Course Code

ENGB281

Course Title

INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF TRANSLATION

Course Description (including aims and objectives)

This introductory course is designed to cultivate students’ ability to perform real-life English/Chinese translation tasks. Advanced theoretical and practical instruction is provided in translating written texts from English into Chinese and vice versa. By the end of this course, students are expected to internalize the basic concepts and principles of translation and to develop the habit and capabilities to analyze source language expressions and sentences into their underlying syntactic structures, as well as to detect and decode the multiple meanings the source message may contain. They should also acquire the basic skills to assess, select, and use local and online reference tools to solve difficult problems in translation.

Outline of Topics

Week 1

Introduction to the course

What is Meant by “Translating”?

Types of Translation

The Makings of a Good Translator

Weeks 2-3

Some Basic Facts about Meaning

Weeks 4-5

The Quality of a Good Translation: Optimal Equivalence

Weeks 6-7

Intralingual Factors Involved in the Analysis of the Source Text (1)

Week 8

Using Reference Tools in Translating (1)

Weeks 9-10

Intralingual Factors Involved in the Analysis of the Source Text (2)

Weeks 11-13

Extralingual Factors Involved in the Analysis of the Source Text

Using Reference Tools in Translating (2)

Week 14

Optional topic(s) / Course windup

Assessment

Coursework (65%)

(1) Class attendance and participation (asking good questions, actively responding to lecturer’s questions and involving in class discussion, etc.) [15%] (Students are reminded that each instance of absence from class will cause a deduction of 5-20 marks from this part of the course grade.)

(2) Assignments (take-home annotation translations [a form of introspective and retrospective research where you yourself translate a text and, at the same time, reflect on and discuss your own translation process. Your discussions may include, among others, some analysis of aspects of the source text and a reasoned justification of the kinds of solutions you arrived at for particular (kinds of) translation problems. Links to a sample of and a paper on annotation translation]) [50%]

Final (35%)

A case study project informed by course content [35%] (The case study project is to be completed independently by each student and is to be submitted in the form of a research report one month before the end of the course. The quality of the project will be assessed by the following criteria: [1] content: validity of the study and value of the findings of the study [30%]; [2] structure: organization of the content according to a clear plan, following a consistent train of thought, etc. [30%]; [3] relevance to what is taught and discussed in class [30%]; [4] editorial presentation: language, clarity, proper referencing, etc. [10%])

Prerequisites

ENGB280 or Third Year+ Standing

Basic Reading List

l         Compulsory Reading

Baker, Mona. (1992). In Other Words. A Coursebook on Translation. London & NY: Routledge. xix+654 pp.

Ke, Ping ??. (1991/1993).???????????. ??: ???????. 206/209 pp.

l         Supplementary Reading

Nida, E. A. & Taber, C. R. (2004). The Theory and Practice of Translation. ??: ????????? (First published 1969, 2003 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands). XII+220 pp.

__. & Reyburn, William (1981). Meaning Across Cultures. American Society of Missiology Series, No. 4. NY: Orbis Books. 90 pp..

Tan, Zaixi ???. (1991). ????????. ??: ?????. 324 pp.

__. (1999).?????????. ??: ??????????. xxvi+342 pp.

Wang, Zuoliang ???. (1989). ???: ??????. ??: ???????. 213 pp.

__. (1991). A Sense of Beginning: Studies in Literature and Translation (????). ??: ???????. 163 pp.

Zhuang, Yichuan ???. (1999).????????. ??: ???????. vii+415 pp.

Name:

Prof. KE Ping

Office location:

P 212

Office Tel. no:

8212

Email:

keping00^atyahoo.com

Course resources page:

http://nlp.nju.edu.cn/kep/TOC/T.html

http://yunpan.cn/QGCqK9uqrRqye (Pw: 0dea)

Consultation hours:

16:00-17:30, Friday