Postgraduate Studies in Translation and Interpreting
Program objectives and Structure
Practicum
Course Structure
Guidelines for Translation Projects
Program Objectives and Structure
The course seeks to develop students' skills in translation/interpreting in English and another language, and their awareness of practical and theoretical approaches to translation/interpreting and translation/interpreting studies. Students gain a foundation in theories of translation/interpreting and receive training in research on translation/interpreting studies. Upon completion of this course, students are able to conceptualise translation/interpreting studies as an academic discipline in its historical, cross-disciplinary and intercultural context. All the units cover basic topics related to the theory and practice of both translation and interpreting. The higher level theoretical units focus on more recent research issues in the emerging field of interpreting studies and in familiarising students with current research models and methodologies in translation studies.
The overall Masters structure accommodates three separate streams (for a pdf version click here)
- A combined interpreting and translation stream which enables candidates to gain NAATI accreditation in both Interpreting and Translation at the Professional level, or in either Interpreting or Translation at the Professional level.
- A translation-only stream which enables candidates to gain NAATI accreditation in Translation at the Professional level, and with exit points at:
a) Graduate Certificate in Arts (after successful completion of 24 points)
b) Graduate Diploma in Translation Studies (after successful completion of 48 points).
- A research stream which provides candidates with advanced theoretical and professional studies in translating and interpreting and offers the possibility of articulating into a PhD.
The course is structured to enable students to gain NAATI professional accreditations in the final examinations
Note: For all streams, students are required to obtain an average of 60% in all core units in order to be eligible for the award of the Master degree.
Practicum
The practicum is aimed at helping students gain real world experiences in the Translation and Interpreting industry. By working with professionals in the industry and/or along side professionals who frequently use interpreters, students will be able to pick up useful skills that will help prepare them for the transition from university to work place. In applying the knowledge acquired in the classroom, students are able to develop a better understanding of the way in which theory relates to practice. It is also a requirement for NAATI accreditation. Employers participating in the practicum may also become a useful recruitment resource for graduates of the program.
Course Structure
Semester One
TRN4030: Introduction to Interpreting and Translation Studies
TRN4040: Translation 1: Discourse Analysis
TRN4200: Theory and Practice of Interpreting
Semester Two: Core Units
TRN 4050: Translation 2: Language for Special Purposes
TRN 4300: Intermediate Interpreting
TRN 5201: Major Translation Project
TRN 5202: Minor Translation Project
Semester Three: Core Units
TRN 5400: Advanced Interpreting
TRN 5202: Minor Translation Project
Semester Three: Elective Units
TRN5010: Technology and Translation
TRN 5060: Theoretical Issues in Interpreting and Translation Studies
TRN5080: Research Project in Translation/Interpreting Studies
TRN5090: Dissertation in Translation/Interpreting Studies
Guidelines for Translation Projects
Students are required to attend a seminar in week 2 of the semester in which they undertake their translation project in which they will discuss the overall structure of their individual projects and the translation strategies they intend to adopt. Venue and time of the seminars will be circulated at the start of semester.
1. Enrolment process
Students should lodge an “Application to Enrol” form available from the Postgraduate Administrator, Ms Sally Riley, or from the postgraduate web site.
After discussion with the coordinator of the course and a possible supervisor, students should lodge this application preferably well in advance of the start of the semester, or at the very latest, by the second week of the semester, with Ms Riley. Only after this application is approved by the School’s Postgraduate Coursework Committee, is the student permitted to enrol officially in the unit.
2. Minor and Major Translation Projects
TRN4202/5202 Minor Translation Project is completed within one semester and is equivalent to 9000 words in length, consisting normally of an annotated translation of approximately 7,500 words, with a critical introduction of at least 1,500 words (written in English).
TRN5201 Major Translation Project is completed within two semesters and is equivalent to 15-18,000 words in length, consisting normally of an annotated translation of approximately 12-15,000 words, with a substantial critical introduction of at least 3,000 words (written in English). The actual length of each project may vary depending on the nature of the text chosen for translation. (The length must be agreed by the student’s supervisor and the course coordinator when submitting the “Application to Enrol” form mentioned below). Note: in addition to the critical introduction, students are required to keep a translator’s diary which is to be submitted with the translation project as an appendix.
3. Selection of Supervisor
A supervisor guides the student’s work during the semester and advises on issues related to the presentation of the project (style, structure, etc.). Individual supervisors will make their own arrangements with the student. Normally, fortnightly meetings of around 30 minutes are expected.
4. Submission of Translation Project
The project will be submitted by the end of the semester, or at the very latest, the end of week 14. Adherence to this time frame is necessary so that the project can be properly examined. See below for detailed guidelines for supervision and examination. Students are required to submit two hard copies of their project together with an assignment cover sheet (available by clicking here).
5. Critical Introduction for Translation Project
The critical introduction should include translation issues and approaches covered in TRN4030. Below are some suggestions of the kinds of questions which could be addressed (NB: this is not an exhaustive list):
- Word level: which lexical items are difficult (or easy!) to translate? What are their connotations? Are they specific to the genre in question? Are there neologisms/jargon? How have you coped with those?
- Above word level: are there restricted collocations to deal with? Are any collocations 'marked' in some way, by breaking with convention? Does this contribute to the 'style' of the text? How does this relate to its genre (poem versus newspaper article, for example)? Are there idioms, marked or unmarked? Clichés? How have you treated these? Are there syntactic infelicities in the ST, or in the existing TT?
- Cultural problems: how many of the translation problems you encounter crop up due to cultural incommensurabilities? How many of these are genre-related? What is the relation between convention and innovation in the text? Are there cultural problems based on difference in time as well as geography? What kind of knowledge is the addressee/reader expected to have? Does this differ wildly from those of the projected TL reader? What knowledge have you, as the translator, had to attain in order to translate? What resources have you used in order to arm yourself with this knowledge?
- Textual level: (1) register (who is the addressee? politeness, technical language…), and how it relates to genre. Is there anything unexpected? Does the instruction manual address the reader very formally? Should this be retained in the translation? Are any language varieties (dialect, sociolect) in evidence? (2) genre and function (following Reiss): is this an informative, expressive, or operative text, or a combination? How is the genre marked? Is your TT in plain prose, identifying, or adaptive (i.e., following House, is it overt or covert?) Does the TT have different, or even, potentially, multiple function(s)?
- Cohesion and coherence: what strategies are used in the ST to hold the text together? How does the information flow (theme and rheme)? Does it correspond to SL norms? Are there different rules and expectations for this in the TL? Is there thematic coherence, or does the subject jump about? Is the literal meaning the same as the pragmatic meaning (i.e. do we as readers have to impose a coherence on the text based on our expectation of the genre? This would apply especially in the case of the poem).
- Phonic and graphic properties: in the case of adverts or concrete poems, how do the colours, fonts, images intensify or contradict or complicate the words? Is there rhyme or rhythm to consider? What is the function of these features? How does this complicate the translation process?
- The role of the translator: how creative/active/interventionist/ faithful/accurate are you? Why?
6. Assessment criteria
Your critical introduction, then, should discuss some of the above considerations (it would be impossible to cover them all!) in the context of your translation. The commentary is assessed on the basis of the following:
- It should effectively engage with some of the theoretical viewpoints covered in class or in your independent reading. You should be able to criticise the weakness or explain the strength of theories on the basis of your own translating experience (as exemplified through your translation). For example, you may want to criticise Reiss' text typology as inadequate to the complexities of the register/genre of your ST and, consequently, the TT; in order to prove the inadequacy of Reiss' model, you might discuss the tension between semantic and pragmatic equivalence (perhaps touching on Nida's idea of dynamic equivalence) as proof that Reiss' model underestimates the incommensurability of cultures; or you might choose to adopt a descriptive approach (Toury). You could also discuss Venuti's ideas about the ethical duties of the translator here.
- You should be able to analyse the ST and the context (political, cultural etc.) in which it is produced, how the cultural context and function of the TT differs from these, and to show how these factors affect your translation strategy
- You should be able to show convincingly that you have developed a thoughtful and reflective translation strategy appropriate to the text(s) in question; but, equally, you should show initiative and independent judgement - don't follow a prescriptive theory to the letter, but adapt it to your needs.
- In general, you should display evidence of having thought in depth and at length about the process of translation and the role of the translator; and your ruminations should be backed up with evidence of critical reading.
- The critical introduction should take the form of an essay, though it may be helpful to add line numbers to the ST and TT you are referring to, and/or to insert 'footnote' style numbers so that the text-segments referred to in the assignment can easily be identified in the ST/TT.
7. Guidelines for Supervision and Examination
- Candidates should discuss the selection of a supervisor with the course or unit coordinator.
- Approval to enrol in the unit should not be granted unless there is a suitable supervisor and the proposed supervisor has a reasonable expectation that the student is capable of the tasks required.
- Clear guidelines must exist for each unit with regard to the process for the approval of a topic, the assessment, the expected organisational layout of the final paper, the approved language for the writing of the critical commentary, the word limit, and submission deadlines.
- The supervisor should be in regular contact with the students under his/her supervision, with a minimum of three consultation sessions, the first being no later than the first week of semester. Ideally, meetings would occur once every two weeks. For the most part, contact should be on a face-to-face basis, but, where circumstances do not permit, contact via email or by phone is acceptable.
- In providing guidance to a student, the supervisor should include advice on the scope and level of the translation project. S/he will direct the student to core resources, and provide advice on the background materials, the structure and presentation of the critical commentary and translation strategies for different text types. S/he will provide constructive criticism of work submitted by the student. At a later stage the supervisor is also expected to provide editorial advice on student drafts. However, the supervisor's help is limited to a discussion of ideas and work produced by the student. Supervisors do not write reports nor provide translations for students. The ultimate responsibility, for developing the project and ensuring that work gets done, rests with the student, not with the supervisor. The supervisor is not responsible for the content of the work, and s/he is not responsible for any grammatical, stylistic or typographical errors that it might contain.
- Students should be encouraged to make written submissions of the project aims, methods and outlines of the final translation at appropriate stages of the work, rather than only relying on discussion of progress with the supervisor.
- The supervisor should keep notes on conversations with his/her students so that student progress can be monitored.
- The supervisor should return corrected drafts promptly; with a turn around time not exceeding two weeks.
- A 12-point translation project will normally require only one examiner (who has not been involved in the supervision of the project). However the supervisor has the option of requesting a second examiner if the result is unexpected, or if the student has expressed the wish to proceed to further postgraduate study. Two written reports from examiners who have not been involved in the supervision may be requested. (If deemed necessary by the supervisor, an external examiner may be appointed).
- In the case of a 24-point translation project, the final paper should be examined by two examiners, at least one of whom has not been involved in supervision of the project. The final mark would normally be an average of the two unless there is a significant discrepancy. In this case, either negotiation between examiners or adjudication by a third member of staff is required, as determined by the course coordinator in consultation with the unit coordinator.
- Examiners' reports should give a balanced summation of the work and not labour the inadequacies of the paper.