The module aims to enable students to:

Translate to an advanced level across various topics and text genres;

Develop nuanced understandings and sensitivity to both Chinese and English (e.g. idiomatic and culture-specific expressions and specialised terminology) in analysing texts and articulating content in another language;

Communicate an in-depth awareness and understanding of various sociocultural, economic, political and diplomatic issues and topics in the Chinese and UK contexts and also internationally, synthesising and applying this understanding to translation;

Identify, synthesise, critically assess and employ up-to-date theoretical approaches, core methodologies and major research techniques in translation;

Develop the ability to justify various translation choices, decisions and strategies and critically evaluate the quality of the translation product (self-evaluation and peer-evaluation);

Be equipped with the ability and techniques to handle pressure and cope with various situations in authentic translation scenarios against a deadline;

Demonstrate effective interlingual and intercultural communication skills to an advanced level;

(LO1) Students will be able to translate to an advanced level across a range of general topics and text genres.

(LO2) Students will have developed nuanced understandings and sensitivity to both Chinese and English (e.g. idiomatic and culture-specific expressions and specialised terminology) in analysing texts and articulating content in another language.

(LO3) Students will be able to communicate an in-depth awareness and understanding of various sociocultural, economic, political and diplomatic issues and topics in the Chinese and UK contexts and also internationally, synthesising and applying this understanding to translation.

(LO4) Students will be able to identify, synthesise, critically assess and employ up-to-date theoretical approaches, core methodologies and major research techniques in translation.

(S1) Students will develop the ability to justify various translation choices, decisions and strategies and critically evaluate the quality of the translation product (self-evaluation and peer-evaluation).

(S2) Students will demonstrate the ability and techniques to handle pressure and cope with various situations in authentic translation scenarios against a deadline.

(S3) Students will demonstrate effective interlingual and intercultural communication skills to an advanced level.

(S4) Students will critically analyse and/or produce an advanced level of academic writing relating to the field of translation.

(S5) Students will make effective use of library and other resources and tools in order to investigate different issues, reflect on various strategies and develop knowledge relating to translation.

The module will be taught in the form of weekly 2 hour-Seminars and two 2 hour-workshops.

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.

The module consists of (1) five, 1-hour lectures, (2) ten, 1.5-hour seminars; (3) one, 2-hour tutorial; and (4) two, 2-hour workshops.

The five lectures provide an introduction to the main linguistic and cultural challenges that translators will encounter in the process of translation, from word level, sentence and paragraph to text levels.

In the seminars, students will conduct practical translation between L1 and L2 and discuss various translation strategies and considerations, with a focus on a range of general topics and themes (e.g. social science, business, literature; culture and advertisement; tourism).

Detailed feedback will be provided throughout the seminars (formative feedback, summative feedback and peer-feedback).

In the two 2-hour workshops (given by internal and/or external staff members), students will gain more in-depth insight into the translation profession, market and industry and Computer-aided Translation (CAT) such as Trados.