment will include a minimum of three assessment activities of different typology, as stated in the evaluation guidelines.

Grade revision and resit procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this study guide.


Bibliography

 

1. Monolingual diccionaries in Spanish

Diccionario de ideas afineshttp://www.ideasafines.com.ar/

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

RAE. Diccionario de la Real Academia Española. http://www.rae.eshttp://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

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

 

2. Monolingual diccionaries in English

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

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

McMillan Dictionaryhttps://www.macmillandictionary.com/

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

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

Thesaurus: https://www.thesaurus.com/

Urban Dictionaryhttps://www.urbandictionary.com/

Visuwordshttps://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. Grammar, dictionaries, manuals and other

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

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

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. Manuals on translation theory and practice

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

Orozco, M. Metodología de la traducción directa del ingles al español. Materiales didácticos para traducción general y especializada. Granada: Comares, 2012. 2ª ed.

 

6. Books on translation

Catelli, Nora, y Marietta Gargatagli, El tabaco que fumaba Plinio, Barcelona, Serbal, 1998.

Palomero, Mari Pepa (compiladora), Antología de El trujamán, Madrid, Instituto Cervantes, 2002. http://cvc.cervantes.es/trujaman

Ruiz Casanova, José Francisco, Aproximación a una historia de la traducción en España,Madrid, Cátedra, 2000.

 

 


Software

- Text editors

- Dictionaries 

- Terminological termbases

- Grammar and spell checkers

- Assisted translation software


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 4 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 5 Spanish second semester morning-mixed