module specification

The module aims to develop the students' knowledge of fundamental translation concepts and foster their awareness and understanding the translation process in the light of relevant theoretical work.  The module also aims to cultivate the students’ ability to examine the translation act and use the knowledge acquired to reflect on the decision and choices made by the translator at different stages of the translation process. This module is closely related to all the other modules as it deals with fundamental translational issues and provides knowledge essential to both theoretical and practical components of the course .

1. To introduce students to the process underlying the translation act and to the relevant theoretical knowledge
2. To familiarise students  with fundamental translation concept and the crucial role they play in the translation process;
3. To familiarise students with different translation strategies and their contexts of use
4. To develop students' awareness of the translation problems encountered in translation and of the relevant procedures  set up to solve them as well as their context of use
5. To equip students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and reflective and analytical skills that enable them to discuss theoretical issues and explain their relationship to practice using appropriate translational meta- language.

This is one of the very first modules delivered in the autumn semester and offers a theoretical foundation for the rest of the course. In this non-language specific module students are introduced to fundamental concepts in translation and the theoretical issues related to the translation process.  They learn about the mechanisms underlying the translation process and explore the different translation strategies offered to translators and evaluate their context of use and suitability,  based on textual and contextual factors. The module also develops students' ability to identify and describe translation problems and discuss procedures used to solve them and equips them with appropriate reflective and analytical skills as well as with the translational meta-language to do so.

Teaching is delivered through weekly lectures / seminars and is further supported by accessible teaching material available on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment. The module combines lectures on the translation process with practical classes where students learn to  implement the knowledge acquired  to practice 
In addition to attending classes, students are expected to devote a significant amount of time to reading and self-directed independent study

No pdp requirements for this module

By the end of the module students should be able to demonstrate:

1. Have a good understanding of the translation process, its stages, how it operates and how it applies to  translation practice
2. Be able to use and implement the knowledge acquired on fundamental translational notions and concepts  when making  choices and decisions during translation practice
3. Be able to refer to relevant theoretical knowledge and  textual and extra textual criteria when choosing suitable translation strategies for the transfer of texts based on an understanding of such  strategies and their relevance for the translation process
4. Be able to use suitable knowledge and apply appropriate analytical skills to identify translation problems encountered during  translation and the procedures ( solutions) to solve them 
5. Be able to reflect and discuss the workings of the translation process and competently justify the choices and decisions made during translation , using appropriate translational meta language

This module is assessed with a 3.500  word  essay

• Baker, Mona (ed.) 1998. Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge.
• Chesterman, Andrew. 1997. Memes of Translation: The Spread of Ideas in Translation Theory. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
• Gentzler, Edwin. 2001. Contemporary Translation Theories. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters
• Munday, Jeremy. 2008. Introducing Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge.
• Pym, Anthony, 2010. Exploring Translation Theories. London: Routledge.
• Munday, Jeremy, 2009 The Routledge Companion to Translation Studies, London: New York: Routledge
• Schulte, Rainer & John Biguenet (eds). 1992. Theories of Translation: An Anthology of Essays from Dryden to Derrida. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Snell-Hornby, Mary. 1988/1995. Translation Studies. An Integrated Approach. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
• Steiner, George. 1975/1998., After Babel. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press
• Venuti, Lawrence (ed.) 2000. The Translation Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge.
  
  A more comprehensive reading list will be provided at the start of the semester