TRIN404-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Translating and Interpreting for the Community

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

This course focuses on the concept of Community Translation and Interpreting, of which the purpose is to provide members of minority communities language access to public services offered both routinely and in a crisis scenario. This course will introduce functional translation theories as the theoretical framework with practical advice and discussion on both achievement of pragmatic equivalence and significance of self-reflection on students' development of individual translation/interpreting skills. This work will be supervised by a staff member from the relevant language programme or an external assessor if required.

This course focuses on the concept of Community Translation and Interpreting (also known as Public Translation and Interpreting), the purpose of which is to provide members of minority communities language access to public services and facilitate the integration of those individuals into the mainstream society. This course will introduce functional translation theories, in particular Skopos and Dynamic Equivalence, as the theoretical framework where practical advice will be provided and discussion will be conducted on how pragmatic equivalence can be achieved.

This is a language neutral translation/interpreting course designed for students with majors in the languages offered at UC. Training and assessment for specific language pairs (e.g. English-Chinese, English-Spanish, English-Japanese, etc.) will be carried out by staff in relevant language programmes. Further, while discussion and practice will focus on the achievement of pragmatic equivalence, self-reflection on translation/interpreting products is crucial in the development of students’ individual translation/interpreting skills.

Expectations
Students in this course are expected to attend three hours of class per week (in-person or remotely) in the first semester, to take part in class discussion as well as online discussion, and to consult when required with their “supervisor” and submit completed assignments on time.

Te Tae-ā-tinana / Note on attendance: Interpreting and translation (T&I) skills are learned by doing, and the tutorial-style sessions in this course are designed to create an atmosphere in which students can try out their T&I skills on each other. If you do not attend regularly and do not keep up with the work, you will therefore not only be hindering your own progress, but you will also be holding back the other students with whom you are working.

Learning Outcomes

As a student in this course, you will acquire a conceptual framework for thinking and talking about producing translation and/or do interpreting that can fulfil the functions of the original text. You will also develop appropriate strategies for achieving such a goal. Students who successfully complete the course will:

- Understand the key concepts of the academic discipline of translation studies, particularly within the theoretical framework of functional translation studies.
- Develop critical thinking on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural features between the source and target language.
- Develop abilities to explain and analyse pragmatic functions of the original text.
- Develop strategies to produce a translation/rendition that delivers pragmatic functions similar to those of the original text.
- Develop abilities to explain and analyse failures of expected pragmatic functions in the translation/rendition.
- Gain practical experience and strategies for producing translations/renditions that meet professional quality standards in the current translation/interpreting sector.
- Acquire the theoretical knowledge of translating/interpreting for the culturally and ethnically diverse communities of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Be able to engage in independent ethical decision-making and action while translating/interpreting for the diverse communities of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Gain a heightened understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s connectedness to the global communities and the individual’s right to have language access to publicly shared information.
- Develop all the necessary knowledge, skills, and practical experience to confidently sit the NAATI Certified Provisional Interpreter (CPI) Test, with a focus on meeting the test’s requirements and standards.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Employable, innovative and enterprising

Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Biculturally competent and confident

Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.

Engaged with the community

Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.

Globally aware

Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

Subject to the approval of the Head of Department.

Equivalent Courses

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 10:00 - 13:00 F1 Lectorial
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Course Coordinator

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences Head of Department

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Weekly Practice (x12) 24%
Reflective Essay (x1) 26%
Final Translation 25%
Interpreting Test 25%

Textbooks / Resources

Selected journal articles and publicly accessible public services related texts.

There is a AKO | LEARN component to this course.

Other material, which may be helpful, can be found in the Library Subject Guides: https://canterbury.libguides.com/c.php?g.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $2,169.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

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