The Islamic University of Gaza
Faculty of Arts, Department of English
Instructor: Dr. Mohammed El Haj Ahmed
Course: Translation 2 (ENGL3324)
I. Course Description:
As a continuation of translation I, this course aims at further developing students'
awareness and improving their overall ability in English-Arabic translation. Training will
be conducted on a variety of selected texts covering various themes: literary, scientific,
religious, media, etc. Particular emphasis is to be laid on technical terms, semantic
differences, ambiguity, synonymy, and other similar problematic areas which encounter
the translator.
II. Objectives
A. Competence Objectives
1. To improve students' general ability and widen their awareness of main translation
issues in English and Arabic.
2. To build students’ competence and confidence to translate a variety of texts (political,
religious, scientific, literary, etc.).
3. To enhance students’ translation competences and strategies to overcome language
(lexical, grammatical, syntactic, etc) and cultural differences between English and
Arabic which cause translation difficulties.
4. To provide students with practical opportunities to translate short texts based on
problematic differences between the two languages.
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5. To provide students with practical opportunities to translate short texts containing
cultural or non-equivalent phrases.
6. To widen students' vocabulary repertoire and word construction.
B: Skills Objectives:
1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of main translation issues in English and
Arabic.
2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the common translation problems related
to the multi-level linguistic differences between Arabic and English.
3. translate short texts that are problematic and based on linguistic and cultural
differences between Arabic and English.
4.identify and overcome lexical, grammatical, cultural and discourse problems, using
appropriate translation strategies and techniques.
5. use the vocabulary and expressions discussed in a variety of meaningful contexts.
6. to develop students' simultaneous and consecutive interpreting skills.
7. to develop students' public speaking skills through presentations and simulation.
8. to develop the two linguistic notions of monitoring and managing through students'
engagement in analyzing different text types.
C. Value Objectives
1. To help the student translator disseminate the Islamic values in general and the values
and principles of the IUG in particular
2. To employ the bicultural role of the translator in bridging the differences between the
eastern and western cultures
3. To help students better convey the daily sufferings and hardship practised against them
and their people by the Israeli occupation
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III. Course Components:
Topic
Introduction and revision of topics
studied in the previous course
No. of Lectures
One week
Connotative meaning and
translation issues:
Two weeks
Practical 1: collocation
Practical 2: Connotative meaning
‫الرحلة‬
Grammatical Issues in translation:
grammatical arrangement,
morphological repetition, lexical
repetition
Two weeks
Practical 3: ‫حوار الثقافات‬
Sentential issues in translation:
theme&rheme, foregrounding and
backgrounding, translation of
Arabic coordinated clauses
Two weeks
Practical 4: ‫لقد دفعت السعودية‬
Discourse and intertextual issues
in Translation:
Three weeks
The discourse level: cohesion and
coherence, sentence splitting,
textual restructuring, paragraphing
The intertextual level: genre
membership, quotation and
allusion
Practical 5: ‫األخوان المسلمون‬
Practical 6: ‫أكراد العراق‬
Mid-term exam & exam feedback
One week
Practicals : translation of other
types of texts : legal, literary,
political etc.
Final Exam
Four weeks
One week
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IV. Assessment:
The course assessment is based on the following:
1. Mid-term exam 30
2. Attendance, participation and assignments 20 %
3. Final Exam 50%
V. Methods of Teaching
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Lectures
Group work
Role playing
Discussion
Practice
VI. Text book:
Dickins et al (2002). Thinking Arabic Translation: A Course in Translation Method:
Arabic to English. London and New York: Routledge.
Handouts of texts covering topics in the news
VII. Further readings:
Baker, M. (1992). In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation. London and New York:
Routledge
El Haj Ahmed, M. (2009) Lexical, Cultural and Grammatical Translation
Problems Encountered by Palestinian Learners at the Islamic University of
Gaza, Palestine. PhD Thesis, University of Salford.
Farghal, M. and Shunnag, A (1999). Translation with Reference to English and Arabic:
A Practical Guide. Jordan: Dar Al Hilal for Translation.
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