Undergraduate Course: Translation from Japanese to English (ASST10148)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course provides non-native Japanese students with the essential skills for translating from Japanese to English and an understanding of relevant theoretical implications.
In the first semester, the work will consist of a series of tasks in translating from Japanese to English. Students will also have the opportunity to consider theoretical and practical implications of translation and to practise advanced grammatical analysis. This will be done through class discussion of the tasks assigned.
During the second semester, the focus will be on the translation of specific types of text. |
| Course description |
Semester 1 work will focus on the course textbook, Hasegawa, Y. (2012) The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation, London and New York: Routledge.
Students will be assigned weekly readings from the textbook working through the topics covered, e.g., kinds of meaning, discourse genre, understanding the source text, translation techniques, learning from the discipline of translation studies, etc. The readings will be followed up by related practical translation exercises and discussion. These exercises will aim to enable students to acquire and apply a linguistic and sociocultural knowledge of both Japanese and English, by considering how they have read and understood each part of the text, examining particular grammar points and idiomatic expressions and comparing approaches to producing a convincing equivalent as their target text in English.
During semester 1, there will be at least one formative assessment session in which students will work in groups on an assigned translation exercise relating to a specific topic, then report informally to the whole class. They will be asked to identify what particular difficulties the topic poses for the translator, to suggest strategies to address these difficulties, and to demonstrate and discuss what they learned from the translation exercise using examples from their group's target text.
In semester 2, students will be divided into study groups, each dealing with a specific text type, to undertake an annotated translation project. Each group will receive instruction through regular synchronous sessions to discuss work in progress.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 19,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Semester 1: Individual assignment 1 (50%)
This will consist of an assignment released at the end of semester 1. There will be a set of exercises focused on translation from Japanese to English be completed within a limited time frame. Students will be expected to make appropriate use of library, online and other available resources while working on the assignment.
Semester 2: Individual assignment 2 (40%)
This will consist of an annotated translation dealing with the text type that is the focus of the student¿s study group.
Course participation: (10%)
To be monitored through formative translation exercises and contribution to study group sessions. |
| Feedback |
During semester 1, students will be provided with regular formative feedback exercises designed to support them in preparation for the take-home exam in week 10.
During semester 2, students will receive instructor and peer feedback at the synchronous sessions. They will also be invited to consult the instructor leading their study group individually via email. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Read, understand, translate, and summarize Japanese texts that include advanced grammar and syntax and are written using the characters recommended for daily use.
- Produce translations from Japanese that read convincingly in the target language (English) and express the content and meaning of the source text accurately.
- Recognise and classify text types and their conventions in both source and target languages, and select appropriate lexical, grammatical, phonological and organizational features to compose text of the relevant type for the context in the target language.
- Apply in-depth linguistic and sociocultural knowledge of both the source language and the target language, and discuss critically their decisions in translating from Japanese to English
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Reading List
Key text:
Hasegawa, Y. (2012) The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation, London and New York: Routledge.
Other recommended reading:
Baker, M. (2011) In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation, Second edition, London, New York: Routledge.
Fawcett, P. (2003) Translation and Language: Linguistic Theories Explained, Manchester, UK & Northampton, MA: St Jerome Publishing.
Handbook of Translation Studies 2011, [Online],
Available: http://benjamins.com.ezproxy.webfeat.lib.ed.ac.uk/online/hts/.
Hatim, B. and Mason, I. (1997) The Translator as Communicator, London: Routledge.
Munday, J. (ed.) (2008) The Routledge Companion to Translation Studies. Revised Edition, London, New York: Routledge.
Nord, C. (2012) Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained, Manchester, UK: St Jerome Publishing.
Paul, Gillian. (ed.) (2009) Translation in Practice, © British Centre for Literary Translation, Arts Council England, The Society of Authors, British Council, and Dalkey Archive Press.
Ryan, Marleigh Grayer (1980) "Translating Modern Japanese Literature. " Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1. pp. 49-60. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and enquiry: Problem solving; analytical thinking; critical thinking; knowledge integration and application.
Personal and intellectual autonomy: Self-awareness and reflection; independent learning and development; creative and inventive thinking.
Personal effectiveness: Planning, organising and time management; team working; flexibility.
Communication: interpersonal skills, verbal and written communication. |
| Keywords | theory and practice of translation,grammatical analysis,Japanese to English translation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Helen Parker
Tel: (0131 6)50 4230
Email: Helen.Parker@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Anne Kelly
Tel: (0131 6)50 4167
Email: Annie.Kelly@ed.ac.uk |
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