ARAB 4501 SYLLABUS
COURSE AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Course: ARAB 4501, Arabic-English Translation
Semester: Fall, 2015
Time: Monday and Wednesday 04:45 PM - 06:00 PM
Location: GELM 609
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will introduce a method of translation and instruct how this method can best
be applied during one’s Arabic to English translation. Material presented during the
course will aim at training the student translator to apply the basics of this method to
his/her translation(s). The goal being that the student translator translates the source text
(ST) of the source language (SL) into the target text (TT) with a minimum of contextual
and cultural loss of meaning so that a speaker of the target language (TL) reads the text as
s/he would any other native (TL) text. Basic problems commonly encountered during
translation will be highlighted so by the end of the course the student translator will have
a sense of how to develop and apply an appropriate strategy to his/her translations in the
future. Some of the translation concerns that the student will study during the course will
be text analysis, context, sentence and structural relations, and metaphor.
As an introductory course in translation, material translated will be relevant to the type of
translations a translator would be asked to translate professionally (i.e., literary, poetic,
legal, scientific, news, business, official documents, etc.) and appropriate for the level of
the class.
In-class time devoted to the review of translation text will endeavor to
encourage a collegial sense of teamwork and group editing, so that students can learn that
translating is not an occupation performed in isolation and that variations in translation
meaning are possible. Assigned readings are intended to enrich in-class discussions and
provide students with an appreciation of various translation theories.
In-class quizzes will be given three (3) times over the course of the term and consume 30
minutes of class time and require the student to translate a short paragraph of text (approx.
250 words). The midterm test will require the student to translate a longer text that
should consume no more than 60 minutes of class time.
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The final exam will be
Syllabus
ARAB 4501, Arabic-English Translation
administered as if it was a language certification exam that commercial and governmental
entities administer to their applicants.
One translation project will be required of the students during the term due at the time of
class the thirteenth week of the course. The project will require the student to translate an
assigned document of 1,500-2,000 words in length.
Time commitment
As a weekly course of two and a half hours (2.5), it is expected that the student will
expend approximately 6-8 hrs a week outside the classroom on assigned translations and
readings from the course book’s text.
Week
Chapter(s)
One
Chapter One: Preliminaries to translation as a process.
Assignment: Translate a news article.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 11-16, 71-82.
Two
Chapter Two: Preliminaries to translation as a product.
Assignment: Translate a scholarly article.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 17-31.
Three
Chapter Three: Cultural Transposition.
Assignment: Translate a cultural text.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 55-59.
Four
Chapter Four: Compensation.
Assignment: Translate a political text.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 32-35.
Five
Chapter Five: Denotative Meaning and Translation Issues.
Assignment: Translate a legal text.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 36-54.
Six
Chapter Six: Connotative Meaning and Translation Issues.
Assignment: Translate a segment of a short story or novel.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 68-70.
Seven
Chapter Seven: Phonic/graphic and Prosodic Issues in Translation.
Assignment: Translate a poem.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 186-192.
Eight
Review of Material followed by Midterm Exam.
Nine
Chapter Eight: Grammatical Issues in Translation.
Assignment: Translate an economic text.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 68-70.
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Syllabus
Ten
ARAB 4501, Arabic-English Translation
Chapter Nine: Sentential Issues in Translation.
Assignment: Translate a fax-like text.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 193-203.
Eleven
Chapter Ten: Discourse and Inter-textual Issues in Translation.
Assignment: Translate a personal correspondence document (i.e., letter, note,
etc.).
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 144-151.
Twelve
Chapter Eleven: Metaphor.
Assignment: Translate a religious interview (i.e., taken from aljazeera.net).
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 204-217.
Thirteen
Review both Weekly Translation and Final Translation Project –
(Thanksgiving Week).
Fourteen
Chapter Twelve: Language Variety and Translation: Register,
Sociolect, and Dialect.
Assignment: Translate a text interspersed with dialectal terms.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 152-162.
(Submit Final Translation Project)
Fifteen
Chapter Thirteen: Textual Genre as a Factor in Translation.
Assignment: Review weekly translation.
Extra Reading: Theories of Translation, pp. 228-238.
FINAL EXAMINATION
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)
The course is open to students who are either in their senior undergraduate year and have
reached a level 2/2+ ILR language proficiency in Arabic or students studying Arabic at
the graduate level, who have also achieved a level 2/2+ ILR language proficiency in
Arabic. Native speakers of Arabic are welcome, however, it is required that their mastery
of English is comparable to their classmates mastery of Arabic.
TEXTS
Required Textbooks
Dickins, James, Sandor Hervey, et al., Thinking about Translation: A Course in
Translation Method: Arabic to English, New York: Routledge, 2002.
Any English Dictionary
Any English Thesaurus
Baalbaki, Rohi, al-Mawrid: A Modern Arabic-English Dictionary, Beirut, Lebanon: Dar
al-‘Ilm lil-Malayin, 2001.
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Syllabus
ARAB 4501, Arabic-English Translation
Al-Warraki, Nariman N. and Ahmad Taher Hassanein, The Connectors in Modern
Standard Arabic, Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2004.
Wehr, Hans, ed. By J. Milton Cowan, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th ed.
Urbana, IL: Spoken Language Services, Inc. 2003.
Recommended Textbooks
Baker, Mona, In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation, New York, Routledge,
2011.
Biguenet, John and Rainer Schulte, ed., 1992, Theories of Translation: An Anthology of
Essays from Dryden to Derrida, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hassanein, Azza, Modern Standard Arabic Grammar: A Concise Guide, New York, NY:
The American University in Cairo Press, 2006.
Larson, Mildred L., Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language
Equivalence, 2nd ed. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1998.
Paul, Gill, ed., 2009. Translation in Practice: A Symposium, Champaign and London:
British Centre for Literary Translation, Arts Council England, The Society of
Authors, British Council, and Dalkey Archive Press.
Ryding, Karin, A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Venuti, Lawrence. The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference. New
York: Routledge, 1998.
Venuti, Lawrence, ed., 2004. The Translation Studies Reader. 2 ed. New York:
Routledge.
Recommended Dictionary and Grammar Books
Al-Khatib, Ahmad Sh., edited and compiled by, A New Dictionary of Petroleum and the
Oil Industry: English-Arabic, Bayrut, Lubnan: Libraire Du Liban, 1975.
Al-Khatib, Ahmad Sh., edited by, Chihabi’s Dictionary of Agricultural and Allied
Terminology: English-Arabic, Bayrut, Lubnan: Libraire Du Liban, 1982.
El-Dahdah, Antoine, reviewed by Georges M. Abdul-Massih, An Intermediate Dictionary
of Verb Conjugation, Beirut, Lebanon: Maktabat Lubnan, 1996.
Faruqi, Harith Suleiman, Faruqi’s Law Dictionary: English-Arabic, Bayrut, Lubnan:
Libraire Du Liban, 2002.
Faruqi, Harith Suleiman, Faruqi’s Law Dictionary: Arabic-English, Bayrut, Lubnan:
Libraire Du Liban, 1995.
Ghali, Wagdy Rizk and J.H. Adam, A Dictionary of Business Terms: English-Arabic,
Beirut, Lebanon: Maktabat Lubnan, 1996.
Hammad, Alam E., Encyclopedia of Computer Terms, Alexandria, VA: American Global
Publishing, 1994.
Hava, J.G., al-Faraid: Arabic-English Dictionary, Bayrut, Lubnan: Maktabat alSharqiyah, 1982.
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Syllabus
ARAB 4501, Arabic-English Translation
Al-Munjid: Fi al-Lughah wa-al-‘Alam, Bayrut, Lubnan: Dar al-Mashriq, 1986
Wahba, Magdi, A Dictionary of Literary Terms: English-French-Arabic, Bayrut, Lubnan:
Librairie Du Liban, 1974.
Wright, W., A Grammar of the Arabic Language, Cambridge, London: Cambridge
University Press, 1979.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
As a result of completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Exhibit an evincing knowledge of the concepts and applications of the studied
translation method.
2. Demonstrate an ability to apply the studied translation method to one’s translations
with a minimum of loss in the original’s meaning.
3. Show an ability to translate various types of documents (i.e., technical, legal, political,
literary, etc.) to acceptable commercial standards.
4. Show an understanding of different translation theories that have arisen over history
and how they affect translations.
[For information on learning outcomes and course assessment, see
http://assessment.gwu.edu/course-assessment]
GRADING
 Class Participation & Homework
 Three Quizzes, Midterm & Final Exam
 Translation Project
25%
50%
25%
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance policy: Students are permitted two unexcused absences, but three or more
unexcused absences are considered excessive absence and a student's grade will be
lowered by one grade due to excessive absences. Furthermore, 6 or more absences from
class will result in forced deregistration from the course. Exceptions will be made
depending on legitimate circumstances, such as medical and family emergencies and
religious observances.
Late work: Late work will be accepted depending on legitimate circumstances, such as
medical and family emergencies and religious observances.
Make-up exams: Make-up exams will not be allowed as a general rule other than for
those who have legitimate circumstances, such as medical and family emergencies and
religious observances. It will be the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor prior
to the missed exam of the absence and the reason(s) for it.
In-Class Conduct: No cell phones or other electronic devices (computers and other WiFi devices) are to be used in the classroom during class time for non-instructional
purposes.
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Syllabus
ARAB 4501, Arabic-English Translation
University Policy on Religious Holidays:
1. Students should notify faculty during the first week of the semester of their
intention to be absent from class on their day(s) of religious observance;
2. Faculty should extend to these students the courtesy of absence without penalty on
such occasions, including permission to make up examinations;
3. Faculty who intend to observe a religious holiday should arrange at the beginning
of the semester to reschedule missed classes or to make other provisions for their
course-related activities
[NOTE: for other university policies on teaching, see
http://www.gwu.edu/~academic/Teaching/main.htm ]
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
I personally support the GW Code of Academic Integrity. It states: “Academic dishonesty
is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work, taking
credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization,
and the fabrication of information.” For the remainder of the code, see:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS)
Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a
disability should contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the
Marvin Center, Suite 242, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable
accommodations. For additional information please refer to: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/
UNIVERSITY COUNSELING CENTER (UCC) 202-994-5300
The University Counseling Center (UCC) offers 24/7 assistance and referral to
address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services for students
include:
- crisis and emergency mental health consultations
- confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and
referrals
http://gwired.gwu.edu/counsel/CounselingServices/AcademicSupportServices
SECURITY
In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the
building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building.
After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location.
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