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PL52111: Chinese to English translation for business

[Page last updated: 16 August 2024]

Academic Year: 2024/25
Owning Department/School: Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
Credits: 10 [equivalent to 20 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 200
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Academic Year
Assessment Summary: CWSG 20%, CWSI 60%, EXOB 20%
Assessment Detail:
  • Chinese to English translation coursework 1 (CWSI 10%)
  • Chinese to English translation coursework 2 (CWSI 10%)
  • Chinese to English translation coursework 3 (CWSI 10%)
  • Chinese to English Group Translation Project (CWSG 20%)
  • Chinese to English translation coursework 4 (CWSI 10%)
  • Chinese to English translation coursework 5 (CWSI 10%)
  • Chinese to English translation coursework 6 (CWSI 10%)
  • Chinese to English translation examination (EXOB 20%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit, you will be able to demonstrate:
  • that you have assimilated the fundamental skills and techniques required to embark on a career as a professional linguist in this particular field
  • that you have gained an understanding of the role of professional translators and how they interact with clients and/or end-users
  • that you understand key theories underpinning the decision-making process in translation
  • that you can make use of all available research tools to produce an accurate rendering of the source text including appropriate terminology



Synopsis: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles, skills and techniques in professional translation. You'll develop a critical awareness of the challenges of translating from Chinese to English and learn how to address them by completing a range of translation assignments. As well as acquiring practical experience of translation and developing expertise in business topic areas, you'll gain an understanding of key concepts in translation theory and learn how to apply them to your own work.

Content: This unit adopts a practical approach to translation, using graduated materials presenting a range of translation challenges. Texts are selected with the specific needs of the business translation market in mind, and the business areas tackled reflect demand for translations from Chinese to English. Seminars will focus on analysing different text types across a range of industries, addressing the theoretical issues raised and considering strategic approaches to resolve difficulties. You will complete one formative assessment in October, followed by eight assessed summative translations during the course of the year. To simulate different real-world scenarios, six assignments will take the form of take-home translations to be completed within three days, while there will also be a group project in January and a timed open-book examination in May.

Course availability:

PL52111 is Compulsory on the following courses:

Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • THPL-AFM47 : MA Translation with Business Interpreting (Chinese) 

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.