Study Programmes 2015-2016
HEVL0048-1  
Translation exercises, Spanish-French (politics, law, economics)
Duration :
60h Pr
Number of credits :
Master in translation (120 ECTS)4
Lecturer :
Laura Charlier
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
All year long
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
In this course, you'll be facing the universe of specialized translation in different ways. You'll discover a large range of fields, topics and text shapes. Those texts will match different levels of difficulty. This learning process will allow you to understand better what a professional translator is.
This course is divided in 3 parts:
Written translation: The texts will be selected in the economic, political and legal fields. Specialized texts dealing with different topics and written in different printing format (editorials, press releases, reports, records, etc.) The level of difficulty will be flexible (grammar, loan translation, vocabulary adapted to style and text level, etc.)
Sight Translation: Oral translation exercise without any external resource: translation in French of a text dealing with economical or political topics, intermediate level. Flow and language level and quality are critical (vocabulary, tense sequence, grammar, natural speech in French, etc.)
Translation review: translation exercise in which you will have to learn to analyse your own work or others' and to proceed to the relevant changes in order to propose a consistent final translation. You'll successively be translator and reviewer.
Learning outcomes of the course :
At the end of the course, you'll be able to translate economical, political or legal orientated texts, in written or oral way.
In written translation, you'll be able to analyze, understand, relay and reformulate in French the meaning of the specialized text. You'll also be able to comment the translation difficulties and justify you translation choices.
You will be able to translate a specialized text in the economical or political fields at sight too. You'll translate without any external resource, you'll translate the meaning, the nuances, extract the logical links and reformulate the text in French in a natural, flowing and high-quality way.
Regarding the translation review, you'll be able to analyze and detect the constructions and expressions that will have to be adapted, you'll be able to take a critical look to a translation and adapt the style, terminology and check the orthography, typography and punctuation in order to hand out a high quality final translation.
You'll be able to use basic translation tools (unilingual and bilingual dictionaries) and the Internet.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
High knowledge of Spanish language.
Excellent knowledge of French
Curiosity for the different topics seen in class
Superficial understanding of the big fields seen in class
Optional course
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
To improve your level in written translation, you'll read the texts, make your research and prepare a written translation at home. In class, you'll compare your translation to your fellow students' own translation and you'll analyze the solutions found to solve translation problems (phrase construction and structures, vocabulary and language level have to be adapted to the text). You'll also learn how to justify your translation choices.
To improve your level in sight translation, you'll prepare the text during a set time, without dictionaries or other resources, you'll learn to detect the logical connectors, you'll translate in French, then we'll be listening to an audio recording and will correct it as a group and then you'll be able to listen to your own recording as many times as necessary. This way, you'll be able to detect your own translating defaults and you'll be using the group correction to improve your own performance. By comparing your translation to your fellow students' you'll improve your skills in sight translation and you'll develop some automatic reflexes which will be very useful in your future career.
Regarding the translation review, you will have to analyse, think about and propose a reviewed translation, not an improved translation; you will have to be able to justify the changes made thanks to the theory and to check the translation with a critical eye in order to be constructive. This way, you will be able to hand a high quality final translation which is minutely accurate compared to the original text.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
2 hours class per week during the whole year. Require presence at school.
Recommended or required readings :
Spanish unilingual dictionary French unilingual dictionary (Le Petit Robert preferably) Following and reading of current affairs (online newspaper for example) in Spanish and in French
Assessment methods and criteria :
Translation prepared at home to be handed in January, exam in June
This individual translation done at home will be have to be handed in January and will represent 20% of the final note. All the available resources (dictionaries and Internet) can be used. The translation will include footnotes to explain translation choices and a bibliography, text will be around 2000 words long. Assessment standards: orthography, grammar, style, general vocabulary, specialized vocabulary, typography, punctuation, meaning and omissions.   June exam, note divided in two parts: 20% on a sight translation, done without any external resource and scheduled before the exam session (generally the last class), recorded in an audio format. Assessment standards: General vocabulary, specialized vocabulary, grammar, meaning, style and speed. 60% on a written exam. Duration: 3.30 hours. 2 texts to translate, between 1000 and 1200 words for the 2 texts. Each text will receive a different note. Final note is the average between the 2. All available resources can be used. Assessment standards: Orthography, grammar, style, general vocabulary, specialized vocabulary, typography, punctuation, meaning and omissions.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Individual translation to prepare at home: you'll receive the text at the end of November, beginning of December. You'll have to hand out your translation in January (+/- 6 weeks to prepare it). Premises are not decided yet. If computer premises are not available, please bring your laptop, download and install "Audacity" (free software, to download please click here: http://audacity.portalux.com/)
Coming to class is highly recommended if you want to improve your level. Please don't send any translation by email, no marking
Contacts :
Laura Charlier: lauracharlier@gmail.com