Course Proposal Details for - Japanese Language 4A (Course code not assigned)
School
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
Course Description
The course will deal with understanding Japanese language and concentrate on
the areas of translation from Japanese to English, summarising Japanese texts in
English and reading comprehension. In the first semester, the work will consist of
a series of tasks in translating from Japanese to English and providing English
summaries of Japanese texts. Students will also have the opportunity to consider
theoretical and practical implications of translation and precis and to practise
advanced grammatical analysis. This will be done both through class discussion of
the tasks assigned and through lectures delivered in conjunction with Japanese
Language 4B. During the first half of the second semester, lectures and tutorials
will be delivered by different members of staff, focusing on approaches to reading
and translating Japanese in their respective areas of expertise. During the second
half of semester two, students will work independently or in groups on a
translation assignment.
Normal Year Taken
Year 4 Undergraduate
Course Level (PG/UG)
UG
Visiting Student
Availability
Available to all students
SCQF Credits
0
Credit Level (SCQF)
SCQF Level 10
Home Subject Area
Asian Studies
Other Subject Area
Language Sciences
Course Organiser
Helen Parker
Course Secretary
David Horn
% not taught by this
institution
Collaboration
Information (School /
Institution)
Total contact teaching
hours
Any costs to be met by
LLC BoS 18 January 2012
30
students
Pre-requisites
Sucessful completion of Japanese Year Abroad 3 and Japanese Language 3.
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations
Visting Student Prerequisites
Normally passes in courses equivalent to Japanese Year Abroad 3 and Japanese
Language 3. Admission to the course to be determined at the discretion of the
Course Organiser.
Keywords
Fee Code (if invoiced at
course level)
Proposer
Helen Parker
Default Mode of Study
Classes & Assessment incl. centrally arranged exam
Default delivery period
Blocks 1-3 (Sem 1-2)
Marking Scheme to be
employed
Common Marking Scheme - UG Honours Mark/Grade
Taught in Gaidhlig?
No
Course Type
Standard
Summary of Intended
Learning Outcomes/L01
To familiarize students with Japanese passages which handle different subject
matter and use different styles
To increase students' vocabulary, such that they are able to recognize the
characters recommended for daily use
To increase and consolidate students' knowledge of Japanese grammar and syntax
To provide students with the opportunity to consider how best to produce fluent,
idiomatic English translations which reflect the style and intent of the originals
To provide students with the opportunity to practise reading comprehension and
to develop their skills in summarizing Japanese texts in English
Learning Outcome 2
Learning Outcome 3
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Learning Outcome 4
Learning Outcome 5
Special Arrangements
None
Components of
Assessment
Semester 1: degree examination (December diet): 40%
Portfolio of written exercises: 20%
Semester 2: Participation and contribution to tutorials 15%
Translation assignment 25%
Exam Information
Syllabus
Academic Description
Study Pattern
Transferable Skills
Study Abroad
Reading Lists
Course name: Japanese Language 4A: Reading, Understanding and Translating
from Japanese Texts
SCQF Level: 10
SCQF Credits: 10 (note: 30 of the credits taken in Japanese Year Abroad 3 will be
assessed through the examinations and assignments on this course)
Other Subject Area: Linguistics
Course organiser: Helen Parker
Course Delivery Information:
Delivery period: Full Year (S1: weeks 1-11; S2: weeks 1-12)
Information for visiting students:
“Normally passes in courses equivalent to Japanese Year Abroad 3 (Single or
Combined) and Japanese Language 3. Admission to the course is to be determined
at the discretion of the Course Organiser.”
LLC BoS 18 January 2012
Short description:
The course will deal with reading and understanding Japanese language and
concentrate on the areas of translation from Japanese to English, summarising
Japanese texts in English and reading comprehension. In the first semester, the
work will consist of a series of tasks in translating from Japanese to English and
providing English summaries of Japanese texts. Students will also have the
opportunity to consider theoretical and practical implications of translation and
précis and to practise advanced grammatical analysis. This will be done both
through class discussion of the tasks assigned and through lectures delivered in
conjunction with Japanese Language 4B. During the first half of the second
semester, seminars will be delivered by different members of staff, focusing on
approaches to reading and translating Japanese in their respective areas of
expertise. During the second half of semester two, students will work
independently or in groups on a translation assignment.
Course aims:





To familiarize students with Japanese passages which handle different
subject matter and use different styles
To increase students' vocabulary, such that they are able to recognize the
characters recommended for daily use
To increase and consolidate students' knowledge of Japanese grammar and
syntax
To provide students with the opportunity to consider how best to produce
fluent, idiomatic English translations which reflect the style and intent of
the originals
To provide students with the opportunity to practise reading comprehension
and to develop their skills in summarizing Japanese texts in English
Summary of intended learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students should be able to:



Produce accurate and effective English translations of Japanese texts, using
a written style that is appropriate to the context and reflects that of the
source text
Read, understand, translate and summarize in English Japanese texts that
use the characters recommended for daily use and advanced grammar and
syntax
Describe, explain and analyse Japanese grammar and syntax to an advanced
level
Components of assessment:
Degree examination (December diet): 50%
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Class participation and contribution: 10%
Translation assignment 40%
Rationale
To improve the efficiency of Japanese language teaching and assessment in years
4, particularly in view of the increase in student numbers since the current courses
were introduced.
To improve the learning experience as well as quality and speed of assessment.
Course schedule:
Semester 1:
Week 1
Introductory lecture (no tutorial)
Week 2
Lecture 2: Contrastive Language Studies
Week 3
Tutorial: practical exercises in reading and précis
Week 4
Tutorial: practical exercises in translation
Week 5
Lecture 3: Language skills for Literary Translation
Week 6
Tutorial: translating literary texts 1
Week 7
Tutorial: translating literary texts 2
Week 8
Lecture 4: Support tools in Translation Practice
Week 9
Tutorial: using support tools for understanding the text
Week 10
Tutorial: using support tools for translation
LLC BoS 18 January 2012