Introduction to translation

3 ECTS credits
75 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021045CNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (C) Bachelor - specialised level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Applied Linguistics

Educational team

Julie Deconinck (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
13 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course introduces you to the most important theories and concepts in Translation Studies. As such, it aims to stimulate reflection on and increase your understanding of (1) translation as a process, (2) translation as a product, and (3) the function of translation.

But what is translation, really? This course will help you think of it as more than just an activity in which you have to replace a text in the source language with a text in the target language. Translation is an activity that can be written and oral (i.e. interpreting), that is goal-oriented, and that requires you to mediate between language varieties, languages and cultures. Furthermore, it also involves different parties and it is always embedded in a specific socio-cultural, geographical and historical context. For this reason, we will cover a wide range of subjects, going from historical translation theory to translation and interpreting practices in today's globalised world. We will ask questions such as: What is meant by equivalence? What challenges do you face as a translator and/or interpreter and what strategies can you apply? How can you adapt a translation to the communicative function and your target audience? What technological tools are available to you to bring all of this to a successful conclusion?

By addressing these questions and more, we wish to provide you with the (theoretical) tools that will not only assist you in your practical translation classes in the rest of the curriculum, but also help you to act as a successful liaison between languages and cultures beyond the classroom. After all, translation is an activity that is inextricably linked to everyday multilingual practices, and a crucial skill for facilitating communication in a multilingual and multicultural society.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : PowerPoint slides of the lectures, supplemented with extra reading and/or listening materials and (translation) assignments., Julie Deconinck, Canvas

Additional info

The course consists of a series of lectures. Course materials will comprise the powerpoint slides used in class as well as your own notes. Some reading, listening and/or translation assignments may be set additionally. All materials will be shared on the learning platform (CANVAS).

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students

have gained knowledge of and insights into a number of key concepts and theories from the field of Translation Studies;
can explain and situate these key concepts, as well as illustrate them on the basis of parallel texts;
can apply and identify translation strategies in their own translation practice and use translation tools in the context of short (translation) assignments.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Schriftelijk examen with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark. This is a mid-term test.

Note: Exam first session: January; Second session: August/September

Additional info regarding evaluation

The grading of this course will be entirely based on a written exam in both first and second exam sessions.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context