96948 - MODULE 1 - BASIC SKILLS

Learning outcomes

The student is able to carry out supervised research tasks dealing with linguistics-, translation- and/or technology- related subjects, individually and as part of a team; s/he is able to use the tools and information sources of a given discipline appropriately, to accomplish the task assigned to her/him.

Course contents

Translation Learner Corpora: A resource for translation research and teaching.

In this seminar we will conduct an applied research activity as part of the MUST International Project, coordinated by UCLouvain.

After introducing the basics of research on Translation Learner Corpora, we will collaboratively build a database of translations. The translations will then be aligned and morphosyntactically annotated using the dedicated Hypal software, and errors will be annotated using the schema developed within the MUST project.

The corpora thus created will be consulted to find out about typical features of the translation.

Through this seminar participants will become acquainted with research tools and methodologies that can help them to:

• increase their awareness of translation choices and translation revision/evaluation;
• reflect on the teaching of translation with a view to improving it;
• better understand the characteristics of the translation process.
  

Readings/Bibliography

Granger, S. and Lefer, M.-A. 2020. "The Multilingual Student Translation corpus: a resource for translation teaching and research". Language Resources & Evaluation 54:1183–1199.

Teaching methods

The seminar includes some introductory lectures and several practical sessions in which students co-design the study, from data selection and collection, to data structuring and analysis.

The practical sessions are problem-based, revolving around authentic research issues that students solve by working independently and in groups. Peer support, combined with teacher guidance, creates a serene, learner-centered learning environment that fosters the development of interpersonal skills and autonomy in problem solving.

Assessment methods

Success in learning is assessed through observation and interaction in class and through coursework such as group work sessions and oral presentations.

The end of course exam consists in a research project on a theme agreed with the lecturer. Students will choose whether to present their work as:

• an oral presentation with slides (conference mode);
• a blog post intended for a lay audience;

A maximum of 10 points out of 30 is assigned on the basis of formal/linguistic aspects: written and oral academic English language skills (lexis and grammar, structure, register and genre). The remaining 20 points are assigned on the basis of content (competences and skills related to the subject matter of the module): understanding of theoretical notions, capacity to design the study, query the corpora, analyse data and report them, and capacity for original thought and argumentation.

Formal/linguistic aspects (language skills)

• 10 points: excellent language skills
• 8-9 points: good/very good language skills
• 7 points: sufficient language skills
• 0-6 points: inadequate/seriously deficient language skills

Content-related aspects (competences and skills related to the subject matter of the module)

• 20 points: excellent subject-related competences and capacities
• 16-19 points: very good subject-related competences and capacities
• 12-15 points: good subject-related competences and capacities
• 11 points: sufficient subject-related competences and capacities
• 0-10 points: inadequate/seriously deficient subject-related competences and capacities

Teaching tools

Both lecture-like and workshop-like sessions take place in a computer lab equipped with PCs and a data projector, so as to be able to switch back and forth between the two teaching methods.

Slides are used for lectures and subsequently made available to the students via the Virtuale platform, in PDF or MS PPT format.

During workshop sessions, students have individual hands-on access to software for constructing and analysing corpora (e.g., Hypal4MUST, Sketch Engine).

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend the online Modules 1, 2 on Health and Safety.

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Bernardini