Translation (TRAN1-GC)

In this course students learn the basic concepts and general conceptual framework for the analysis and understanding of translation as a process and a product. This course explores key principles, main schools of thought, and the fundamental controversies shaping translation theory. We will closely examine and contextualize multiple theoretical models, taking into account the pros and cons of each. This course provides a conceptual foundation on which the other translation courses will build, and on which you will be able to draw when describing, planning, assessing, and justifying your translation work.

This course introduces students to the basic principles and methods of contemporary terminology research and documentation. While the emphasis is on applied terminology, students learn the theoretical background of contemporary terminological practice, including relevant aspects of linguistics, lexicography, and classification. Students explore representative aspects of research and documentation, typical methods for recording and storing terminology (terminography), database record structure, and computer-based systems for terminology management.

In today's translation industry, translators are expected to have a command of technology to make the translation process more efficient. This expectation covers general computer knowledge and especially Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools, a class of translation-specific technologies of which Translation Memory and Terminology systems are the most common. Translators may also need to be familiar with Translation Management Systems when working with clients as well as Machine Translation tools. This course introduces translators to technologies used in the translation industry and gives them hands-on experience in using a range of CAT and other tools. Knowledge of computer programming or prior experience using translation technologies is not required. Students will develop practical skills and critical judgement to evaluate the relative merits of different tools to meet project requirements. The course features practice projects based on real life scenarios and essential professional skills, including quoting, understanding file formats, reviewing and QA.

Stylistics is the part of language study that explores the connotative rather than the denotative level of a message. It is important for translators to be able to identify the elements that make up the style of the original and preserve it in their translation. In this course students learn how to identify and use the lexical, syntactic and communicative aspects of aesthetic tonality, i.e. common language vs. poetic, literary, and written language, as well as the functional specializations of language, i.e. administrative, legal, business, scientific, etc.

Stylistics is the part of language study that explores the connotative rather than the denotative level of a message. It is important for translators to be able to identify the elements that make up the style of the original and preserve it in their translation. In this course students learn how to identify and use the lexical, syntactic and communicative aspects of aesthetic tonality, i.e. common language vs. poetic, literary, and written language, as well as the functional specializations of language, i.e. administrative, legal, business, scientific, etc. The course deals with the specific issues posed by Spanish and English.

Stylistics is the part of language study that explores the connotative rather than the denotative level of a message. It is important for translators to be able to identify the elements that make up the style of the original and preserve it in their translation. In this course students learn how to identify and use the lexical, syntactic and communicative aspects of aesthetic tonality, i.e. common language vs. poetic, literary, and written language, as well as the functional specializations of language, i.e. administrative, legal, business, scientific, etc. The course deals with the specific issues posed by French and English.

Stylistics is the part of language study that explores the connotative rather than the denotative level of a message. It is important for translators to be able to identify the elements that make up the style of the original and preserve it in their translation. In this course students learn how to identify and use the lexical, syntactic and communicative aspects of aesthetic tonality, i.e. common language vs. poetic, literary, and written language, as well as the functional specializations of language, i.e. administrative, legal, business, scientific, etc. The course deals with the specific issues posed by Chinese and English.

This course provides students with the theoretical background needed in order to specialize as translators in the field of banking, accounting and finance in an international environment. Some of the topics covered are: accounting principles and practices; presentation of financial statements; accounting systems; investment banking; financial reporting and analysis; banking systems, operations and transactions. The emphasis is on comparing concepts as they apply to each language pair, with country-specific variations.

This course gives students a basic understanding of the Anglo- American common-law system and the code-law system that prevails in many other countries. It also covers the implications of each for the organization of legal institutions, day-to-day administration of justice, and the translation of legal documentation. Topics covered include comparison of the inquisitorial-investigative systems and adversarial-accusatorial systems, legal procedure (organization of court systems, theoretical exposition of the nature of a lawsuit, procedures of various courts and types of proceedings, the roles of judge and jury), as well as business, marriage, inheritance, and divorce practices.

The main objective of this course is that of providing students from various academic backgrounds with a condensed overview of the current structure of world economy in order to better prepare them for translation projects that involve economic materials. While some attention will be given to theory, those with little or no academic background in economics should be able to develop a thorough understanding of the forces that shape our current global economy, and reflect on the implications thereof. Beginning with an overview of the structural characteristics of the modern world economy, we proceed to discuss issues related to international trade, global governance, international financial markets, regional economic integration and resource movements. The course culminates in a review of recent and ongoing economic transformations, and how these may be instructive in our quest to better understand the logic of economic and social development, and the language used in its description and analysis.

This course gives students a basic understanding of the Anglo-American common-law system and the code-law system that prevails in many other countries. It also covers the implications of each for the organization of legal institutions, day-to-day administration of justice, and the translation of legal documentation. Topics covered include comparison of the inquisitorial-investigative systems and adversarial-accusatorial systems, legal procedure (organization of court systems, jurisdiction and procedures of various courts and types of proceedings), as well as business, investment, marriage and inheritance practices. This is an on-site course.

The convergence of globalization and the expansion of electronic communications has opened new fields for translators beyond the traditional need for document translation. Websites and software applications now need to be accessible to audiences globally in multiple languages. However, these types of content delivery pose technical issues many translators are not equipped to handle without additional training. This course is aimed at introducing translators to the world of web and software localization and mastering the skills needed to pursue it as a business opportunity. We will focus on the technical background and skills required for this work as well as the translation approaches needed for culturally sensitive and creative content.

This course gives translation students an overview of the editing profession and the roles that a professional editor can play in the translation industry. The course will also help students improve their ability to revise their own translations, revise translations prepared by others, and to edit original writing by others. Revising and editing are tasks that require careful reading, and foster mastery of writing skills. A good editor has a keen ear for language and this course will help you to develop your ear for how a good translation should sound. An editor seeks to polish a text so that it is clear, logical, and precise while ensuring that the full sense and spirit of the source text is rendered into the target text through a close examination of word choice, syntax, structure, style, tone, register, and punctuation.

This course is an introduction to literary translation and provides an overview of the field of literary translation, both in the US and abroad. Students will learn about the craft of literary translation and how it can help them become better translators. In this course students will gain an understanding of how “literary” tools—i.e. reading, writing, revision, editing, and critiquing skills—are applicable to all translation. The class will be organized in a multi-genre, multi-lingual workshop format. Students will produce their own literary translations, write reflective commentaries on the translation process, compare existing translations of literary texts, reference in-class readings, and engage in peer assessment. Emphasis will be placed on examining and critiquing each other’s translations and discussing process and best practices.

This course will allow students to learn about audiovisual translation (AVT) and its applied practice. With today's expansion of digital video content, it is natural that much of that content demands to be localized and translated. Translators in the professional world are increasingly asked to translate video content in a way that can be streamed, embedded online, or otherwise distributed. AVT is a very distinctive field in translation, with several modalities: subtitling, dubbing, SDH (closed-captioning), audio-description, surtitling, and script translation, to name a few. Each of them has its specific characteristics, challenges, and requirements. This course intends to introduce the main modalities of AVT to students, providing them with essential tools, strategies, and best practices.

Interpreting is a cognitive-linguistic skill as well as a socially informed discipline. This course provides an overview of the history and evolution, current best practices, and general pragmatics of professional interpreting as practiced today. Based on case studies and applied linguistic research, the course addresses the formulation of key principles and the industry standards, methodology, and mechanical processes that guide interpreting practice from the moment-to-moment delivery to larger issues of ethics, liability, credence and professional development for the career interpreter. Through readings and role-play scenarios, students will analyze the verbal dynamic and paralinguistics of interpreting in the consecutive, simultaneous, and community mode. While studying an array of interpreted materials in terms of communicative purpose and interlocutor roles, students will develop an articulate appreciation of performance criteria specific to the transient nature of interpreting (as opposed to translation) and the diverse situations and clients served.

This course surveys various banking and finance-related documents. Students get an overview of the types of documents a financial translator encounters daily. Among the topics covered are annual reports, articles of incorporation, bylaws, financial statements, guarantees, insurance, mutual funds, shareholders meetings, and taxes. Students are expected to make extensive use of the Internet, other specialized terminology sources, and parallel documents.

Topics covered in this course include birth, marriage, and death certificates, concepts and structures of contracts, the organization of companies, with emphasis on types of partnership and corporations, court systems, the judiciary, and the legal profession, and the prosecuting of civil and criminal cases. On-line discussions present factual information about the civil-law and common-law approaches to the pertinent topics, as well as discussions of terminology and terminology resources. Materials for translation include contracts, articles of incorporation, minutes of meetings, summonses and complaints, petitions, motions, judgments, and orders.

Intellectual property (IP) is the umbrella term covering areas such as copyright, trademark law, unfair competition and patent law. Students study an outline of the legislation and salient aspect of each area, to become familiar with the mechanics and terminology, and then see this applied by translating from real-life case studies involving intellectual property lawsuits. This approach provides an overview of generalist education in intellectual property law and policy as well as focus on patents. Students carry out research using relevant multilingual databases and resources from international organizations. Becoming familiar with the content, terminology and style of documents involved in this field, as well as with the appropriate translation strategies and techniques, prepares participants to produce professional-level translations.

This course surveys various banking and finance-related documents. Students get an overview of the types of documents a financial translator encounters daily. Among the topics covered are annual reports, articles of incorporation, bylaws, financial statements, guarantees, insurance, mutual funds, shareholders meetings, and taxes. Students are expected to make extensive use of the Internet, other specialized terminology sources, and parallel documents.

Topics covered in this course include birth, marriage, and death certificates, concepts and structures of contracts, the organization of companies, with emphasis on types of partnership and corporations, court systems, the judiciary, and the legal profession, and the prosecuting of civil and criminal cases. On-line discussions present factual information about the civil-law and common-law approaches to the pertinent topics, as well as discussions of terminology and terminology resources. Materials for translation include contracts, articles of incorporation, minutes of meetings, summonses and complaints, petitions, motions, judgments, and orders.

Topics covered in this course include birth, marriage, and death certificates, concepts and structures of contracts, the organization of companies, with emphasis on types of partnership and corporations, court systems, the judiciary, and the legal profession, and the prosecuting of civil and criminal cases. On-line discussions present factual information about the civil-law and common-law approaches to the pertinent topics, as well as discussions of terminology and terminology resources. Materials for translation include contracts, articles of incorporation, minutes of meetings, summonses and complaints, petitions, motions, judgments, and orders.

Building on the materials covered in Legal Translation I, this course covers advanced topics to include appeals, marriage and divorce, decedent estates, patents and trademarks, and real property transfers. Classroom discussions present basic information about civil-law and common-law practices pertaining to appellate courts and types of appeals, marital property systems, marital-property and separation agreements, the prosecuting of divorce cases, inheritance laws, preparation of wills, administration of estates, patent and trademark applications, and property instruments. Materials for translation include appellate briefs and decisions, pre-nuptial agreements, separation agreements, petitions for divorce, judgments of divorce, wills, certificates of inheritance, and deeds.

In Commercial Translation I we proceed from the standpoint of "commercial" in the broadest sense, concerning all affairs of buying & selling and the exchange of goods and services in the marketplace. With focus on the consumer market this course surveys fundamental industry sectors – of retail manufacturing, advertising, banking, personal finance, real estate, tourism, and entertainment, etc., and oversight bodies such as consumer protection bureaus, business administrations, internal revenue services, and housing and transportation authorities. This course provides an overview of subject matter pertinent to commercial translation from Chinese into English and serves as hands on practical training for the translator. This course requires that students research and discover pertinent documents to learn about key industries and the operation of the market place, thereby developing a personal resource "cabinet" (of terminology, key concepts, topical issues & glossaries) of the commercial translator.

This course provides an overview of the translation industry landscape from both a local and global perspective. Students will gain an understanding of how translators and interpreters adapt to rapid changes in a dynamic profession, engaging in a wide array of business interactions with colleagues, clients, and companies in a competitive marketplace. Students will acquire practical skills in how to start and run a business, conduct due diligence, assess contracts and NDAs, cultivate a professional community of practice, and approach prospective employers and clients. The course will explore how digital technologies are changing the nature of translation work and how economic trends are altering translators’ access to resources, information, options, and bargaining power. Students will become familiar with analytical approaches that will enable them to negotiate strategically with diverse stakeholders in the language services industry. As a final project students will develop personal strategic plans for their translation practice.

This course will provide the critical skills needed to convey written transcripts and texts into clear, accurate, and coherent oral interpreting under time constraint. This course addresses applied reading skills, such as scanning, chunking, and text analysis of written sources as well as techniques in oral delivery—articulation, pacing, marking and framing, etc.—based on a silent reading process. Students will develop insights into the comparative stylistics of Chinese and English, as well as differences in communicative dynamic between written texts and their oral renditions. Students will work with scripts on diverse topics and in a range of verbal exchange situations, including trials and depositions, trade conferences, and occasions of diplomatic or cultural exchange. Students will develop competence in interpreting from a written script in a clear, accurate, and coherent manner, with minimal advance preparation, and within the acceptable timeframe of normal business and legal proceedings.

This course will address a variety of approaches to the translation of science and technology in the broadest sense, from academic papers to everyday product manuals and safety guidebooks produced for the lay reader. Students will gain experience translating technical documents in specialized areas. They will engage in the translation of scientific texts from fields such as pharmacology, biotechnology, environmental science, computer science, construction, machinery, and transportation. While completing practice translations of a variety of texts, the student will also develop research skills and build terminology sets in the subject areas covered throughout the course.

Topics covered in this course include birth, marriage, and death certificates, concepts and structures of contracts, the organization of companies, with emphasis on types of partnership and corporations, court systems, the judiciary, and the legal profession, and the prosecuting of civil and criminal cases. Online discussions present factual information about the civil-law and common-law approaches to the pertinent topics, as well as discussions of terminology and terminology resources. Materials for translation include contracts, articles of incorporation, minutes of meetings, summonses and complaints, petitions, motions, judgments, and orders.

This course surveys various banking and finance-related documents. Students get an overview of the types of documents a financial translator encounters daily. Among the topics covered are annual reports, articles of incorporation, bylaws, financial statements, guarantees, insurance, mutual funds, shareholders meetings, and taxes. Students are expected to make extensive use of the internet, other specialized terminology sources, and parallel documents.

From refugee camps to legal clinics to community meetings, language work is a necessary, if occasionally overlooked, aspect of the human rights landscape. In this course, we will address the roles that translators and interpreters play in the nonprofit sector, as well as the specific challenges and rewards of working with languages in that realm--everything from navigating power relationships in difficult situations, building a trauma-informed language work practice, quickly training other interpreters in emergent situations, and advocating for oneself and others. Receive a basic introduction to language justice principles and an understanding of how these inform the ethical norms followed when working with clients who are advocating for basic rights and fighting against systems of oppression. The course will include theoretical foundations, case studies, best practices, and an exploration of careers available to translators and interpreters in the field and on the ground.

This course teaches effective mediation of intercultural/interlanguage oral communication between English and Chinese. Through immersive process-oriented training, students will acquire strategies for navigating delivery and pitfalls involved in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. A conceptual framework for quality assessment from the user perspective will be provided as a guide to critical analysis and reflective thinking. Students will develop competence in managing interpreting assignments in a variety of specialized topics and work settings in the public and nonprofit sectors (in social and medical services, the judiciary system, etc.) as well as private corporations of various industry sectors. The course will cover professional ethics, the use of relevant technologies, and essential professional interpreting tools including note-taking, non-verbal cuing, and sight translation. Students will role-play interlanguage scenarios in practice interpreting; record and evaluate each other's performance; build terminology databases; and document the process of acquiring interpreting skills.

This course will address the translator’s craft in the multi-faceted context of media production and the exciting jobs associated with this industry. Students will explore social media platforms and news publication in the digital environment from a translator’s perspective, working with authentic multimedia content to tackle the translation challenges associated with these domains. Students will learn how to work with "electronic-textuality," or translate texts with multiple signifying components such as sound, animation, and kinesthetic involvement, as is the case with video games and virtual reality products.

This course introduces translators to the dynamic role of transcreation in marketing and branding for global companies and local audiences, preparing students to specialize in a demanding and profitable sector of the translation industry. The course will address the spectrum from marketing translation to transcreation to multilingual copywriting along with the process of recreating highly visible consumer content for a new cultural context. Students will gain experience in working from briefs, collaborating with teams of content creators, producing culturally adept translations, and providing variants for client selection. Projects include the transcreation of slogans and advertisements for print, web, audio, and video, based on examples drawn from mass marketing to luxury brands, with students encouraged to choose assignment material from campaigns and companies that appeal to their interests and relate to their career plans.

This course reflects the reality that many translators today work in teams and will have opportunities to take on project management and leadership roles. Translation proper is one piece of a much larger picture when it comes to bringing products and services to audiences in different languages for global organizations and corporations. The processes of globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation (GILT) require project managers conversant with translation and localization tools and workflows. The course will focus on the administrative, planning, and translation-specific dimensions of these positions, which are crucial to adapting websites, software, video games, and other products into forms that meet local expectations for content and interface. Students will work in teams and individually to prepare sample products for target markets, documenting quality assurance measures and making evaluations for improved efficiency.

This course will prepare students to correct and revise the output of machine translation to meet the standards of traditional human translation, a skill increasingly sought by translation service providers. Machine translation can be used to process large quantities of text much faster than human translators, but the output requires post-editing to ensure it meets the accuracy and intelligibility parameters appropriate to the end-user purpose. Students will practice pre-editing, post-editing, and editing more broadly at levels applicable to many writing and translation fields. The class will also examine position papers and debates about machine translation and artificial intelligence. Students will be equipped to contribute to a changing industry by making informed evaluations and recommendations about when to utilize human translation versus machine translation and what level of post-editing to implement.

The course will provide an overview of translation and interpreting at intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations, international financial institutions, and regional trade organizations. Topics will include introductions to the various departments and services throughout the UN and other intergovernmental organizations, the particular roles of translators, interpreters, precis-writers, verbatim reporters, and project editors, and the editorial standards and translation technologies specific to this sector. Students will work individually and in teams using real-world documents. The course will also introduce translation and interpreting for nongovernmental organizations.

This course builds on the foundation laid in Theory and Practice of Terminology. The overall goal of the course is for students to set up a termbase that suits them either as freelance translators or as future project managers in an organization, such as a language service provider (LSP). The termbase will meet ISO standards discussed during TRAN1-GC1010001 and expanded on in this course. Students will use their termbase to set up a concept system in two of their languages. They will also explore project management and cost-benefit aspects of terminology projects.

This course teaches effective mediation of intercultural/interlanguage oral communication between English and French. Through immersive process-oriented training, students will acquire strategies for navigating delivery and pitfalls involved in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. A conceptual framework for quality assessment from the user perspective will be provided as a guide to critical analysis and reflective thinking. Students will develop competence in managing interpreting assignments in a variety of specialized topics and work settings in the public and nonprofit sectors (in social and medical services, the judiciary system, etc.) as well as private corporations of various industry sectors. The course will cover professional ethics, the use of relevant technologies, and essential professional interpreting tools including note-taking, non-verbal cuing, and sight translation. Students will role-play interlanguage scenarios in practice interpreting; record and evaluate each other's performance; build terminology databases; and document the process of acquiring interpreting skills.

This course addresses specialized topics relevant to the MS in Translation & Interpreting degree. The program will announce the topic at the start of the registration period when the course is offered. There will be weekly assignments and a final project in the form of a translation with an accompanying analytical paper or a research paper.

The thesis project can be a translation, a research paper, or combination of a translation and a research paper. Students are paired with a thesis adviser with whom they consult to develop a project proposal. While working on their projects students receive feedback from their advisers. The final project is evaluated by an independent reviewer. In a thesis defense students explain their translation process and justify decisions made in the translation or arguments made in the research paper with reference to theoretical approaches and professional contexts.

This course provides students with the opportunity to synthesize their professional preparation in translation / interpreting with personal interest in an advanced or specialized topic. The student will work one-on-one with a designated instructor in the language pair or field most relevant to the project. With approval the Independent Study may be taken in conjunction with an internship in translation / interpreting. Unless otherwise specified, the final product of the independent study will be a 7,500-word research paper, field study report, or translation with an introductory essay. Students should contact the program director in advance to propose an independent study project.