Module MELA42930: Specialised Interpreting British Sign Language<>English

Department: Modern Language and Cultures

MELA42930: Specialised Interpreting British Sign Language<>English

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• MELA40430 Translation Theory.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• No more than two Specialised Translation modules can be taken.

Aims

• To provide students with a solid grounding and training in interpreting from British Sign Language into English and from English into British Sign Language.
• To allow students to interpret in both directions so as to gain experience and confidence to interpret independently between British Sign Language and English through practice.
• To enhance students comparative knowledge and understanding of the linguistic characteristics of varieties of British Sign Language in contrast to spoken and written varieties of English.
• To develop a professional and ethical approach to the management of the interpreter role in different contexts and be able to apply practical solutions in the areas of (potential) cultural conflict and cultural mediation.
• To apply a theoretical understanding of dialogue interpreting as contrasted with uni-directional interpreting.
• To help students develop domain specific knowledge and vocabulary in both languages.

Content

• The module provides intensive practice in both directions of interpreting. A range of simulated interpreting situations and domains are provided in class. Students will build a dossier of interpreted events. Simulated interpreting will be from a variety of subject/domain areas and of both one-way and dialogue events.(meetings/discussions, assessments/tests, advice, a variety of television programmes, education, technology, health/medical).
• Other modules focus on crucial stages and aspects of the translation process and the comparison of source and target texts. This module builds on that foundation and through a variety of examples brings in a focus on interpreting as social interaction through the concepts of:
• Production Format;
• Relaying and Gatekeeping;
• Source attribution;
• Intercultural communication;
• Context: situation, purpose, actors;
• comparative linguistics and sociolinguistics of signed, spoken, written language;
• language variation, including register, dialect, idiolect, sociolect and jargon;
• Essential knowledge and skills for practitioners is an understanding of professional ethics and their application in interpreting practice. This is developed through sessions analyzing dilemmas that arise in interpreting and the application of Demand-Control Theory.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will acquire an in-depth knowledge of the skills and other factors involved in British Sign Language<>English Interpreting.
• Students will acquire knowledge of:
• the concepts and terminology related to interpreting into and from British Sign Language;
• social interaction theory related to interpreting events;
• ethical issues related to professional interpreting;
• Demand-Control Theory related to BSL/English interpreting;
• comparative BSL-English concepts and terminology related to a variety of domains/subjects.

• Students will acquire a thorough grounding in the skills required for interpreting between English and British Sign Language;
• Students will acquire the ability:
• To interpret effectively and professionally in a variety of contexts;
• To interpret effectively and professionally in unidirectional and in dialogue settings;
• Students will acquire a capacity to understand utterances in context in the source language and render them contextually correctly in the target language, using the register and other language conventions that correspond to their intended purpose;
• to deal with the transference of connotative and denotative meaning in British Sign Language<>English interpreting;
• to deal with collocative aspects of British Sign Language<>English interpreting;
• to deal with intertextual elements in British Sign Language<>English interpreting;
• to deal with language variety in British Sign Language<>English interpreting, including aspects related to register, sociolect, dialect, and regional varieties;
• to deal with intercultural elements in British Sign Language<>English interpreting;
• to deal with prosodic issues in British Sign Language<>English interpreting: the emotional state of a speaker; whether an utterance is a statement, a question, or a command; whether the speaker is being ironic or sarcastic; emphasis, contrast, and focus;
• to use research tools and become familiar with research skills;
• to locate, access and exploit relevant lexicological and terminological sources;
• to translate between the visual-gestural language structures of British Sign Language and the written and oral structures of English in the appropriate target-language register and style;
• to become competent in basic video recording and simple editing techniques on computer.

• the development of organisational and time management skills;
• the use of IT resources and facilities;
• the ability to work in a team;
• the ability to evaluate personal achievements;
• the ability to work independently;
• the ability to produce clearly structured and presented written and filmed work.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is taught in the form of seminars that adopt a structured and incremental approach to interpreting. In-class simulated interpreting is a way of developing confidence and skills of live interpreting and promoting self-analysis. Students begin with in-class consecutive interpreting to build up confidence and skills. Simulation is through peers and tutors providing a live audience.
• This approach provides students with the largest possible degree and range of active engagement with both peers and lecturer and assures the delivery of effective direct feedback. The seminars offer ample opportunity for a discussion of the principles underlying effective interpreting strategies, with immediate feedback on strategiesand principles.
• The Specialised Interpreting module is taught in Michaelmas and Epiphany terms. In Michaelmas students major focus is interpreting from English into British Sign Language. In Epiphany the students major focus is interpreting in the opposite direction, with English as target language. Both terms will begin with consecutive one-way interpreting before moving on to simultaneous interpreting. Simulated Dialogue interpreting (both ways) opportunities will also be incorporated into both terms. The course is taught for two hours per week over the two terms. The module provides students with a coherent structured approach to developing their interpreting competence.
• The module is assessed by portfolio of student's work compiled from a variety of interpreted events which the students have engaged in during the module and a final interpreting exam. In week 8 of Michaelmas term, students are filmed in-class interpreting into BSL (one-way 10 minutes) and submit this with a 10 minutes BSL commentary in week 9 for feedback. In week 9, students produce a second, filmed, in-class interpreting performance: two-way dialogue interpreting for 10 minutes. Students submit this at the beginning of Epiphany term with a 10 minutes commentary (BSL or English), for feedback.
• In week 8 of Epiphany term, students are filmed in-class interpreting into English (one-way 10 minutes) and submit this with a 10 minutes English commentary in week 9 for feedback. In week 9, students produce a second, filmed, in-class interpreting performance: two-way dialogue interpreting for 10 minutes. Students submit this at the beginning of Epiphany term with a 10 minutes commentary (English or BSL), for feedback. In the final week of Easter Term students sit an interpreting exam.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Seminar teaching allows tutors to provide direct feedback at every session. Direct feedback contributes to the development of the students' skill to comment on translation choices and to the students' improvement of interpreting skills.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University