Students

TRAN880 – Discourse and Text Analysis for Translators and Interpreters

2014 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Jing Fang
Contact via jing.fang@mq.edu.au
Co-convenor
Canzhong Wu
Contact via canzhong.wu@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Zhi Huang
Contact via jeffzhihuang@gmail.com
Credit points Credit points
4
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MAdvTrans or MTransInter or PGDipTransInter or MTransInterMAppLing or MTransInterMIntRel
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Awareness of the fundamental properties of a given text is essential for effective, professional translating and interpreting. This unit builds on and draws on principles from a range of discourse and text analysis approaches to examine the nature of text and of text analysis strategies essential to effective, professional translation and interpreting. Analytical approaches include: discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and systemic functional grammar. The goal of the unit is to promote awareness of differences between English and students' other working language, and the implications of these differences for achieving lexical, morphological, syntactical and discourse equivalence in translation and interpreting.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.
  • • students should be able to communicate effectively in English and LOTE for the purposes of translation and interpreting;

General Assessment Information

Assignment Submission

All assignments should be submitted via iLearn.

 

TRAN880  –  (NAME OF ASSIGNMENT) – (YOUR NAME)

 

Example: TRAN880 – CLASS ASSIGNMENT 1 – WU WEI

 

Your assignments should be double-spaced, with your name and the subject code clearly displayed on every page as a header, and the page number as a footer.

Unless students have negotiated an extension based on documented evidence of significant disruption to their studies, a penalty of 5% per day will apply to late submission of assignments. 

Unless otherwise negotiated, assignments will not be accepted at all AFTER the date on which the marked assignments are returned to all students in the unit

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Assignment 1: text collection 20% Week 7 No
Assignment 2: text analysis 50% Week 14 No
Blog discussion 25% Week 4 to Week 13 No
Attendance and participation 5% Ongoing till Week13 No

Assignment 1: text collection

Due: Week 7
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

6 bilingual texts and their classification based on the text typology theory introduced in Week 2.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.

Assignment 2: text analysis

Due: Week 14
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

Metafunctional analysis of an English text of approx. 300-500 words.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.

Blog discussion

Due: Week 4 to Week 13
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

At least three contributions to the blog discussion forum at iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.
  • • students should be able to communicate effectively in English and LOTE for the purposes of translation and interpreting;

Attendance and participation

Due: Ongoing till Week13
Weighting: 5%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

Attendance at all lectures and tutorials and participation in class activities is compulsory.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • • students should be able to communicate effectively in English and LOTE for the purposes of translation and interpreting;

Delivery and Resources

The learning and teaching strategies used in this Unit are thirteen lectures/workshops, individual readings by students and a number of class assignments, including take-home assignments (see below). Students in this unit are expected to participate in all thirteen lectures, read all texts marked as obligatory, and engage in additional readings and research of topics of special interest. Students will conduct independent research on selected topics and describe the results in assignments for assessment.

Prescribed texts

 

Baker, M., 1992, In other words: A coursebook on translation. Routledge, Oxford.

 

Butt, D., Fahey R., Spinks, S & Yallop, C., 2000. Using functional grammar: an explorer’s guide. Sydney: Macquarie University, NCELTR (National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research).

 

Halliday, M.A.K. and Matthiessen. C. 2004. An introduction to functional grammar (3rd edition). London: Arnold.

 

House, J. (2001): "How do we know when a translation is good?" In: E. Steiner & C. Yallop (eds.) Beyond Content: Exploring Translation and Multilingual Text Production. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

 

House, J. (2006), ‘Text and context in translation’, Journal of Pragmatics, vol 38, no. 3, pp. 338-358.  (Available: ScienceDirect database)

 

Matthiessen, M. 2014. Choice in translation: metafunctional considerationsIn Kunz, K. et al. (eds) Caught in the Middle –Language Use and Translation. pp.271-334. Postfach: Saarland University Press.

 

Steiner, E. 2002. Grammatical metaphor in translation – some methods for corpus-based investigations. In Hasselgard et al. (Hrsg.) 2002. Information Structure in a Cross-Linguistic Perspective. Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1: text collection
  • Assignment 2: text analysis
  • Attendance and participation

PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 2: text analysis
  • Blog discussion

PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability

Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • • students should be able to engage with texts in ways that are critical to the success of translators and interpreters
  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1: text collection
  • Assignment 2: text analysis
  • Blog discussion

PG - Effective Communication

Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • • students should be able to communicate effectively in English and LOTE for the purposes of translation and interpreting;

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 2: text analysis
  • Blog discussion
  • Attendance and participation

PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens

Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.
  • • students should be able to communicate effectively in English and LOTE for the purposes of translation and interpreting;

Assessment task

  • Attendance and participation

PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative

Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • • students should be able to demonstrate improved translating and interpreting skills through close analysis of discourse features of English texts and equivalent texts in LOTE, and
  • • students should be able to recognise discourse features of English and LOTE in different genres, registers and text types, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical translating and interpreting assignments.

Assessment task

  • Assignment 2: text analysis