Teaching Translation at
University Level
James Dickins
Prof. of Arabic
University of Leeds
Four contexts in Britain
• Language and Literature BA: translation
as a language-learning exercise
• Language and Literature BA: translation
as a special skill
• Translation (also Translation and
Interpreting) BA
• Translation (also Translation and
Interpreting) MA
Context 1:
Language and Literature BA: translation as a
language-learning exercise
• Historical development of language teaching:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Grammar-translation method
Direct method
Audio-lingual method
Communicative method
• Grammar-translation method ‘officially’
disappeared by about 1960, but still in practice
used in some university courses
Context 2:
Language and Literature BA:
translation as a special skill
•
Some universities have only traditional
Language and Literature BAs, but offer
specific modules in:
1.
2.
3.
4.
(General) Translation
Specialised Translation
Interpreting
Translation theory
Context 3:
Translation (also Translation and
Interpreting) BA
E.g.
•
•
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Heriot-Watt University
University of Salford
University of Aston
University of Westminster
University of Surrey
Context 4:
Translation (also Translation and
Interpreting MA)
E.g.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Edinburgh University
Heriot-Watt University
University of Durham
University of Leeds
University of Manchester
University of Salford
University of Aston
University of Westminster
University of Surrey
Context 3:
Translation (also Translation and
Interpreting) BA – for Arabic
• University of Salford
• University of Westminster
Context 4:
Translation (also Translation and
Interpreting) MA – for Arabic
•
•
•
•
University of Durham
University of Leeds
University of Salford
University of Westminster
Leeds MA in Applied Translation
Studies (Arabic) as an example
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•
•
Compulsory modules:
Computer-Assisted Translation: Semesters 1 & 2
Methods and Approaches in Translation Studies: Semester 1
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Optional modules:
Six of the following modules (including at least 2 Specialised Translation modules)
Specialised Arabic-English Translation A. Semester 1
Specialised English-Arabic Translation A. Semester 1
Specialised Arabic-English Translation B. Semester 2
Specialised English-Arabic Translation B. Semester 2
Principles and Applications of Machine Translation. Semester 2
Introduction to Screen Translation. Semester 2
Corpus Linguistics for Translators.
English for Translators. Semester 1
Introduction to Interpreting
Genres in Translation. Semester 1
•
•
Summer
Dissertation or Extended Translations
Practical (Specialised) Translation thus ‘embedded’ within overall
‘translation theory and skills’ programme.
Materials for practical translation
modules (Arabic)
• In Other Words, by Mona Baker (includes
Arabic examples, but not specifically about
Arabic)
• English-Arabic/Arabic-English Translation:
A Practical Guide, by Basil Hatim
• Thinking Arabic Translation, by James
Dickins, Ian Higgins, and Sandor Hervey
• In-house materials
In Other Words, by Mona Baker:
organisation
• Based around equivalence:
Ch. 2: Equivalence at word level
Ch. 3: Equivalence above word level
Ch. 4: Grammatical equivalence
Ch. 5: Textual equivalence: thematic and
information structures
Ch. 6: Textual equivalence: cohesion
Ch. 7: Pragmatic equivalence
English-Arabic/Arabic-English Translation: A
Practical Guide, by Basil Hatim: organisation
• Based around text types:
Translating Legal Texts
Translating Legal Texts
The Preamble
The Legal Article
Initial and Concluding Legal Articles
Translating Detached Exposition
The Synopsis
The Summary
The Abstract
The Report (Person-oriented/Entity-oriented)
The News Report (Non-evaluative/Evaluative)
The Report (Formulaic/Executive/Personalized)
Translating Argumentation
The Less Involved Through-argument
The More Involved Through-argument
The Explicit Counter-argument
The Implicit Counter-argument
The Suppressed Counter-argument
Thinking Arabic Translation, by James Dickins, Ian
Higgins, and Sandor Hervey: organisation
• Based around matrices, levels and ranks
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
Ch. 10
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 13
Ch. 14
Ch. 15
Ch. 16
Ch. 17
Preliminaries to translation as a process
Preliminaries to translation as a product
Cultural transposition
Compensation
Denotative meaning and translation issues
Connotative meaning and translation issues
Phonic/graphic and prosodic issues in translation
Grammatical issues in translation
Sentential issues in translation
Discourse and intertextual issues in translation
Metaphor
Language variety and translation: register, sociolect and dialect
Textual genre as a factor in translation
Translating technical texts
Translating constitutional texts
Translating consumer-oriented texts
Revising and editing TTs
Other possible types of module
organisation
•
Subject-fields
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Genres (used at Leeds)
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Politics
Science
Religion
Business
Journalistic texts
General and administrative texts
Scientific and technical texts
Literary texts
Specific-problem based, e.g.
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Compounds
Coordination/subordination
Sentence-length
Metaphors
Class organisation
• Teacher-focused:
– leads discussion, esp. based on his/her own TT
– students contribute as asked by teacher
• Student-focused
– Simple individual
• E.g. one student writes up their version of TT on acetate / board
– Multiple individual
• E.g. a number of students write up bits of their versions of TT on acetate /
board
– Group
• E.g. students work in groups to produce versions of TT / parts of TT
• Teacher- and student-focused
– E.g. teacher puts up his/her TT on acetate, students put up theirs on
acetate / board
Student class preparation
• No pre-class work
Advantage: spontaneity of class work
Disadvantage: not much work is covered in class
• Pre-class work on key elements
Advantage: students deal with key issues before class
Disadvantage: class work can still be slow
• Full pre-class translation
Advantage: students have full TT to discuss before class
Disadvantage: students don’t receive any pre-class guidance on
particularly difficult elements
• Pre-class work on key elements followed by full pre-class translation
Pre-class work on key elements followed by
full pre-class translation: steps
1. Students receive ST (previous class)
2. Students receive ‘key points’ questions relating
to ST (previous class)
3. After a few days, students receive proposed
answers to ‘key points’ questions (via e-mail,
etc.)
4. Students produce full TT (for next class)
5. Students discuss their TTs with reference also
to TT produced by teacher in class
6. Teacher hands out teacher TT, with translation
notes (‘strategic decisions’ and ‘decisions of
detail’)
Pre-class work on key elements followed by full preclass translation: Step 1 - students receive ST
(previous class)
Pre-class work on key elements followed by full preclass translation: Step 2 - students receive ‘key points’
questions relating to ST (previous class)
Pre-class work on key elements followed by full preclass translation: Step 3 - students receive proposed
answers to ‘key points’ questions
Pre-class work on key elements followed by full preclass translation: Step 4 - Students produce full TT (for
next class)
• Either:
– Students bring this work with them to the
class, for class discussion in comparison with
TT produced by teacher
• Or:
– Teacher marks the work before the class, for
further discussion in comparison with teacher
TT in class
Pre-class work on key elements followed by full preclass translation: Step 5 - Students discuss their TTs
with reference also to TT produced by teacher in class.
• TT (from Tutor’s Handbook to Thinking Arabic Translation)
Pre-class work on key elements followed by full pre-class
translation: Step 6 - teacher hands out teacher TT,
with translation notes (‘strategic decisions’ and
‘decisions of detail’)
Step 6 – contd.
Thank you very much
for listening!