ELL 402 Translation IV (Group A&B)
Erciyes University Faculty of Literature Department of ELL
2013-2014 Academic year, Spring Term
Instructor: Pelin Irgin e-mail: pelinirgin@erciyes.edu.tr
Course Description:
Translation is a complex and fundamental human activity involving transfer of meaning between
languages, cultures and forms of expression. Many of the texts we encounter in our everyday life are
interlingual translations. Every act of communication, even within one and the same language, can also be
viewed as a kind of translation because it involves encoding, transferring, and decoding messages. This
course focuses on the theory and practice of conveying word semantics (the denotative and connotative
components of meaning of individual word senses) in Turkish-to-English and English-to- Turkish
translation. The central units of analysis in this course will be predominantly words and “non-predicative”
phrases, i.e. groups of words that do not constitute independent clauses or sentences. Translation is not,
of course, about translating separate words or phrases – it is always aimed at conveying complete acts of
communication, however short or long these may be.
Objectives:
To translate Turkish and English texts to the target language (English & Turkish) - newspaper articles,
academic research papers, short stories in both cultures, project texts, official and commercial documents
– by making use of background information and experiences in cultural differences. To develop
theoretical and practical skills for translation and to equip students with modern translation tools by
introducing different types of translation in media.
Course topics
The schedule of the classes will generally correspond to the course plan and material
as laid out in the textbook (Eruz, Sakine Esen (2008). Akademik Çeviri Eğitimi: Çeviri amaçlı Metin
Çözümlemesi. Multilingual Yabancı Yayınları):
Week 1 (Feb. ..)
Unit 1
Week 2 (Feb. ..)
Unit 2
Week 3 (Feb. ..)
Unit 3
Week 4 (March. ..)
Quiz 1 (based on Units 1-3)
Unit 4
Week 5 (March. ..)
Unit 5
Week 6 (March. ..)
Unit 6
Week 7 (March. ..)
Unit 7
Week 8 (April. ..)
Quiz 2 (based on Units 4-7)
Unit 8
Week 9 (April. ..)
Unit 9
Week 10 (April. ..)
Unit 10
Week 11 (April. ..)
Unit 11
Week 12 (May ..)
Quiz 3 (based on Units 8-11)
Unit 12
Week 13 (May ..)
Unit 13. Presentations.
Week 14 (May ..)
Final Exam
Assessment
Midterm Exam %40*
Final Exam %60*
Final course grade components:
Regular attendance, homework preparation, and participation in class discussions and activities, – 40%
This means being present in class, having read the assigned pages of the theoretical material closely and
having done the assigned exercises and written translations by the set deadlines, as well as participating
actively – and in an informed way – in the class discussions of theoretical issues and your classmates’
translations. I will closely monitor instances of absenteeism, unpreparedness, and unresponsiveness to
class activities and factor them into your final grade.
Four 30-minute in-class quizzes
Each quiz will consist of 2 questions that will be very closely based on the theoretical and practical issues
of translation covered in class (in my mini-lectures and in the course of discussing your and others’
translations) as well as those contained in the main course book.
Policies
Attendance: Students are required to attend all classes Use my office hours! Use email to ask questions!
Lateness: Late attendances and submission will be not accepted. Students should not ask for exceptions.
Academic Integrity: All students are expected to adhere to University policies concerning scholastic integrity. Any form
of scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated, Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism,
falsifying academic records, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student.
Course book
Eruz, Sakine Esen (2008). Akademik Çeviri Eğitimi: Çeviri amaçlı Metin Çözümlemesi. Multilingual
Yabancı Yayınları.