Module MELA43130: Specialised Translation British Sign Language<>English

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures

MELA43130: Specialised Translation 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

• The module aims to provide students with a solid grounding and training in translating from British Sign Language into English and from English into British Sign Language.
• To allow students to translate in both directions so as to gain experience and confidence to translate independently between frozen versions (movies) of British Sign Language and English through practice.
• To develop students knowledge and understanding of the linguistic characteristics of visual-gestural languages - specifically to varieties of British Sign Language - in contrast to spoken languages and their written representations - specifically varieties of English
• To help students to acquire the relevant translation skills .

Content

• The module provides intensive practice in both directions of translation. Students will build a dossier of texts for translation, with the classes being designed to provide translation practice over a range of text-types and genres. There will be general texts plus texts drawn from a variety of subject areas: technology, health/medical, business, science, social science and law. Through a variety of examples, the module focuses on crucial stages and aspects of the translation process and on the comparison of source and target texts including:
• comparative linguistics and sociolinguistics of signed, spoken, written language
• language variation, including register, dialect, idiolect, sociolect and jargon;
• factors in translation: purpose and function of the text, expected audience, length and time frame, competencies related to the translation process (the target language, the source language, the subject area)
• analysis of source text meaning: overall meaning, individual words, function, context (scenes and frames), word order, ambiguity and paraphrasing,
• transfer and reformulation: restructuring to the target language idiom – the main ideas, concepts and at word level, the location of actors and objects, specific concepts and relationships, illocutionary force, contextual consistency
• cultural transposition and borrowing;
• figurative language, rhetorical devices, intertextuality, and cultural references;
• basic concepts of text/discourse analysis; basic characteristics of textuality; the thematic, functional and argumentative structures of texts; characteristics of texts types and genres; analysis of translation situations, assignments an functions;
• development of a personal translation technique.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will acquire an in-depth knowledge of the processes involved in British Sign Language<>English translation.
• Students will acquire a knowledge of:
• the lexicological and terminological issues attendant upon translation into and from British Sign Language language;
• key translation procedures and devices within the framework of comparative stylistics between British Sign Language and English;
• standard reference tools, including electronic source materials, and their use in British Sign Language<>English translation;
• the use of computer-assisted translation tools in British Sign Language<>English translation.

• Students will acquire a capacity to understand texts in the source language and render them correctly in the target language, using the register and other language conventions that correspond to their intended purpose;
• Students will acquire a thorough grounding in the skills required for translating between English and British Sign Language;
• Students will acquire the ability:
• to deal with the transference of connotative and denotative meaning in British Sign Language<>English translation;
• to deal with collocative aspects of British Sign Language<>English translation;
• to address utterance and sentential issues in translation, including fronting and backgrounding, theme/rheme, topic/comment;
• to deal with intertextual elements in British Sign Language<>English translation;
• to deal with language variety in British Sign Language<>English translation, including aspects related to register, sociolect, dialect, and regional varieties;
• to deal with intercultural elements in British Sign Language<>English translation;
• to deal with prosodic issues in British Sign Language<>English translation: 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 master computer-assisted translation and terminology tools.

• 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 contrastive textual analysis, sight translation, and translation revision and editing. The source text is analysed in order to act as a pre-translation activity in view of the full appropriate rendering of texts. When revising prepared translations comparison-based corrections and commentary of the translations prepared by the students will guarantee group feedback and oral assessment of translation strategies. 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 oral feedback. The translation seminars offer ample opportunity for a discussion of the principles underlying effective translation strategies, with immediate feedback on translation strategies and principles.
• The Specialised Translation module is taught in Michaelmas and Epiphany terms. In Michaelmas the students work translating from English into British Sign Language. In Epiphany term the students translate in the opposite direction, with English as target language. The course is taught for two hours per week over the two terms. The integrated and focused structure of Specialised Translation module provides students with a coherent and accessible structure within which to develop their translation competence.
• The module is assessed by a portfolio of translations providing a sample of the variety of text-types with which the students have engaged during the module and a final timed translation of a 'general' text.
• After 7 weeks in Michaelmas term, students submit a 10 minutes BSL translation with 10 minutes BSL commentary for feedback. At the beginning of Epiphany term students submit two translations (including the revised first text) from English into British Sign Language as part of the Translation Portfolio.
• After 8 weeks in Epiphany term, students complete a 1,000 word translation from British Sign Language into English for feedback. At the beginning of Easter Term, they submit 2 translations (including the revised text from British Sign Language into English) from British Sign Language into English.
• In the final week of Easter Term students complete a timed translation of a General Text into the direction of translation negotiated with the course tutor.
• The translation portfolio is designed to allow students to focus on a variety of texts that belong to different subject areas as happens in free-lance translation and interpreting work.
• The students choose the texts they wish to translate from the text-types studied in the module, and from texts previously approved by the course tutor.

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 translation 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