Using Mini Team Projects in Translation Classes to Achieve Competences Defined in the EMT Reference Framework

Jelena Pralas, PhDAssistant Professor

Institute of Foreign LanguagesUniversity of Montenegro

Literary texts Teaching translation techniques

Old practice in Teaching Translation

Montenegrin market changes Demand: - not literary translation, but

technical (law, economics, tourism, agriculture, environment…)

Supply: – not rich enough, graduates proficient In general English, but have problems with concepts in technical translation

Market changes

2000s – Institute of Foreign Languages introduced Specialist Studies of Translation in the University of Montenegro

Based on the situation in the market Curriculum designed by experienced

translators Teachers – experienced translators – scholars

and researchers in linguistics, translation studies, economics and law

Translation Studies - ISJ

Term 1Translation of Legal Texts to English (1+1) 6 creditsTranslation of Legal Texts from English (1+1) 6 creditsDiscourse Analysis (2+0) 5 creditsCommunication (1+1) 5 creditsTranslation Theory (2+0) 4 creditsBasics of Law (2+0) 4 credits

Structure of the Programme

Term 2Translation of Business Texts to English (1+1) 5 creditsTranslation of Business Texts from English (1+1) 5 creditsBasics of Consecutive Interpretation (0+3) 4 creditsAcademic Writing (1+1) 4 creditsBasics of Economics (2+0) 4 creditsSemantics (2+0) 4 creditsFinal Paper ( - ) 4 credits

ISJ started implementing the Translation Programme in 2004

Similar in other countries in the region Similar in EU

Market requires more translation training Universities open translation programmes Diversity

“In 2006 there were at least 285 translation 'programmes' in European higher education, leading to a bachelor's and/or a master's degree”

EMT – 60 members (University programmes) Established to:

search for convergence between training for translators in Europe

search for and apply criteria of excellence;

EMT

2009 Competences for professional translators,

experts in multilingual and multimedia communication

By EMT Expert Group

“competence - the combination of aptitudes, knowledge, behaviour and know- how necessary to carry out a given task under given conditions.”

“competences applied to language professions or to translation over a wide semantic or professional range, including various modes of interpreting”

These competences are interdependant

Translators’ Competences

Competences grouped: TRANSLATION SERVICE PROVISION

COMPETENCE LANGUAGE COMPETENCE INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE INFORMATION MINING COMPETENCE THEMATIC COMPETENCE TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCE

COMPETENCES

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ISJ uses EMT competences as a reference Analysis of our curriculum against it Identification of gaps Strategies to bridge the gaps

On the level of individual subjects On the level of the programme curriculum

Ongoing process –constraints

EMT competences as a reference framework

1 of the strategies to bridge the gap Mini Team Projects in Translation classes Reason:

Translation Services Provision competences (Interpersonal dimension): - Knowing how to comply with instructions, deadlines,

commitments, interpersonal competences, team organisation - Knowing how to work in a team, including a virtual team, and - Knowing how to work under pressure and with other

experts, with a project head (capabilities for making contacts, for cooperation and collaboration), including in a multilingual situation

Mini team translation project

Very simple in the beginning Additions – making it more complex, but

more useful More competences In both terms

History

Stages of the mini team translation projects: Selects appropriate material Forming the groups Translation process Final products submitted Students present their work in teams Students assess each other and themselves Teacher assesses the final

product/presentations/team work

Stages

Select appropriate materials (Teacher): Beginning – any text in the thematic field Now - articles about translation of technical

texts in the fields we work on To develop meta language (Translation Services

Provision Competence (Production dimension): Mastering the appropriate metalanguage (to talk

about one's work, strategies and decisions) To prepare students for final papers

Select appropriate material

The European Union and its Future Languages.Questions for Language Policies and Translation Theories (Anthony Pym)

The Journal of Specialised Translation Caveat Translator: Understanding the Legal Consequences of

Errors in Professional Translation (Jody Byrne, University of Sheffield)

Dealing with cultural elements in technical texts for translation (Radegundis Stolze, Darmstadt University of Technology)

Lost and Found in Translating Tourist Texts - Domesticating, Foreignising or Neutralising Approach (He Sanning, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology )

Beyond Translation Memory: Computers and the Professional Translator (Ignacio Garcia, University of Western Sydney)

Select appropriate material

Publishing students’ translations?

Material

Forming groups their choice/teacher’s choice

Two projects per year – different/same choices? Groups of five

They decide on every aspect of their work - teacher wants the final product and assesses the final product

They decide on the roles/division of the material/tasks

Forming groups

Translation process Final product submitted

Stages

Presentations (interview) Structured (students given questions)

Explanation how they divided the roles/tasks/material Using meta-language (Competence: - Mastering the

appropriate metalanguage (to talk about one's work, strategies and decisions

Analyzing their approach, habits, organization (Competence: Knowing how to self-evaluate (questioning one's habits; being open to innovations; being concerned with quality; being ready to adapt to new situations/conditions) and take responsibility)

Presentations

Presentations Explaining stages in their team translation project

(competence: - Knowing how to define stages and strategies for the translation of a document)

Identifying translation problems/solutions (competences:

- Knowing how to define and evaluate translation problems and find appropriate solutions

- Knowing how to justify one's translation choices and decisions )

Focusing on the need to achieve coherence of the text and consistency in terminology

Focusing on the revision of the text (how they did it)

Lessons learnt Cooperation/dependence Ethics Who not to work with

Students assess themselves and each other (COMPETENCE: Knowing how to self-evaluate

(questioning one's habits; being open to innovations; being concerned with quality; being ready to adapt to new situations/conditions) and take responsibility)

Teacher uses students’ assessments and decides on the final grade (number of points)