THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : Common Courses (School of Lit, Lang and Cult)

Postgraduate Course: Portfolio of Written Translation Exercises in Arabic 1 (CLLC11152)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe course consists of 10 hours of tutorials with an Arabic-speaking tutor and another 10 hours of workshops with Translation Studies staff. Students will be supervised in practical translation exercises. Selection of texts is decided by mutual agreement between the student and the translation tutor. The direction of translation for the practical translation exercises is at the discretion of the practical translation tutor. The most common practice is to receive training in translation into English, but in some cases both directions, i.e. from and into English, are available.
Course description The course consists of 50 min seminars with language tutors (Weeks 2-5 and 6-12 on-campus or digital) and 50 min live workshops with Translation Studies staff (Weeks 1, 4, 9, and 11; digital).

Portfolio of Written Translation Exercises 1 is taught in the first semester. Each language unit arranges for its own scheduled seminar hours and venues. The Programme Director will put the students in touch with their relevant tutors during the first week of semester 1.

Students are supervised in practical translation exercises of 300-350 words per week (approx. 2,500 words per semester). The texts/genres are chosen by tutors in consultation with students. The direction of translation for the practical translation exercises is at the discretion of the translation tutor. The most common practice is to receive training in both directions, but this depends on staff availability in each semester.

The course is assessed by a portfolio of translations. Each semester, students will be assessed on 3 x 500-word translations (1,500 words) distributed at set dates during the semester.

For translation exercises which are not assessed, students are encouraged to consult each other to sort out any problems they might have encountered during the translation process, so that the actual seminar time with the tutors can be fruitfully spent on further discussion and fine-tuning.
Students also have an opportunity to gain meaningful published practice through undertaking an optional Wikipedia Project (up to 2,500 words per semester). This will not be marked and will be predominantly a peer group exercise. The language direction and choice of article will ultimately be chosen by the students under the guidance of the University¿s Wikimedian in residence to ensure the best quality articles are used as source texts.
Students will be supported to learn important digital research skills as part of this project. Their published peer-reviewed translations will be demonstrable outputs of their translation learning. These newly translated articles have a lasting benefit as open education resources which can be read all over the world and help improve global understanding between languages and cultures on the world¿s go-to site for information, Wikipedia

At the end of each course, the students will have translated:
1,500 words of assessed translations
2,500 words of non-assessed translations, and
up to 2,500 words of Wikipedia Project (optional).

In this course students will develop considerable knowledge, skills and understanding in carrying out translations between English and Arabic. The variety of assessment will ensure that students will also learn to identify, conceptualise and define translational problems, issues and possible solutions and begin to exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in translation-related activities. Moreover, if the students opt for the Wikipedia Translation Project, they will also learn to plan and execute a significant independent translation project.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students also take Translation Studies 1 (CLLC11039)
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Assessed by a portfolio of written translation exercises totalling 1,500 words. Each semester, students will be assessed on 3 x 500 word translations distributed at various stages during the semester. As additional work outwith the formal contact hours and as part of the directed independent study element, students will be required to complete 2,500 words over the course of the semester, which will not be formally marked, but will be looked at in detail, with oral feedback both from peers and the tutor, during the contact hours.

For translations which will not be assessed, group work is strongly encouraged before and during the portfolio classes, in order to ensure that the students receive as much feedback as possible. Students are advised to consult each other to sort out any problems they might have encountered during the translation process, so that the actual classroom time with the tutors can be fruitfully spent on further discussion and fine-tuning.
Feedback Students submit three pieces of assessment (AT1, AT2 and AT3) in week 3, 6 and 10. Feedback is provided in terms of Meaning (Accuracy in rendering ST meaning), Style (Production of appropriate piece of discourse in the Target Language) and Presentation. There will be a feedback session on each assessed piece (week 5, 9 and 12). Feedback sessions on AT1 and AT2 will take place on week 6 and 9 respectively therefore before submitting the next assessment so that students have the opportunity to discuss feedback and translation strategies with peers and staff. Students are expected to reflect on their feedback individually and also during the feedback sessions and use it to improve on their next assessed pieces.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Apply considerable knowledge, skills and understanding in carrying out translations between English and Arabic
  2. Identify, conceptualise and define translational problems, issues and possible solutions
  3. Work with knowledge that covers most of the main areas of the translation practice - including their features, boundaries, terminology and conventions
  4. Plan and execute a significant independent translation project in their independent study component
  5. Begin to exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in translation-related activities
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Special Arrangements This course can only be taken by students on the MSc Translation Studies programme.
KeywordsPWTEA1
Contacts
Course organiserDr Charlotte Bosseaux
Tel: (0131 6)51 3735
Email: Charlotte.Bosseaux@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Vivien MacNish Porter
Tel: (0131 6)50 3528
Email: vivien.macnish-porter@ed.ac.uk
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