Introduction to Translation

In today’s world borders are becoming a mere cartographic detail rather than a barrier to human interaction. International, national, and local organizations, corporations, banks, government agencies, industrial enterprises, hospitals, the courts, the military, and the many other institutions that constitute global societies rely on the services of translators and interpreters to communicate with each other and with their clients and constituents.

The nature of the profession requires constant enhancement of broad general knowledge while focusing on new technical terminology and specialized information associated with a narrow field or a particular subject matter. Translators must be prepared to translate or interpret materials in an ever-growing variety of subjects. Their sophisticated sensitivity to other cultures and tolerance for ambiguity are assets in a profession that rewards integrity and dedication.

Translators and interpreters are indispensable as global communicators.

This course aims to introduce you to the skills and techniques that you need to translate well. By the end of the course you should have a basic level of competence which will enable you to take on translation work with confidence.

The course offers practical approaches to translation. It is based around topic areas, incorporating study of different text-types, style, use of dictionaries and other resources, text comparison, collocation, equivalents, and practical hints and tips.

The Internet is used both as text resource and as translation tool.

Each class includes:

• an introduction
• a task (a text to translate)
• a post-task analysis (alternative versions, comments/analysis and research)
• an assignment (a text to translate)
• alternative versions and/or comments (to be sent with the corrected assignment)

Contents

Module 1

Basic Translation Techniques. Texts on different topics and from several sources, such as the Web, magazines, newspapers, reports, etc.

Module 2

Technologies and other resources. Using browsers, PC computers and MS Windows environments, especially word processing. Formatting. Handling dictionaries and other resources. Machine translation, translation memory, on-line dictionaries, desk-top publishing systems and Website automation technologies.Texts on different topics and from several sources, such as the Web, magazines, newspapers, reports, etc.

Module 3

Business 1: Business writing including documents such as letters, memos, and reports. E-mails hands-on: modern rules of address, starting, endings, punctuation and abbreviations, differences between e-mails, faxes and letters.

Module 4

Business 2: General and specific business terminology including management, marketing, HR, logistics and quality, operations, finance, accounting, and economics.

Module 5

Law 1: Contract law including useful vocabulary and writing techniques for contracts in general and for more modern and specific types of contracts as well. Analysis of the typical characteristics of a contract written in the US and boiler-plates.

Module 6

Law 2: Corporate law including sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations and other hybrid forms. Most important matters related to business organizations hand in hand with the pertinent documentation.

Optional Additional Course

Translation Project Management. This course gives students the opportunity to address both translation and non-translation related issues associated with planning, executing/controlling and delivering a final translation for a client (either direct or agency). Particular focus is given to hands-on practice of the various communications between the parties. The course outlines a "best-practices" methodology that can be applied to large or small translation/localization projects.

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