CHIN 7006 - Business and Legal Translation and Interpreting

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2022

This course provides students with an insight into the needs of professional translation and interpreting in a globalised world where individuals, businesses, institutions, government and non-government agencies and organisations require quality translation and interpreting work between Chinese and English languages. Covering fields of translation and interpreting that are particularly in demand, this course aims to equip students with the competencies and skills necessary to enhance their career opportunities. It lays down a solid foundation upon which the students will be able to continuously build up their bilingual and bicultural competence in business and legal contexts. This course will enable students to translate and interpret a varied range of topics in various business and legal environments, to enhance understanding of cultural and ethical issues in relation to business and legal translation and interpreting, and to tackle complexities of cultural transmission systematically and creatively. Students will also learn to reflect on and explain their translation decisions and interpreting results.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code CHIN 7006
    Course Business and Legal Translation and Interpreting
    Coordinating Unit Asian Studies
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible CHIN 5004, CHIN 5011
    Assumed Knowledge Fluency in both Chinese and English
    Restrictions Available to MA (InterpTrnsltnTrnscultComm), GDipInterpTrnsltnTrnscultComm students only
    Course Description This course provides students with an insight into the needs of professional translation and interpreting in a globalised world where individuals, businesses, institutions, government and non-government agencies and organisations require quality translation and interpreting work between Chinese and English languages. Covering fields of translation and interpreting that are particularly in demand, this course aims to equip students with the competencies and skills necessary to enhance their career opportunities. It lays down a solid foundation upon which the students will be able to continuously build up their bilingual and bicultural competence in business and legal contexts. This course will enable students to translate and interpret a varied range of topics in various business and legal environments, to enhance understanding of cultural and ethical issues in relation to business and legal translation and interpreting, and to tackle complexities of cultural transmission systematically and creatively. Students will also learn to reflect on and explain their translation decisions and interpreting results.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Baohui Xie



    Instructor & Course Coordinator                                             

    Dr Baohui Xie                                                            

    Room 639a Kenneth Wills Building                                        

    Email: baohui.xie@adelaide.edu.au                                      

    Tel: 8313 4282           

    Fax: 8313 4388
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. capitalise on the conceptual knowledge in globalization and globalism for translation and interpreting purposes

    2. exercise the acquired practical know-how in various fields that require business and legal translation and interpreting

    3. familiarise themselves with a wide range of business and legal texts

    4. develop strategies to deal with typical textual complexity in business and legal translation and interpreting

    5. identify, resolve and avoid mistranslation arising from cross-cultural and interdisciplinary factors

    6. reflect critically on translation and interpreting processes involving business and legal procedures

    7. build up competence and skills of specialized written communication in business and legal contexts

    8. respond to the call of duty in fast turnaround time essential for business and legal translation and interpreting

    9. work collaboratively with professionals and experts in relevant fields for optimal translation and interpreting outcome

    10. consolidate and maintain a high level of professionalism and ethical standards




    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    4, 5, 6, 7

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    7, 8, 9

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    8, 9, 10

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    5, 6, 9, 10

    Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency

    Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.

    5

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    2, 7, 9, 10

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    6, 7, 9, 10
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Depraetere, I. (2011) Perspectives on Translation Quality. Berlin, De Gruyter.
    Gutt, E. (1992) Relevance Theory: A Guide to Successful Communication in Translation. Dallas, Summer Institute of Linguistics
    Gutt, E. (2014) Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context. New York, Routledge
    Newmark, P. (1981) Approaches to Translation, Oxford, Pergamon Press
    Pellatt, V. and Liu, E. (2010) Thinking Chinese Translation, London and New York,  Routledge.
    Recommended Resources


    Babel: International Journal of Translation ISSN 0521-9744, E-ISSN 1569-9668
    Chinese Translators Journal (China) ISSN 1000-873X
    International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN 2308-5460
    Meta: Translators’ Journal  ISSN 1492-1421 (digital) 0026-0452 (print)
    Target: International Journal of Translation Studies ISSN0924-1884, Online ISSN: 1569-9986
    Translation ISSN 2169-0731 (Online)
    Translation Journal ISSN 1536-7207
    Translation Review ISSN 0737-4836 (Print), 2164-0564 (Online)
    Translation Watch Quarterly, ISSN  1832-6951

    Online Learning
    The MyUni site will be used to announce upcoming curricular and extra-curricular events and host supplementary material. The site
    will help students and lecturers to communicate outside of class and help students prepare for lectures. Learning materials will be uploaded on regular basis. The students are encouraged to leave questions and comments on MyUni/ Canvas.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Skills required for translating and interpreting business and legal topics at the level of certified translator and certified interpreter will be developed through a task-oriented, skill-based approach. Students will be encouraged to participate actively at every stage of learning. There are two contact hours per  week: Critical analysis on homework and assignments will be conducted in lectures.Students are encouraged to group up and spend at least one hour per week on SGDE group assignments and discussions.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The total workload is 156 hours at minimum per semester, or 13 hours each week for 12 weeks. In addition to the two-hour in-class contact hours, and one hour for unsupervised SGDE activities, students are expected to spend at least 10 hours out of class each week on average.  These include five hours on self-guided practice, three hours reading and research, and two hours assignment preparation.
    Learning Activities Summary

    WEEK                      LECTURE TOPIC

    1                              Introduction

    2                              Business and law in a globalized world

    3                              Subject and subjectivity in business and legal translation

    4                              Translating business and legal documents: a relevance theory and approach

    5                              Tackling mistranslation: a matter beyond vocabulary and techniques

    6                              Mock Test 1

    7                              Engaging business and trade: translation processes, methods and standards

    8                              Handling legal documents: concepts, procedures and processes

    9                              Translating business and legal texts: resolving linguistic, cultural and technical complexities

    10                            Translating business and legal texts: managing accuracy and creativity

    11                            Revision: Issues involving business and legal translation

    12                            Quiz and conclusion




  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

    Assessment Task Weighting
    Translation assignments 30%
    Presentation: SGDE Translation and Revision 10%
    Sight translation tasks 10%
    Mock Test 10%
    Major Translation and Revision Quiz 40%
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Extensions
    Extensions can only be sought under the provisions of the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy or the Reasonable Adjustments for Teaching and Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy.

    Lateness Penalties
    For work that is late without formal extension, 2 percentage points will be deducted from the mark for every day (or part thereof) the work is late to a maximum of 7 days (including weekends and public holidays).
    For example, an assignment that is 3 days late: raw score of 80% - 6 marks lateness deduction = 74% final mark.
    For work with a formal extension, these penalties will apply from the extended due date.

    Cut-off date
    There will be a cut-off date for each assignment 7 days (including weekends and public holidays) after the original due date unless otherwise stipulated on MyUni. Work will not be accepted after the cut-off date, and a mark of zero will automatically be awarded for the assignment.

    Variations to the cut-off date
    Applications for variations to the cut-off date can only be made by the Course Coordinator on pedagogical grounds, and must approved by the relevant School Learning and Teaching Committee.
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment in this courseis criteria-based, i.e. the desired learning outcomes are specified and are designed to indicate progress towards the learning outcomes. The assessment grade is a measure of the extent to which the student has achieved the learning outcomes. The standard of performance required for the award of a particular grade is a judgement based on the professional expertise of the staff who contribute to the assessment process and is informed by experience of accepted standards.There is no predetermined distribution of grades.

    Weekly assignments (30%)
    The students are expected to translate one passage or proofread one passage each of approximately 250 words each per week. The assignments should be completed in an environment simulating NAATI test for certified translators (formerly known as professional translators). Each passage is expected to be translated within 70 minutes including 10 minutes for reading and taking notes. The assignments must be typed on formatted assignment papers. The assignment paper is available for download on MyUni. Please fill in the paper with all required information including student name, ID, starting and finishing time, etc. Both hardcopy and electronic dictionaries are allowed. Smart gadgets such as cell phone or tablets are NOT allowed. While using any
    electronic device, wi-fi features, if any, should be switched off. The assignments are to be submitted electronically via turnitin on MyUni by the due date. Submissions by other means, eg. email, will NOT be accepted or marked. Each assignment should be combined and sent in one file if you have multiple texts. Each assignment must be titled in the following format:
    Homework_CHIN7006_Week  _ Student Name 

    Mock Test (10%)
    A mock test consists of two parts:
    ·        Translation of one 200-word text
    ·        Revision of one 200-word translation including providing details of proposed revisions.
    ·        Important: The Mock Test will be a computer based exam on MyUni. Please use your own laptop. If you do not have a laptop or have difficulty accessing to one, you can use a university computer in the classroom.  Both hard copy and electronic dictionaries are allowed in the tests. Using phones and tablets is prohibited. You must not use any online dictionaries or search engines (including Google) when during the exam time. 

    SGDE Translation project presentation (10%)
    The translation project is a collaborative work that takes joint efforts and offers small group discovery experiences. The project involves both translating and proofreading processes.  The SGDE workload is estimated to be 4,000 words in total including a reflection component for 1,000 words at maximum. Each group of 3-4 students is to translate and revise a number of passages of 250 words each and reflect on the translation process. The word count of the reflection is comprised of review and summary of the entire translation process. In addition to the individual translation, the team work focuses on reflecting on theories applied to practice, problems identification, strategies and solutions, as well as producing an optimized final version for the group. Each student is expected to translate the passages independently, review the works of group members, and contribute to an outcome that leads to a refined edition. Each group will give a presentation to reflect on their SGDE learning experience for assessment purposes. 

    Sight Translation (10%)
    There will be two tasks in this assignment. One is sight translation from E-C, the other is in the direction from C-E. Students are to record their sight translation and upload the recordings to MyUni as required. 

    Major Translation and Revision Quiz (40%)
    This task will be in NAATI Format at the end of the semester. The entire task takes 3.5 hours. The students will be required to translate two out of three passages of approximately 250 words and revise a passage of approximately 250 words. Both paper and electronic dictionaries are allowed.The dictionaries must be clean and without notes of any kind. Electronic dictionaries must not have wi-fi or WAP features. Other electronic devices are not allowed.
    Submission
    The following assignments must be submitted via turnitin on MyUni. Submissions by email will not be considered.
    1. Weekly translation and revision assignments
    2. Mock Tests
    3. Translation Project
    4. Quiz
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    Student feedback information for the last academic year will be updated in the "course information" module on MyUni.
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  • Policies & Guidelines
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