PGDip in Translation
alex krouglov
alex.krouglov at stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Tue Feb 11 01:35:14 UTC 1997
Dear Seelangers,
Is there anyone doing translation studies and could comment on the proposed
"Postgraduate Diploma in Translation" (Chinese, French, German, Japanese,
Maori and Russian) at our University.
I would very much appreciate all your comments and suggestions, which will
be helpful in designing our future course structure.
I look forward to hearing from you. You can write directly to
alex.krouglov at stonebow.otago.ac.nz
With best wishes,
Alex Krouglov
FOR DISCUSSION
POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN TRANSLATION (PGDip.Transl.)
Preamble
This is a discussion document based on the proposal for the POSTGRADUATE
DIPLOMA IN TRANSLATION (PGDip.Transl.).
It is a one-year programme for graduates who intend to work as translators
in government organisations, industry, commercial and business
institutions, travel and translation agencies or other organisations
dealing with local communities. The programme will also offer some aspects
of literary translation.
The School of Languages will prepare students for significant careers. It
will provide intense theoretical and practical training within an
intellectually challenging framework.
Purpose
To produce highly competent graduates who, through the study of translation
theory, methodology and practical translation work, are able:
- to produce high quality translations of various texts, which will meet
the specific demands of their consumers;
- to understand the complex nature and function of translating;
- to apply innovative methods and techniques in their everyday translation
practice.
Justification
1. New Zealand universities have no structure to enable students to
receive adequate training in translation. Although individual papers
do exist, there is no mechanism for their combination within a
coordinated programme of study.
2. There is no paper in New Zealand universities to study theoretical
issues in translation.
3. Staff in the language departments possess a great body of expertise
that is currently inaccessible. The new programme would make
that expertise more widely available.
4. The programme would contribute significantly to the Division's
drive to recruit more students by providing an attractive programme,
which does not exist at other universities.
Structure
The course of study shall consist of four papers in translation (TRAN 507,
TRAN 552, TRAN 558, TRAN 572), an elective 400/500-level paper or papers
(in the respective language/languages, literature, film, linguistics or
other areas of study) worth at least eight points or TRAN 578, as approved
by the Head of the School of Languages. (In some cases three papers TRAN
507, 552, 558 and two electives may be allowed).
TRAN 507 Translation Theory 2h
(whole year) (all languages)
(The paper provides students with an overview of translation theories and
history of translation. This course studies the problems of linguistic
equivalence, linguistic untranslatability, machine translation, etc. A
number of theoretically significant phenomena in translation are critically
discussed.)
(8 points)
TRAN 552 Translation Methodology in Practice 2h
(whole year) (in each language)
(Advanced study of practical issues in translation: culture and
translation; the formal properties of texts; grammar and lexis; language
variety; textual genre; styles)
(8 points)
TRAN 558 Technical Translation 2h
(first semester) (in each language)
(In-depth study of lexical and conceptual problems of technical
translation; consumer-oriented texts: law, business, technology, sciences,
policy, media, etc.) visiting
lectures/translators*
(8 points)
TRAN 572 Translation Practice (Workshop)/Special Topic
(second semester)
visiting lectures/translators
(6 points)
TRAN 578 Translation Project
(elective, whole year) (8 points)
* See the list of individual translators published by the Language Learning
Centre of the University of Otago.
Limitation of Entry
The Diploma in Translation intake each year is limited to 10 students in
each language. The following languages may be offered: Chinese, French,
German, Japanese, Maori and Russian. Three languages may be offered in
alternate years, for example: Chinese, Japanese and Russian in 1999 and
French, German and Maori in 2000.
Admission to the Diploma in Translation
Candidates for admission will be expected to have completed a B.A. Honours
degrees in languages or similar degree so that they will have sufficient
knowledge of language/languages and respective cultural background.
Applicants must successfully complete an intake test to ascertain their
language ability. They are required to have attained a 'A-' average in
their 400-level language papers. Applications close on 1 November each
year. The time of intake tests will be held in mid-November, however, it
could be negotiated with individual student. This will make the whole
programme flexible and economically viable as to the choice of languages in
each year's programme. Languages offered will be based upon the number of
students, their performance in the intake test, and availability of
supervision. The students will be advised to do a double-language degree
which will allow them to seek better employment.
TRAN 507
TRANSLATION THEORY
This is a discussion document based on the proposal of a new paper in
Translation Theory. This is a one-year theoretical paper aimed at students
of languages and linguistics doing Postgraduate Diploma in Translation or
M.A. in Linguistics.
The purpose of this paper is to introduce students to the principal issues
of translation theory: linguistic (structural, dynamic) equivalence,
translatability and expressivity, linguistic untranslatability, meaning and
translation, losses and gains, language and culture, types of translation,
decoding and recoding, machine translation, etc. A number of theoretically
significant phenomena in translation and interpreting will be discussed at
seminars.
This paper also presents an examination of the history of translation, of
attitudes to translating that have prevailed at different moments in time
(from the Romans up to the present day), of statements by translators, of
the doctrinal implications of translation. The type of work involved in
this area includes investigation of the theories of translation at
different periods, the critical response to translations, the role and
function of translations in a given period, the methodological development
of translation and, by far the most common type of study, analysis of the
work of individual translators.
Translation in the target language (TL) culture extends the work on
single texts or authors and includes work on the influence of a text,
author or genre, on the absorption of the norms of the translated text into
the TL system and on the principles of selection operating within that
system.
Translation and Poetics includes the whole area of literary translation
and a theoretical investigation of the particular problems of translating
poetry, theatre texts or libretti and the affiliated problem of translation
for the cinema, whether dubbing or sub-titling. Under this category also
come studies of the inter-relationship between source language (SL) and TL
texts and the author-translator-reader relationship.
The paper will also analyse the following topics:
interpretation, a psychological approach to translating;
simultaneous and consecutive interpreting;
translation as social action;
profession and situation;
quality and standards - the evaluation of translators;
the translation - self-portrait of the translator; the translator's
hearing, rhythm, sound, pattern;
the work of contemporary Translation Schools across the world;
the future of translation theory and translation studies.
More information about the SEELANG
mailing list