82014 - Translation Theory

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the basic features (terms, concepts) of translation theory - is able to evaluate the suitability of translation choices against the requirements of specialized translation tasks - is able to acquire higher-level meta-translational knowledge and competences independently, and to apply them to novel texts

Course contents

The aim of the course is to introduce students to some key theories and approaches in Translation Studies. After a general introduction to the field, the course wil focus on a selection of key topics in order to introduce students to translation studies as an academic subject and research practice – so as to prepare them for when they have to prepare a dissertation.

Readings/Bibliography

For each topic discussed in class students will be provided with relevent reading material via a shared online library, as well as the slides used during the lesson.

Teaching methods

The lessons will be in lecture format but with a lot of space devoted to discussion, both of the concepts tackled in the lessons and of the reading material provided.

The course will be conducted in English. In accordance with the degree programme regulations, students must attend at least 70% of lessons.

Assessment methods

The final assessment consists of a written exam. During the exam students will be asked to write a short essay on a topic they have chosen themselves and prepared using the reading material supplied by the course leader.

The purpose of the exam is to test the students’ capacity to discuss translation appropriately and effectively from a theoretical point of view, using the concepts addressed during the course. The essays will be evaluated on the basis of their content, not their formal characteristics.

The overall vote of the integrated course on Translation Theory and Practice will be calculated as an average of the two modules of the course: Translation Theory (Rundle) and Translation and Revision Techniques (D’Arcangelo & Scocchera).

N.B. Due the COVID emergency the exams in May-June 2020 will be carried out online using our Course on the Moodle platform. Students will be given more details in the weeks leading up to the exam.

Teaching tools

• The readings supplied each week by the course leader.
• An introduction to the use of the online research tools made avaiable by the university.
• An introduction to the use of reference management tools such as Zotero.

Office hours

See the website of Christopher Rundle