Undergraduate Course: French Hons - Language Paper 2 (ELCF10003)
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 enables Honours level students of the French language to consolidate and develop core language skills. It comprises studies in translation in relation to the task of translating French into (British) English. |
| Course description |
This course enables Honours level students of the French language to consolidate and develop core language skills. It comprises studies in translation in relation to the task of translating French into (British) English.
Whilst students will be expected to perform critical analysis of source texts and evaluate their own translation practice in their target texts (both orally and in writing), the emphasis of the course is predominantly practical. It centers on the regular production of written translation work to accompany weekly class discussions that focus on the specific translation problems generated by particular texts.
Reflecting these priorities, the formally assessed work for the course will comprise in-course and end-of-year written assignments that include two components: (i) translation; (ii) commentary.
The commentary element of the course will call for an analytical engagement with the qualities of the source text and the potential difficulties for the translator that may arise from its key features; it will also provide students to demonstrate the capacity to evaluate their own translation practice in the target texts they produce. Classwork activities for this course will include discussions relating to the commentary task, as well as discussions focused more directly on the task of translation.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, 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
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
60% coursework
- Coursework Assignment 1: Translation & Commentary (Summative), 30% [LO 1, 4, 5]
- Coursework Assignment 2: Translation & Commentary (Summative), 30% [LO 2, 4, 5]
40% On-Campus Exam: Translation & Commentary (Summative) [LO 3, 4] |
| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback on all formative and assessed work submitted on the course, and on all wikis completed. Verbal feedback on suggestion and debate will be available through synchronous sessions throughout the course. Questions arising are encouraged and will be answered via e-mail. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | French Hons - Language Paper 2 | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate the capacity to prepare translations of literary source texts in French using suitable dictionaries (and other reference works as appropriate) to produce a semantically and grammatically accurate English target text, which shows due sensitivity to the nuances of meaning generated by the lexical, syntactical, and stylistic features of the source text, including its deployment of register and tone
- Demonstrate the capacity to prepare translations of non-literary source texts in French using suitable dictionaries (and other reference works as appropriate) to produce a semantically and grammatically accurate English target text, which shows due sensitivity to the nuances of meaning generated by the lexical, syntactical, and stylistic features of the source text, including its deployment of register and tone
- Demonstrate under controlled conditions the capacity to translate linguistically complex material in written French into an English target text that maintains linguistic accuracy and coherence, whilst appropriately rendering the stylistic features of the source text with regard to register, idiom and nuance
- Demonstrate through written analytical commentaries the capacity to identify the translation challenges posed by specific source texts, to evaluate potential resolutions to these, and to reflect on their own translation practice by explaining and justifying their translation decisions using appropriate linguistic terminology
- Demonstrate through written answers to targeted commentary questions an understanding of the obstacles to be negotiated in the course of translating specific source texts as a result of differences between the French and English language systems, as well as any culturally specific references in the source texts.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Times and venues of tutorials will be indicated on your personalised timetables. |
| Keywords | DELC Fr 4 LP2 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katie Pleming
Tel:
Email: katie.pleming@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lina Gordyshevskaya
Tel:
Email: pgordysh@ed.ac.uk |
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