SCHOOL OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANTIES
MA in Translation Studies
PROGRAMME HANDBOOK
2015/2016
Produced September 2015
MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Table of Contents
General Introduction ...................................................................... 3
SEMESTER 1 ................................................................................... 4
LXM4002 Research Methods............................................................ 4
LXM4021 Translation Studies: The Making of a Discipline ............... 5
SEMESTER 2 ................................................................................... 9
LXM4023 (optional) Translation in Practice ..................................... 9
QXP4036 (optional) Transcreative Writing ..................................... 11
LXM4024 Translation Portfolio ....................................................... 13
Summer Dissertation ................................................................... 14
Assessment at one Glance ............................................................ 15
Specific Module Assessment ........................................................ 17
Resources .................................................................................... 20
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
General Introduction
This flexible programme offers you an introduction to the growing discipline of
Translation Studies and to the main theoretical debates held in the field. It will also give
you the opportunity to develop high-level translation skills which you will need as a
practicing translator.
In semester 1, you will follow courses in Translation Studies theories and research
methodology. These modules help students move away from prototypical notions of
translation towards more open and fluid ones, where the translated text as an object of
study can be contextualized within cultures, identity politics (gender, race, nation) and
institutions.
In semester 2, your modules will look at a wide choice of subjects on Applied
Translation Studies, going from machine translation and translation memory software
to interpreting and translation in the Welsh institutions. You will also follow courses in
specialised written translation into English from the following languages (depending on
your chosen speciality): Welsh, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, German, French,
Greek and Chinese.
The MA in Translation Studies at the School of Modern languages and Cultures (SMLC)
is a taught programme lasting one calendar year if you follow it full time and two years
if followed part time. This means that you will be attending lectures, seminars and
practical classes for two semesters, while the summer is devoted to writing a
compulsory dissertation. The dissertation’s topic may be relevant to your chosen
language speciality or comparative in nature. It may also be a research-based approach
to an aspect of Translation Studies or a proposed translation of a text plus commentary.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
SEMESTER 1
LXM4002 Research Methods
Course organiser: Dr Linda Shortt
Time and Venue: Weeks 1, 5, 6, 9, 11 in Arts M14; Week 3 in SMLC PG Computer Room
The module focuses on the generic academic and interpersonal skills required to carry
out a research project successfully, aiming not only to equip students with such skills
but also to reflect critically upon them. The module covers the following areas, among
others:

academic writing skills

using on-line and printed bibliographies to conduct literature searches;

presenting bibliographies according to specified citation conventions;

preparing and delivering research papers;

preparation and use of visual aids.
Assessment: A variety of assignments related to research methodologies in
Translation Studies. Details and deadlines to be provided by the course organiser in
week 1.
Recommended Reading:
Hatim, B. and J. Munday (2004) Translation: An Advanced Resource Book, London:
Routledge.
Hermans, Theo (ed) (2002) Crosscultural Transgressions: Research Models in Translation
Studies II : Historical and Ideological Issues, Manchester: St Jerome.
Saldanha, G. and S. O’Brien (2013) Research Methodologies in Translation Studies,
Manchester: St. Jerome.
Williams, Jenny and Andrew Chesterman (2002) The Map: a Beginner's Guide to Doing
Research in Translation Studies, Manchester: St. Jerome.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
LXM4021 Translation Studies: The Making of a Discipline
Course Organiser: Dr Shuai Zhao
The module focuses on historical debates on translation and intercultural
communication with a focus on the theories that have made Translation Studies an
academic discipline since the 1970s. Specifically the module aims to equip students with
functional knowledge of translation theories and with the necessary skills, knowledge
and understanding to pursue independent research in the area of Translation Studies or
other cognate disciplines relating to translation.
Assessment: One 6,000-word essay (100%) on a pre-defined topic. For details on essay
titles see p. 17. Submission deadline: Friday, 15th January 2016, 5pm.
Note: Submission of hardcopy in organiser’s pigeon-hole and an electronic copy through
Turnitin.
Syllabus and Reading Material:
Week 2, 16:00-18:00, Monday, 5th October, in 430 (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Seminar 1: Introduction to Translation Studies
This is an initial overview of key questions and developments in the study of translation in
the Western world with particular focus on proto-theories of translation by historical
figures such as Cicero or St Jerome to the work of early 20th-century thinkers such as Walter
Benjamin and Roman Jakobson.
Compulsory Reading: Benjamin, Walter (1923) ‘The Task of the Translator’; Jakobson,
Roman (1959) ‘On Linguistic Aspects of Translation’; Catford, J.C (1962) ‘Translation Shifts’,
and Holmes, James S. (1972) ‘The Name and Nature of Translation Studies’.
Further Reading: Robinson, Douglas (1997, 2002) Western Translation Theory: From
Herodotus to Nietzsche, Manchester: St. Jerome. Chesterman, Andrew & Emma Wagner, Can
Theory Help Translators? A Dialogue Between the Ivory Tower and Wordface, Manchester: St.
Jerome.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Week 4, 16:00-18:00, Monday, 19th October, in 430 (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Seminar 2: Functional Translation Theories
This session looks at translation theories developing in the 1980s such as Itamar EvenZohar’s Polysystem theory, Reiss and Vermeer’s Skopos Theory or the so-called
Manipulation School. The session will be rounded with discussion on the debates that such
theories opened up and the possibility of translation as ideology.
Compulsory Reading: Hermans, Theo (1999) ‘Preamble: Mann’s Fate’, in Hermans,
Translation in Systems: Descriptive and Systemic Approaches Explained; Even-Zohar, Itamar
(1978, revised 1990) ‘The Position of Translated Literature within the Literary Polysystem’,
and Toury, Gideon (1978, 1998) ‘The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation’.
Further Reading: Lefevere, André (1992) Translation/History/Culture: A Sourcebook,
London: Routledge; Toury, Gideon (1995) Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond,
Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins; Nord, Christiane (1997) Translating as a
Purposeful Activity. Functionalist Approaches Explained, Manchester: St. Jerome.
Week 6, 16:00-18:00, Monday, 2th November, in 430 (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Seminar 3: Gender and the ‘Cultural Turn’ in Translation Studies
Susan Bassnett and André Lefevere said in 1990 that ‘neither the word, nor the text, but the
culture becomes the operational ‘unit’ of translation’ (1990: 8). In this session we will look at
what this statement meant for TS and how a further rapprochement between gender studies
and translation was to develop from the 1990’s onwards.
Compulsory Reading: Chamberlain, Lori (1988) ‘Gender and the Metaphorics of
Translation’; Miguélez-Carballeira, Helena (2003) ‘Language and Characterization in Mercè
Rodoreda’s La plaça del Diamant, The Translator 9(1): 101-124; Reimondez, María (2009)
‘The Curious incident of Feminist Translation in Galicia: Courtcases, Lies and
Gendern@tions’, Galicia 21: Journal of Contemporary Galician Studies A: 68-89 (available
from www.galicia21journal.org )
Further Reading: von Flotow, Luise (1997) Translation and Gender: Translating in the “Era
of Feminism”, Manchester: St. Jerome; Simon, Sherry (1995) Gender in Translation: Cultural
Identity and the Politics of Transmission, London: Routledge; Santaemilia, José (2005) Gender,
Sex and Translation: the Manipulation of Identities, Manchester: St Jerome.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Week 8, 16:00-18:00, Monday, 16th November, in 430 (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Seminar 4: Postcolonial Theories and Translation
In this session, we shall review how debates on sexual identities and ‘queer’ studies have
been applied to the study of translation. In relation to identity politics too, we shall study
how the recent conflation between postcolonial thought and translation has shifted the
focus on issues of power in intercultural communication.
Compulsory Reading: Keenaghan, Eric (1998) ‘Jack Spicer’s Pricks and Cocksuckers:
Translating Homosexuality into Visibility’, The Translator 4(2): 273-294; Said, Edward
(1978) from Orientalism, in Mongia (ed): 21-36; Chapter 2 of Tymoczko, Maria (1999)
Translation in a Postcolonial Context, Manchester: St Jerome; Spivak, Gayatri (1992) ‘The
Politics of Translation’.
Further Reading: Robinson, Douglas (1997) Translation and Empire: Postcolonial
Theories Explained, Manchester: St Jerome; Harvey, Keith (2003) American Gay in French
Translation, Manchester: St Jerome; Larkosh, Christopher (ed) (2011) Re-Engendering
Translation: Transcultural Practice, Gender/Sexuality and the Politics of Alterity,
Manchester: St Jerome.
Week 10, 16:00-18:00, Monday, 30th November, in 430 (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Seminar 5: Translation, Globalisation and Minority
In this session, we will be surveying the emerging debates surrounding translation
practice in an increasingly globalised world and how this affects so-called minority or
less-translated languages. Discussions will ensue as to notions of political engagement in
translation and the practice of self-translation.
Compulsory Reading: Whyte, Christopher (2002) ‘Against Self-Translation’, Translation
and Literature 11(1): 64-71; Davies, Grahame ‘Sleeping with the Enemy: The Tensions of
Literary Translation, New Welsh Review 64: 58-64.
Further Reading: Cronin, Michael (2003) Translation and Globalization, London:
Routledge; Special Issue of The Translator on Minority languages, ed. by Lawrence Venuti
(1998); Branchadell, Albert (2005) Less Translated Languages, Amsterdam/Philadelphia:
John Benjamins.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Week 12, 16:00-18:00, Monday, 14th December, in 430 (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Seminar 6: Recent Directions in Translation Studies
In this final session, we will discuss some of the more recent directions in translation
research, such as translation in contexts of geopolitical conflict, sociological and
metacritical approaches to translation and to Translation Studies as a discipline. We will
also look at translation-related practices (localisation) in the context of audiovisual
material and new media.
Compulsory Reading: O’Hagan, Minako (2012) ‘Translation as the New Game in the
Digital Era’, Translation Spaces 1, 123-141; Susam-Sarajeva, Şebnem (2002) ‘A
“Multilingual” and “International” Translation Studies?’ in Hermans, T. (ed) Crosscultural
Transgressions. Research Models in Translation Studies II: Historical and Ideological Issues.
Manchester: St Jerome, 193-207; Tymoczko, Maria (2010), “The Space and Time of
Activist Translation” in Tymoczko, Translation, Resistance, Activism, Amherst: University
of Massachusetts Press.
Further Reading: Baker, Mona (2006) Translation and Conflict, London: Routledge;
Special issue of The Translator (2005) on “Bourdieu and the Sociology of Translation and
Interpreting”, Volume 11 (2); Ferreira, Duarte, João et al (eds) (2006) Translation Studies
at the Interface of Disciplines, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins; Cronin, Michael
(2012), Translation in the Digital Age, London: Routledge.
“The Making of a Discipline” Workshops:
These workshops allow you to examine various venues of translation practice, engage with the
theories of the field, and participate in the discussion with your peers and staff. The first
workshop will be based on a practical translation assignment which will count towards the
Translation Portfolio in semester 2. The second workshop will recap on some critical aspects
which were discussed during this module.
Week 11, 15:00-16:30, Tuesday, 8th December, in Club (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Workshop 1: Translating the Welsh Landscape
Week 12, 15:00-16:30, Tuesday, 15th December, in Club (Dr Shuai Zhao)
Workshop 2: Translation and Critical Theory
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
SEMESTER 2
LXM4023 Translation in Practice
Course Organiser: Dr Shuai Zhao
Time and Venue: (TBC)
This module introduces students to a series of methodological and practical skills that
will help them develop an understanding of the complex skills required to comply with
professional practice, standards, and ethics. Students will be able to study aspects of
applied translation including machine translation, translation software (through a
series of workshops on one of the most popular translation tools among employers, SDL
Trados Translation Software), terminology, interpreting and translation in the Welsh
context.
Assessment: One practical assignment (2,000 words; 40%) and one critical essay
(4,000 words; 60%). For details on both assessments see p. 18-19. Submission
deadlines: Friday 6th May 2015, 5pm (practical assignment); Friday 20th May 2016, 5pm
(essay).
Syllabus and Reading Material:
Seminar 1 (Week 1): Elements in Translation Practice
Compulsory Reading: Gouadec, Daniel (2007) Translation as a Profession, Amsterdam:
John Benjamins. (Available as an electronic version)
Further Reading: Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey (2010) A Practical Guide for Translators
(5th edition). Bristol/Buffalo/Toronto: Multilingual Matters.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Seminar 2 (Week 3): Terms and Terminology
Compulsory Reading: Bowker, Lynne (2006) Lexicography, Terminology and
Translation: Text-based Studies in Honour of Ingrid Meyer, Ottawa: Ottawa University
Press.
Further Reading: Cabré, Maria Teresa (1999) Terminology: Theory, Methods and
Applications, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Workshop: 1st site visit to Canolfan Bedwyr (subject to arrangement)
Seminar 3 (Week 5): Introducing Translation Memory Software
Compulsory Reading: Bowker, Lynne (2002) Computer-Aided Translation Technology:
A Practical Introduction, Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.
Seminar 4 (Week 7): Working with SDL Trados (By Dr Stefan Baumgarten)
Workshop 1: SDL Trados (no reading required)
Workshop 2: 2nd site visit to Canolfan Bedwyr (subject to arrangement)
Seminar 5 (Week 9): Translating Marketing Materials
Compulsory Reading: Adab, Beverly and Cristina Valdés Rodriguez (eds) (2004) ‘Key
Debates in the Translation of Advertising Material’, Special Issue of The
Translator 10(2).
Further Reading: Torresi, Ira (2010) Translating Promotional and Advertising Texts,
Manchester: St. Jerome.
Seminar 6 (Week 11): Introduction to Public Service Interpreting
Compulsory Reading: Corsellis, Ann (2008) Public Service Interpreting: The First Steps,
New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Workshop: visit to Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre (subject to arrangement)
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
QXP4036 (optional) Transcreative Writing
Course Organiser: Dr Zoe Skoulding
Time and Venue: (TBC)
Through creative and critical approaches, this module examines translation as a form of
creative rewriting. It takes as its starting point the view that all writing may be usefully
viewed as rewriting, and that working with existing sources expands creative
possibilities by challenging the conventional view of the author as sole originator of
texts. It engages with the difficulties and the potential presented by translation of
literature from one language to another, and compares translation between languages
with rewriting across different genres and art forms. It involves discussion of
equivalence and the extent to which linguistic and cultural phenomena are translatable.
Assessment: One 6000-word essay (100%). Details and deadlines to be provided by the
course organiser.
Module Aims:

To enable critically informed reading of contemporary literature in translation.

To develop practical knowledge of the creative process in writing and translation.

To focus attention on writing style by giving students opportunities to rework
existing material in a different art-form, genre or language.

To encourage consideration of the problems and possibilities presented by
transferring literary ideas, themes or materials from one context to another.

To develop understanding of different cultural contexts and their effect on writers.

To synthesise creative and critical responses to a range of texts.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Syllabus and Reading Material:

Introduction: creation and rewriting

Text and image

Literary translation in bilingual contexts

Words, sound and music

Cross-cultural influence and translation practice

Nomadic poetics and writing across languages
Compulsory Reading:
Venuti, Lawrence (ed.) (2004) The Translation Studies Reader, London: Routledge.
Loffredo, Eugenia and Manuela Perteghella (2006) Translation and Creativity:
Perspectives on Creative Writing and Translation Studies, London: Continuum.
Further Reading:
Bassnett-McGuire, Susan (2002) Translation Studies, London: Routledge.
Clancy, Joseph P (1999) Other Words: Essays on Poetry and Translation, Cardiff:
University of Wales Press.
Minhinnick, Robert (2003) The Adulterer's Tongue, Manchester: Carcanet.
Smith, Hazel (ed.) (2005) The Writing Experiment, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
LXM4024 Translation Portfolio
Course Organiser: Dr Shuai Zhao; Time and Venue: (TBC)
This module comprises six translation workshops designed for students to achieve as broad a
perspective as possible on the practice of translation in their language speciality. More
specifically, this module gives students the opportunity to discuss issues in translation practice
with specific reference to their own translations, and allows them to produce translations in
conditions that encourage and facilitate reflection on the process and product of translation.
The discussions in workshops will inform students’ practice in assembling an individual
translation portfolio. Languages available include English, Welsh, German, French, Italian,
Greek, Spanish, Galician, Catalan and Chinese.
Assessment: A portfolio of written translation exercises in the student’s language speciality.
One translation-in-practice assignment of 2000 words (20%; to be submitted at the end of
semester 1). One translation portfolio (7000 words; 80%); the portfolio contains 5000 words for
the translation and 2000 words for the commentary. The portfolio includes a selection of texts
chosen by the student under the relevant tutor’s guidance. Details and deadlines to be provided
by the course organiser.
Syllabus and Reading Material
Compulsory Reading: Baker, Mona (2011) In Other Words, London: Routledge;
Munday, Jeremy (2012) Evaluation in Translation: Critical Points of Translator Decisionmaking, London: Routledge.
Workshop 1 (Week 2):
Approaches to Translation Practice (language specific)
Dedicated Translation Time
Workshop 2 (Week 4):
Language-specific Translation Workshop 1
Dedicated Translation Time
Workshop 3 (Week 6):
Language-specific Translation Workshop 2
Dedicated Translation Time
Workshop 4 (Week 8):
Language-specific Translation Workshop 3
Dedicated Translation Time
Workshop 5 (Week 10):
Language-specific Translation Workshop 4
Discussion on Individual Portfolios
Workshop 6 (Week 11):
Presentations on Individual Portfolios.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Summer Dissertation
By the end of May, you will have completed the taught component of your MA and will be in a
position to start working on your summer dissertation exclusively. With our guidance
throughout the year, you will have chosen a research topic OR an extended text for translation
into your language speciality. In the case of a research-based 20,000-word dissertation, you will
be expected to produce an independently researched piece which will reflect and prove the
knowledge and skills acquired during the taught modules. The topic chosen may be specific to
one culture or comparative. If you opt for the extended translation option, you will submit a
12,000-word translation of a text of your choice (the selection of this text will be consulted with
the relevant supervisor) followed by an 8,000-word detailed commentary where relevant
translational strategies, theories and choices are explained.
PLEASE NOTE:
For those who go for the translation + commentary option: Please make sure beforehand that
the ST has not been translated into your TL. If you nevertheless wish to work on a ST which has
already been translated, you will have to present a very strong case for your retranslation, and
your TT should be distinctly different from the existing version. In cases where a retranslation
will be proposed, we would expect the student to carry out a mixture of a research dissertation
and a translation + commentary dissertation. The word limits will accordingly be readjusted.
Please check this with your course organiser.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Assessment at one Glance
Stages
Translation theory and aspects
of applied translation in
context
Practical aspects of research
in TS and translation practice
First Semester
LXM4021 Translation Studies:
The Making of a Discipline
(30 credits)
LXM4002 Research
Methodologies
(30 credits)
Second Semester
LXM4023 (optional)
Translation in Practice
(30 credits)
LXM4024 Translation Portfolio
(30credits)
QXP 4036 (optional)
Transcreative Writing
(30 credits)
Dissertation
20,000 words: EITHER a research-led project in TS OR an extended
translation plus commentary. (60 credits)
Assessment Requirements
For you to proceed from the taught stage to the research stage of the programme, after the end
of the second semester, you need to pass all FOUR taught modules in the first and second
semester, as per the assessment scheme outlined below:
Course
Credits
LXM4021 Translation Studies:
The Making of a Discipline
30
LXM4002 Research Methods
30
LXM4023 Translation in Practice (or)
QXP 4036 Transcreative Writing
30
LXM4024 Translation Portfolio
30
Total
120
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Coursework Assignments at one Glance
The assessment of the degree’s coursework component is based on the following assignments:
Semester 1
1. LXM4002 Research Methods: A variety of assignments related to research methodologies in
Translation Studies. Details and deadlines to be provided by the course organiser.
2. LXM4021 Translation Studies: The Making of a Discipline: One 6,000-word essay (100%)
on a pre-defined topic. Submission deadline: Friday, 15th January 2016, 5pm.
3. A short written translation assignment with commentary, which will count towards your
LXM4024 Translation Portfolio in Semester 2 (20%). Details and deadline to be provided by
the course organiser. Submission deadline: Thursday, 17th December 2015, 5pm.
Semester 2
5. LXM4023 (optional) Translation in Practice: One 4000-word essay (60%), and one
translation-in-practice assignment of 2000 words (40%). Submission deadlines: Friday, 6th May
2016, 5pm (practical assignment); Friday, 20th May 2016, 5pm (essay).
4. LXM4024 Translation Portfolio: A portfolio of written translation exercises in the student’s
language speciality. One translation-in-practice assignment of 2000 words (20%; to be
submitted at the end of semester 1). One translation portfolio (7000 words; 80%); the portfolio
contains 5000 words for the translation and 2000 words for the commentary. The portfolio
includes a selection of texts chosen by the student under the relevant tutor’s guidance. Details
and deadlines to be provided by the course organiser.
6. QXP4036 (optional) Transcreative Writing: One 6000-word essay (100%). Details and
deadlines to be provided by the course organiser.
Word limit: You are required to stick to the stipulated word limit for each assignment.
It is the responsibility of all students to hand in one hard copy of their essay (plus an
electronic copy via Turnitin on Blackboard) to the relevant course organiser for each
module. Late coursework will not be accepted without a good reason, such as illness. A mark of
0% will be recorded if you fail to advise your course organiser of the reason for a late
submission and to produce the appropriate evidence (medical certificate, etc.). Any extension to
the coursework deadline for a particular student must be approved by the relevant course
organiser and the reason for extension must be recorded.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Specific Module Assessment
LXM4021 Translation Studies: The Making of a Discipline
Choose ONE from the following four options:
1. In his 1972 seminal essay, James Holmes complained that one of the main
“impediments” for the development of the discipline of Translation Studies was
“the lack of appropriate channels of communication” (Holmes 1972: 173).
Discuss how this situation has changed and how the position of TS across the
disciplinary grid has evolved from the moment of its inception to the present
day.
2. Discuss the presence of ‘prescriptivist’ attitudes in the different theories of
translation that you have studied.
3. Discuss how the connection between translation and creativity has been treated
in the different theories of translation you have studied.
4. “There have been several ‘turns’ or transitions in terms of the varying relevance
attributed over time to the importation of theoretical models, concepts and
research methods from disciplines that had long claimed sovereignty over a
section of scholarly or scientific territory” (Ferreira Duarte; Assis Rosa and
Seruya 2006: 2). In view of the above quotation, discuss the paradigmatic
changes that occurred in the discipline of Translation Studies since its inception.
Relate your analysis of the subject to current and potential future trends in the
field.
Submission Deadline: Friday 15th January 2016, 5pm.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
LXM4023: Translation in Practice (assignment 1; 2000 words; 40%)
Choose ONE from the following two options. Whichever option you choose, your
essay needs to refer to secondary sources.
1) Read the text attached (‘Anger management style, hostility and spouse responses: gender
differences in predictors of adjustment among chronic pain patients’) and write a 2000-word
report on the online and electronic resources that could be used in the translation of this text
into a language of your choice. Your report should take into account the following context: the
translation has been commissioned by a team of psychotherapists and counsellors who will be
running a series of workshops on domestic violence for the local community.
Bear in mind that you are not asked to translate this article but to write a report where you
address how the electronic resources available would help you prepare your translation in
advance. Your report should include discussion of electronic resources for:

Carrying out background research on the topic (SL and TL)

Carrying out terminological research

Production of translation
2) Melanie Smith has recently set up her own small translation agency. Her first large contract is
with a small international business consultancy based in London. The consultancy has had a
large increase in translation work recently, undertaken so far by inexperienced members of
staff. Melanie suggests that state-of-the-art equipment will be necessary for dealing with an
increased quantity of translations and improving quality. She proposes that the company should
purchase an expensive translation memory package, and is convinced that the investment is
well worth the price. However, her associates in the company are rather doubtful. They suggest
she write a report about this technology’s potential benefits and drawbacks, upon which they
would base their decision.
Write a report to persuade your associates of this technology’s potential benefits. In doing so,
first explain in detail how translation memory works. And since you want to reach a mutual
consensus on a possible purchase, provide an honest and carefully balanced account of benefits
and drawbacks of translation memory systems. Your report should engage with the relevant
studies in this field. You might also want to include a comparison of different translation
memory systems available on the market.
Submission Deadline: Friday 6th May 2016, 5pm.
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
LXM4023: Translation in Practice (assignment 2; 4000 words; 60%)
Choose ONE from the following three options. Whichever option you choose, your
essay needs to refer to secondary sources.
1) Give an overview of standards for terminology and associated language
resources and their relevance to the translation industry.
2) The advertising text is conditional upon, and a product of, the culture in which it
is meant to operate. Discuss the role of the translator in re-creating the appeal of
advertising texts in different lingua-cultural contexts.
3) Discuss the validity and applicability of the requirement for impartiality in the
codes of conduct from the Chartered Institute of Linguists and Institute of
Translation & Interpreting in the context of public service interpreting.
3.12 Practitioners shall at all times act impartially and shall not act in any
way that might result in prejudice or preference on grounds of religion or
belief, race, politics or gender, otherwise than as obliged to in order
faithfully to translate, interpret or otherwise transfer meaning.
(Chartered Institute of Linguists, Code of Professional Conduct)
4.2 Members shall interpret impartially between the various parties in the
languages for which they are registered with the Institute and, with due
regard to the circumstances prevailing at the time, take all reasonable
steps to ensure complete and effective communication between the
parties, including intervention to prevent misunderstanding and incorrect
cultural inference.
(Institute of Translation & Interpreting, Code of Professional Conduct)
Submission Deadline: Friday 20th May 2016, 5pm.
QXP 4036 Transcreative Writing (essay; 6000 words; 100% )
Discuss the notion of creativity in a literary translation work, or in a comparative
analysis of two literary translation works.
Submission Deadline: tbc
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
Resources
The School of Modern languages and Culturesis Bangor University’s centre for academic
activities and teaching in the field of Translation Studies. The School is the hub for an
ever growing community of students, academics and practitioners who deal with
translation from a variety of perspectives and in different contexts. Here is a list of the
resources available for you to make the most of this learning environment.
You might find these three reference sources a good place to start your research:
Translation Studies Bibliography: http://unicat.bangor.ac.uk/record=e1000704~S1
Handbook of Translation Studies: http://unicat.bangor.ac.uk/record=e1000702~S1
Bibliography of Interpreting and Translation:
https://aplicacionesua.cpd.ua.es/tra_int/usu/buscar.asp?idioma=en
The library has a subscription to three of the main journals on Translation Studies: The
Translator: Studies in Intercultural Communication, Translation Studies (both Routledge)
and Target (John Benjamins). Other journals that you may wish to consult in the future
when doing research include: Meta, Babel, TTR, Viceversa (Held in the Centre for
Galician Studies’ Library), and The Journal of Specialised Translation, fully available for
free at: www.jostrans.org.
The library holds a good collection of books related to Translation Studies, which is
expanding as we speak! The shelf-mark will tend to be P306, although studies with, say,
a French literature slant or a historiographical one, may well have been placed
elsewhere. The on-line catalogue is always your best way of locating these, but I suggest
you have a (physical) browse around the P306 area so that you get a feel for what
publications there are that may be already of your interest.
The School of Modern languages and Cultures has subscriptions of the Bulletin of the
Institute of Translating and Interpreting (ITI Bulletin) and The Linguist (Chartered
Institute of Linguists), which are to be found in Treffpunkt (the German Studies
resource room, opposite SMLC’s administration office). They are extremely useful
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MA in Translation Studies 20152016
publications if you wish to get up-to-date info about the profession, training courses,
new software, surveys, book reviews, etc. They also include brief academic articles.
There are several mailing lists that you may want to join as newly-arrived
students/researchers and practitioners in translation. We would thoroughly
recommend that you join the Translation Studies Mailing List simply by sending an email
to the following address: TRANSLATION-STUDIES@listserv.manchester.ac.uk
Mona Baker's personal website is always full of news about publications, resources,
jobs, etc. Her website is highly political and it is no coincidence that her stance and her
pioneering work on TS have always gone hand in hand: www.monabaker.com, and
www.monabaker.com/tsresources/.
You might be want to join these academic and/or professional organizations:
Chartered Institute of Linguists: www.iol.org.uk
Institute of Translation and Interpreting: www.iti.org.uk
International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies: www.iatis.org
On the SMLC-website, you can also find a section with relevant documents for
downloading: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ml/InfoforPostgrads.php
We also organise an annual Translation in Context lecture series. In the past, invited
speakers have included Welsh poet, translator and journalist Graeme Davies, Prof.
Michael Cronin (Dublin City University), Galician literary translator and interpreter
María Reimóndez (University of Vigo), Prof. John Rutherford (Oxford University), Prof.
Margaret Rogers (University of Surrey), and recently also Prof. Susan Bassnett
(Warwick University). We will keep you posted on any information regarding this
academic year’s event, and not least because your attendance is compulsory! 
We hope this is, for the moment, enough to get you started (and excited) about the new
and thriving field of study you have just become a part of!
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