Course Title: Context and Practice of Interpreting 1 (in both language directions) Mandarin
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2007
Course Code: LANG5447
Course Title: Context and Practice of Interpreting 1 (in both language directions) Mandarin
School: 365T Global Studies, Soc Sci & Plng
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6067 - Advanced Diploma of Translating and Interpreting
Course Contact : Miranda Lai
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99253523
Course Contact Email:miranda.lai@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Nominal Hours: 80
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
Successfully complete the bilingual intake test.
Course Description
This course aims to provide students with skills and knowledge in oral transfer, the primary competency of the Professional Interpreter, and to locate and apply the relevant theoretical frameworks and contextual knowledge required of a simple assignment.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
VBN925 Context and Practice of Interpreting 1 (in both language directions) Japanese |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course you will be expected to be able to:
- Carry out the interpretation of dialogues, short printed texts and short speeches that embody a reasonable level of linguistic and conceptual difficulty in the consecutive mode.
- Exhibit during the interpretation process appropriate use of transfer skills, achieving acceptable meaning-based renderings.
- Produce renderings that are appropriate to the text in lexis, idiom, register, collocation, style, stress, intonation, etc.
- Exhibit during the interpretation process appropriate use of note-taking techniques.
- Display appropriate body language during the interpretation process.
- Interpret relatively simple dialogues and short speeches at the professional level making sure they are complete, accurate and impartial.
- Examine in depth a range of institutional and professional contexts in which interpreting and translating take place as professional activities, and apply related concepts and vocabulary within more complex interpreting practice.
- Research Australia’s and the LOTE-speaking country’s institutional and professional contexts that arise in a substantial interpreting text.
- Collaborate in developing acceptable equivalences (in English or the LOTE as applicable) for terminology relating to these contexts.
- Apply a variety of techniques for interpreting words and terms that are difficult to transfer due to cultural factors.
- Provide a comprehensive rationale for each equivalence.
Details of Learning Activities
What opportunities does the course provide for me to learn? What will I be expected to do?
In small groups and in language laboratories you will develop the skills and knowledge to perform complex interpreting tasks. In particular, the instruction will aim to assist you to:
• Communicate the languages concerned with sufficient structural accuracy, vocabulary and fluency to participate effectively in exchanges on practical, social and professional subjects.
• Demonstrate knowledge of a number of particular interests and special fields of competence.
• Understand what speakers of both target and source languages say when speaking in the standard variety and the most common colloquial varieties.
• Comprehend speech at a normal rate of delivery.
• Understand what speakers of both target and source languages say when speaking in the standard variety and the most common colloquial varieties.
• Demonstrate a broad enough range of vocabulary to ensure that they rarely have to grope for a word in discussing subjects.
• Convey meaning accurately
• Use relatively complex structures.
• Use the meaning-based approach to interpreting, as the most appropriate approach for practice.
• Carry out research to identify relevant contextual knowledge.
• Handle dialogue segments of up to sixty words in length in relatively specialised situations, and across a wide range of subjects.
• Interpret short speeches and addresses of approximately 300 words.
• Interpret these dialogues and speeches in the consecutive mode.
• In both dialogue and speech interpreting and in both language directions, produce high-quality interpretations in terms of accuracy, standard of expression, style and register, using appropriate stress and intonation.
• Develop effective communication and public speaking skills, including proficiency in persuasive language and appropriate choice of cohesive and stylistic devices, register, collocation and idiom.
Teaching Schedule
Students will be provided with a program calendar outlining a series of weekly themes/topics that form a guide for study and practice.
Learning Outcomes Scheduled as follows:
Learning Outcome 1
During the semester as notified by the teacher.
Learning Outcome 2
During the semester.as notified by the teacher.
Learning Outcome 3 (Exam)
During the University’s formal examination period immediately following the end of semester.
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
What will I need access to for this course?
Learning materials will largely be generated by the teachers (including professional interpreting texts and other written and oral/aural materials from the press, Internet, media and government publications) as the module is specifically targeted to practical skills that are necessary to the development of interpreting skills. Students may be required to identify appropriate materials for the completion of assessment tasks, e.g. library resources. Students need access to the following texts and references:
Baker, M., In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation, Routledge, London, 1999.
Gentile, A., Ozolins, U. & Vasilakakos, M., Liaison Interpreting: A Handbook, Melbourne University Press, 1996.
Overview of Assessment
Three Learning Outcome tasks.
Assessment Tasks
To be assessed as competent in this module you must be assessed as competent in all assessment exercises as follows:
Learning Outcome 1
Contextual knowledge class task as negotiated with the teacher, in the form of an oral presentation, mini-conference, or other simulated situation.
Explain how contextual factors affect comprehension and transfer of meaning. (25%)
Learning Outcome 2
Class test: NAATI testing format: two bilingual dialogues and two speeches (one from Eng into LOTE, one from LOTE into Eng) to be interpreted consecutively. (25%)
Learning Outcome 3
Formal exam. Two bilingual dialogues and two speeches (one from Eng into LOTE, one from LOTE into Eng) to be interpreted consecutively, under NAATI Exam Conditions. (50%)
Assessment Matrix
Learning Outcome activities have been designed in accordance with specified competencies.
Course Overview: Access Course Overview