Duration
Economie et finances : 30h Th
Politique et activisme : 30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Economie et finances : Laurence Hamels
Politique et activisme : Bénédicte Klinkenberg
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Economie et finances
Translation of economical and financial documents
Politique et activisme
German-French translation exercises on texts of political nature, or from/about trade unions or organized advocacy groups.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Economie et finances
1) Communication skills (client)
a) Commercial matters:
To be able to submit a quote, justify its price, adhere to professional ethical standards, negotiate realistic deadlines, issue clear invoices that comply with the law, manage disputes, etc.
Aspects of marketing and canvassing will also be dealt with, as well as "bad practice" (attempts to discount, etc.) observed in the market. The teacher will inform students of situations likely to arise and ask for their assessment.
b) Translation matters:
Be able to determine the purpose of the text to be translated, the language level and tone in accordance with the customer, propose any cultural adaptations, request access to information and/or validation of terminology, know how to justify translation choices.
2) Personal skills
- Learning to manage time and stress levels when deadlines are short;
- Understanding problems of comprehension and translation;
- Sharpening critical thinking;
- Always being inquisitive;
- Knowing how to adapt in all circumstances.
3) Professional skills
- Complete fluency in French. Systematic checking of the most advanced spelling and grammatical rules if they are not mastered;
- Applying French typographic rules;
- Formulating wise choices;
- Knowing how to gather information quickly and efficiently;
- Adopt the proper terminology
- Reworking the French version (at least 3 readings on paper!) until the result is perfect;
- Knowing how to write, rewrite, restructure, condense;
- Being able to review and proofread a translation.
Politique et activisme
Students will be able to translate texts of moderate difficulty, of political or lobbying nature, while respecting the meaning, tone and intent of their autor.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Economie et finances
Mastering German (passively) and French
Politique et activisme
Good understanding of source language and excellent knowledge of target language, prerequisite skills in translation and information retrieval.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Economie et finances
Face-to-face
Politique et activisme
Assisted translations, done individually or in groups, face-to-face or as homework, revision/proofreading, summarized translations.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Economie et finances
- Prior to each lecture, you will need to prepare at home, a text (of about 450 words) that reflects the reality of the market and is as realistic an order as possible. Preparation will be corrected in class;
- After analysis of the various translation suggestions in class, common final version. Review of the translation and refinement of the French version;
- Occasionally: group preparation (not marked), (translator/reviser) in order to accustom students to working in a team;
- Occasional participation of external persons.
Politique et activisme
Face-to-face
Recommended or required readings
Economie et finances
Recommended books:
- Bilingual dictionary (eg. Potonnier, Doucet)
- French economics dictionary (eg. Dalloz)
Assessment methods and criteria
Economie et finances
Assessment:
- 2 assignments (texts of approximately 500 words): Both these assignments account for 20% of the overall mark, i.e. a total of 40%.
Exam, about 600 words (all authorised resources, including a laptop and the Internet) equivalent to 60% of the overall mark.
List of abbreviations used when correcting work:
CS = mistranslation
gs = shift in meaning
O+ = major misspelling
O- = minor misspelling
F = French (syntax, grammar, etc.)
f = formulation (stylistic)
T = terminology
D = understanding of German
XXX1 = word omission
XXX+1 = omission of a section
C = consistency
P = punctuation
Typo = typography
Politique et activisme
Exam: translation of 200-400 source words in 2 hours.
Work placement(s)
Economie et finances
Placement for the Bloc 2 students
Organizational remarks
Economie et finances
The course will be held 2 hours per week, second term. The texts to be translated will be available online.
Contacts
Economie et finances
Laurence HAMELS laurencehamels@gmail.com 0477 33 41 20
Politique et activisme
B.Klinkenberg@ulg.ac.be Tél. 086/40.16.61