Introduction to Spanish-English Translation Syllabus SPAN 4600 / 6600

Introduction to Spanish-English Translation Syllabus SPAN 4600 / 6600 Professor: Giada Biasetti Office: AH E341 Class Meetings: MWF 10:00am 10:50am UH 247 Office Hours: MW 8:20am 9:50am or by appointment Office Phone: (706) 667-4443 Email: gbiasetti@gru.edu Class materials: Required Texts: 1. En otras palabras. Patricia V. Lunn and Ernest J. Lunsford. Washington D.C.: Georgetown U P, 2003. 2. Introduction to Spanish Translation. Jack Child. Lanham: University Press of America, 1992. 3. A good Spanish-English dictionary is absolutely essential (hardback). I recommend: Harper Collins Spanish/English, English/Spanish. You will also want to consult a Spanish-Spanish dictionary at times for translation projects. I recommend: Diccionarioespañol/inglés - inglés/español: Harper Collins Spanish College. Third Ed. Barcelona: Grijalbo, 2000. Diccionario de la lengua española. Vigésima primera ed. Tomo I. Madrid: Real Academia, 1992. Diccionario de la lengua española. Vigésima primera ed. Tomo II. Madrid: Real Academia, 1992. Webster s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary. New York: Gramercy Books, 1996. In-Class Video: Mikkelson, Holly. ---. Edge 21: The Interpreter s Code of Ethics & Role of the Interpreter in the Courtroom. Spreckels: Acebo, 2006. (Video and Booklet). Required Readings FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY: 1. For Oral Presentation (Select ONE Article) Angelelli, Claudia. The Role of the Interpreter in the Healthcare Setting. Crossing Borders in Community Interpreting. Ed. Carmen Valero-Garcés and Anne Martin. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins Translation Library, 2008. 147-63. Theoretical Components in Interpreter and Translator Training. Basic Concept and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training. Ed. Carmen Valero-Garcés and Anne Martin. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins Translation Library, 2009. 5-24. 2. For Article Review (Select ONE article of interest from these books. These books can be found at the LSRC. The Professor needs to approve the article before writing the review): The Critical Link 4: Professionalisation of Interpreting in the Community. Ed. Cecilia Wadesjö, Birgitta Englund Dimitrova, and Anna-Lena Nilsson. The Critical Link 5: Quality Interpreting a shared responsibility. Ed. Sandra Hale, Uldis Ozolins, and Ludmilla Stern. Crossing Borders in Community Interpreting: Definitions and Dilemmas. Ed. Carmen Valero-Garcés and Anne Martin. Sociocultural Aspects of Translating and Interpreting. Ed. Anthony Pym, Miriam Shlesinger and Zuzana Jettmarová. 1

Grading for Undergraduate Students: The final grade will be based on the following: Attendance / Class participation 10% In Class Translations 10% Homework 5% 2 TESTS 15% 1 Translation project 25% First Version = 10 %, Final Version = 15 % Peer evaluations of translation projects 10% Workshop 1: 5% Workshop 2: 5% (Language Lab) Final Exam 25% Grading for Graduate Students: The final grade will be based on the following: Attendance / Class participation 5% In Class Translations 5% Homework 5% 2 TESTS 15% 1 Translation project 20% First Version = 10 %, Final Version = 10 % Peer evaluations of translation projects 5% Workshop 1: 2.5% Workshop 2: 2.5% (Language Lab) Oral Presentation and Article Review 20% Final Exam 25% Grades The grading scale is as follows: 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D 0-59 F Course Description: All lectures, assignments, and exams are conducted in Spanish. This course will explore the basic principles of translation and interpretation, the theory, the methods, the challenges, the problems and the satisfaction involved in rendering both written texts and oral statements from Spanish into English and vice-versa without losing the basic ideas, the intent, the stylistic level, and the linguistic register. The emphasis is on general material taken from journals, newspapers, electronic media, government publications, pre-recorded audio and video speeches and dialogues, and live presentations with some consideration of specialized material from the fields of business, literature, medicine, agriculture, biodiversity and sustainability, political science, advertisement, law, information technology, and sports. Emphasis will be placed on translating from Spanish to English, with some consideration given to English-Spanish translation. Course Goal: In the last 15 to 20 years, globalization has made an immense impact on our daily lives and language barriers have drastically affected various business transaction processes. The world has become a small global village and there is an increasing demand for language translation service providers. This course will offer students an introduction to this field and the possibility to eventually enter the professional translation market and serve as an intermediary in business transactions related to their field. Whether they choose to work for a language translation service provider/agency or use their translation skills to their advantage in their place of work, having 2

the ability to act as a bridge between two languages and cultures will contribute to the universal growth of their business and of their interpersonal skills. Furthermore, providing a translation service in ones own field of specialty makes for a better and more professional translator. Student Learning Outcomes for Spanish 4600 / 6600: 1) Understand basic translation theory and how it affects written translations from Spanish to English and vice-versa. 2) Learn a variety of Hispanic proverbs and idioms and be able to translate them into a close equivalent in English 3) Understand how culture influences translation 4) Understand factors involved in oral interpretation in a variety of settings (legal, medical, other) 5) Translate numerous texts (500-700 words) from a variety of fields (legal, medical, advertisement, business, sports, other) 6) Learn some techniques and aspects of Consecutive Interpretation, Simultaneous Interpretation, and Sight Translation Requirements: Prerequisites: Completion of at least TWO Spanish upper division courses. Students should be native speakers of English, or possess a high level of speaking, reading, and writing in both English and Spanish. Your English level is more important than your Spanish level as we will primarily be translating from Spanish to English. If you are a native speaker of Spanish, your written English must be of a high level, or in other words, near-native. A written evaluation of linguistic abilities in both Spanish and English will be conducted the first day of class. If students do not possess the required level in one or both languages, they will not be able to enroll in the course, even if they have the prerequisites. If in doubt, consult with the professor. Methodology: This course will provide as much practice as possible in the different forms of translation (literary and technical) focusing on technical terminology from various fields. Students will be able to apply the theory and methodology they will study to a variety of translation activities. The impact and effectiveness of the objectives of the course will be measured by determining the progress of students and their ability to convey an idea in a different language. The key is to evaluate the effectiveness and clearness of their written translation. Therefore, they will be evaluated not only by their professor but also by their classmates and other possible members of an outside audience. The tests, the various translation activities, the homework, and one real-life translation project will be used to determine the improvement in the students translation skills, how well a message was conveyed, and if the communication between two different languages and cultures was successful. As much as possible, the course will be conducted in Spanish, and students are expected to also speak Spanish. Obviously, with a course of this nature, we are dealing with both Spanish and English, and the focus of the course is on written translation into English. However, lectures and explanations of class material will be given in Spanish. One textbook is in Spanish and the other one is in English. Students are expected to speak Spanish except when translating. Written exams are in Spanish. General expectations of students: Students who are successful will be consistently prepared for class and will actively participate in all lessons. You should expect to spend an average of at least 2 hours of outside preparation for each hour of class time. Students should study all assigned materials thoroughly before coming to class. All assignments should be completed before class time in order to receive credit. This is a very workintensive course. There is a great deal of reading, daily homework, and many translations. 3

Attendance A student is allowed no more than five hours of absences (five classes if we meet Monday/Wednesday/Friday and three classes if we meet Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday), BOTH EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED. The student's FINAL grade will drop 2% for each hour of absence beyond the fifth for MWF classes or the third absence for MW or TTh classes. Tardiness of one minute is acceptable, but habitual tardiness is not acceptable because it disrupts the class. Two tardies will be considered one absence. A student who misses more than ten MWF classes or six MW or TTH classes will be dropped from the course. Good attendance and good grades generally go together. If you are absent, you are expected to call or email the instructor or a fellow student to obtain assignments so that you return to class prepared. For example, if you miss class Monday and there is a test scheduled on Wednesday, you are expected to take the test when you return to class Wednesday. This is your responsibility. - If you come in late, check with me after class to make sure I have not counted you absent. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences, not mine to inform you of them. If you are present for at least half of the class period, you will receive half an absence; if you are present for less than half the class period, you will be counted absent. - The Board of Regents stipulates that only registered, paid students may attend class. This means that no visitors are allowed to attend class with you. You cannot bring your children, parents, friends or pets to class with you. Save your five absences for emergencies, such as babysitter problems, car problems, or unexpected illnesses. Our chair has instructed us to follow the Board of Regents policy, so please understand that we all must adhere to the rules. - No eating is permitted during the class period. All cell phones must be turned off in class and students may not make or receive calls or text messages. Laptops and all electronic devices are not permitted unless instructor gives permission. Students are not allowed to drift in and out of class to visit the restrooms or other places during class time, including during tests. Please do not use red, pink or purple ink when you write anything to be turned in to the professor. - Students are required to check their GRU email and D2L on a regular basis for messages from the instructor or messages regarding the foreign language program. Make-up tests and remediation The student is expected to take tests at the announced times. A student who misses a quiz may drop the quiz (there is one drop allowed under the quiz section)--no make-ups for quizzes will be given. No test grades will be dropped and make-ups will be given only if the student has a genuine, compelling excuse. Tests and quizzes: We will have two tests and one final exam. Tests and the final exam will cover material from class lectures, reading assignments, class discussion, films, etc. No test grades will be dropped and makeups will be given only if the student has a genuine, compelling excuse. Do not assume that make-ups are automatically granted. IF you are allowed to make up a test, your grade may be lowered by one letter. There may be some unannounced quizzes if the professor realizes that most of the students are not doing the required reading. The Final Exam will be comprehensive and include a translation to be done with the aid of dictionaries. Homework: All of your homework assignments for the entire semester will be on D2L in the folder called Syllabus, Program, and Homework. Written homework assignments should be prepared for review in class and for submission to the professor. For each homework assignment with the label (Corregir y entregar), you need to correct your own work with a different color pen. The answers to the exercises will be on D2L in the folder labeled according to the week the homework is due (Ex. If the homework is due on a Wednesday of Week 2, you will find the answers in the folder labeled Week 2). The answers will appear on D2L only a couple of days before the homework is due. On the day it is due, you will receive credit for having completed the homework and having corrected your own work with a different color pen. If you do not correct your own work by using the answer key, points will be taken off. Make sure you do all of the exercises BEFORE looking at the answer key. For your own good, DO NOT simply copy the answer key. 4

In order to get a good grade and reach all of the objectives of this course, you need to complete ALL the assigned reading and homework BEFORE coming to class. If you do not have the homework on the days it is collected, you will receive a zero. Those zero s will obviously affect your final grade, even if you claim to have done all the other homework. In other words, if you have the homework prepared every day, there should be no problem. Students are responsible for all material covered in class and/or assigned as homework, whether or not they attend class. If students miss or arrive late to class, it is their responsibility to find out what was missed. Please do not send me an email after you have missed a class and ask what we covered. I will post the powerpoint presentations online for review close to the exam date. No late assignments will be accepted except in emergency cases, which must be documented. If you know you will miss a class, send your work with another student or send it by email (it must reach my email box BEFORE class begins in order to be accepted). Hint: although this may seem obvious, many students do not follow this protocol read the assigned chapter BEFORE completing the homework assignment and coming to class. Exercises are based directly on information in the chapter and it is immediately evident when going over exercises and information in class who has read the assignment and who has not. Small group and pair work: is an important element of this course. You will often work in rotating groups in class on homework assignments and you will be assigned projects to be completed in cooperation with a group or a partner. It is essential that each participant do his/her share of the work, for the final grade will be the outcome of the group effort. Dictionaries should always be brought to class. Translation project: Students will have the exciting opportunity to complete one real-life translation project. The project will consist of a translation of one article from YELL!, the GRU Women's Studies magazine. Students will complete this translation project in two stages; the first version will be evaluated by the professor and subsequently by other classmates during the 2 writing workshops. Students will then incorporate all of the comments and suggestions and write the final version. They will also include a bibliography of the dictionaries, websites, documents or other books they used to complete the translation. Students should use the LIBRARY and the LRC More detailed instructions for this project, as the evaluation sheet used for grading, will be discussed further in class and posted on D2L. MANY smaller translation projects will be completed as regular homework and in-class activities. No late projects will be accepted. Classroom participation: Due to the participatory nature of the class, students will receive a daily participation grade. Students are expected to have read and prepared material for each class period and to actively participate in class discussions. Please note, you will quickly see that there is rarely only one acceptable translation. As this is the case, I encourage students to offer alternate translations to an exercise when appropriate. Academic Honesty Students are expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct (in the Jaguar Student Handbook) and the ethics of academic honesty (in the section "Student Rights and Responsibilities" in the GRU Catalog). It is important that you do your own work. Using someone else s words or ideas (paraphrasing) without giving them credit is plagiarism. Similarly using translators, human or electronic, or using materials expressly prohibited by your instructor to complete assignments would be a breach of academic honesty. Penalties for academic dishonesty vary; however, severe incidents can result in the student being withdrawn from the course (WF) and having the incident made part of the academic dishonesty file. All work submitted in a class must be the student s own work and may not be or have been submitted in other classes. 5

Departmental Exams Students who complete four upper-division classes this semester will take the departmental exam, level one. Students who complete ten upper-division classes this semester will take the departmental exam, level two. Exam dates will be scheduled shortly and all students will receive notification through their GRU email, so please check it daily. You will not be able to continue taking advanced Spanish classes until you have taken the level one exam, and you will not graduate if you do not take the level two exam. Exit Interview Graduating majors must have an exit interview. Be sure to check your email regularly to see when it is scheduled. Portfolio Students should begin early in the semester preparing items for their portfolio. Check the department web page for more information, or speak to your professor. The portfolio is required. All students in upper division foreign language courses at GRU are expected to maintain a Foreign Language Portfolio (FLP) for each language they study at GRU. The FLP provides students an opportunity to select evidence of their learning, reflect on it, and make it part of the assessment of their learning. It makes students language learning process more transparent, helps them to understand the developmental path that second language learning takes within a school setting, and enables them to assume more responsibility for their own learning, thus encouraging learner autonomy and promoting lifelong learning. - All students in upper division foreign language courses at GRU are expected to maintain a portfolio for each language they study. The FLP is articulated in two distinct parts: the Junior Portfolio (JP) and the Senior Portfolio (SP). Students submit the Junior Portfolio (JP) the semester they are completing their fourth upper-division Spanish, French or German course. Students who do not successfully complete their JP will receive an Incomplete in the course. Students submit the Senior Portfolio (SP) the semester they are completing their ninth upper-division Spanish, French or German course. Students who do not successfully complete their SP will receive an Incomplete in the course. The successful completion of the SP is a graduation requirement. The JP and the SP cannot be turned in the same semester. The JP and the SP are due by November 1st in the Fall semester and by April 1st in the Spring semester. The submission date for the Summer semester varies; students should contact their portfolio advisor to confirm the submission date. Please contact your portfolio advisor, the Foreign Language Portfolio Coordinator (Dr. Bledsoe), or your instructor if you have any further questions. Student Learning Outcomes for FL Minor (Completion of 4 upper-division courses) Intermediate-High speakers are able to handle successfully many uncomplicated tasks and social situations requiring an exchange of basic information relate to work, school, recreation, particular interests and areas of competence, though hesitation and errors may be evident. Speakers at this level are able to narrate and describe in major time frames using connected discourse of paragraph length. Student Learning Outcomes for FL Major (Completion of 10 upper-division courses) Speakers at the Advanced-Low level are able to handle a variety of communicative tasks, although somewhat haltingly at times. They participate actively in most informal conversations and to a lesser degree in formal conversations when related to events of work, public and personal interest. Advanced-Low speakers demonstrate the ability to narrate and describe in all major time frames in paragraph-length discourse, but control of aspect may be lacking at times. 6

Tentative Semester Schedule Week/Date Chapters, assignments, etc. Tests and other important work Week 1 Jan. 5 (M) NO CLASS NO CLASS 7 (W) 9 (F) Introduction. Explanation of syllabus, oral presentations and projects. Theory of Translation ( ST ) What is translation?; Surface vs. deep meaning; Types of translation. Comparative translation: Spanish and English. Week 2 12 (M) 14 (W) 16 (F) Week 3 19 (M) Translation Problems and Techniques ( ST ) Articles, Prepositions, Pronouns and Adjectives. Capitalization and Abbreviations. Proper Names, Places, Titles, Punctuation. The Third Language. Numbers and Measurements. The Structure of Spanish: Intro to First Part. Cognates and how to use the dictionary. Capitulo 1 ( En otras palabras ) La narraccion I: El tiempo presente (Literary Translation) In-class ex: 3 & 5 (p. 17-20) Capitulo 2 ( En otras palabras ) La narraccion II: El tiempo pasado (Literary Translation) In-class ex: 2, 5, 6 (p. 27-28) NO CLASS MARTIN LUTHER NO CLASS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY 21 (W) El uso del diccionario How to successfully use a dictionary 23 (F) Capitulos 3 ( En otras palabras ) La descripción I: Los adjetivos (Literary Translation) Week 4 26 (M) Review Review 28 (W) TEST # 1 TEST # 1 30 (F) Week 5 Feb. 2 (M) 4 (W) 6 (F) Capitulos 4 ( En otras palabras ) La descripción II: Ser vs. estar Capitulo 5 ( En otras palabras ) La impersonalidad: La voz pasiva y el pronombre se. In class exercises and translations. Capitulo 6 ( En otras palabras ) Niveles de afirmación: El indicativo y el subjuntivo Theory of Translation Translation and Communication; Translation Process vs. Product; Translation, Language and Culture; Translation and Linguistics. KING DAY A Good Dictionary y El uso del diccionario p. 1-6. Trans Project (First Draft Due) 7

Week 6 Feb 9 (M) 11 (W) 13 (F) Week 7 16 (M) 18 (W) 20 (F) Week 8 23 (M) 25 (W) 27 (F) Week 9 Mar. 2 (M) 4 (W) 6 (F) Week 10 9 (M) 11 (W) 13 (F) Week 11 Mar. 16 (M) 18 (W) 20 (F) Week 12 Mar. 23 (M) Theory of Translation Modulation; Transposition; Addition; Omission; and Lexical problems and semantic mapping. Traducción aplicada: Introducción a la 2ª parte. (EOP) Y Translation Problems and Techniques. (ST) Interjections, Expletives, Euphemisms and Regionalisms. The Untranslatables: Idioms, Metaphors, Folklore, Register, Style, and Tone. Capitulo 7: El lenguaje de la publicidad (Advertisement) In-class exercises and translations Capitulo 7 TV: Dubbing and subtitle exercise / Show commercials / Bilingual airline magazines Capitulo 8: El lenguaje de los negocios (Business) Capitulo 8: El lenguaje de los negocios (Business) Capitulo 9: El lenguaje de la medicina. (Healthcare) Capitulo 9: El lenguaje de la medicina. (Healthcare) Review Test #2 Capitulo 10: El lenguaje de los deportes (Sports) Capitulo 10: El lenguaje de los deportes (Sports) Capitulo 11: El lenguaje legal (Law) Capitulo 11: El lenguaje legal (Law) Taller / Writing Workshop Primera Versión del Proyecto Taller / Writing Workshop Primera Versión del Proyecto Taller / Writing Workshop Primera Versión del Proyecto Capitulo 12: El lenguaje de la informática (Information Technology) Capitulo 12: El lenguaje de la informática (Information Technology) Review Test #2 Trans Project (Second Draft Due) 8

25 (W) 27 (F) Week 13 30 (M) Apr. 1 (W) 3 (F) Week 14 Apr. 6-10 Anglicisms and Hispanicisms In-class exercises and examples. ST Lesson 20: Interpretation Symbols for Consecutive Translation ST Lesson 20: Interpretation Symbols for Consecutive Translation ST Lessons 23-24 Simultaneous Translation and Sight Translation ST Lessons 23-24 Simultaneous Translation and Sight Translation SPRING BREAK No class Trans Project (Final Draft Due) SPRING BREAK No class Week 15 13 (M) Interpretation Practice 15 (W) Interpretation Practice 17 (F) Week 16 20 (M) ST Lessons-21-22 Translating Poetry and Machine Translation ST Lessons-21-22 Translating Poetry and Machine Translation 22 (W) In-class exercises and translations 24 (F) Review Review Week 17 27 (M) Review / Fiesta Last day of class, review for final exam Examen final WEDNESDAY May 6 10 am 12 pm Final Exam Final Exam 9