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HISTGC03: Direct Reading and Translation I

Course Convenor: Penelope Barrett                                    p.barrett@ucl.ac.uk
Room B16, 23 Gordon Square   
Office hours: tba 

Lecture Times:

• Tuesday 9.00–11.00, Room 243, Foster Court
• Friday 11.00-13.00, Room B.4.01, Cruciform building

Direct Reading and Translation I is a a 30-credit module taught in Term 1 through two 2-hour seminars per week supplemented by individual tutorials.

Direct Reading and Translation I and II (the latter runs in Term 2) together form the language element of the 1-year MA in China Health and Humanity. These two modules will provide structured English language support, and will help the students to develop and refine the written communication skills they will need to present their research to an English-speaking audience. The format is designed to allow native Chinese speakers to work from their own linguistic strengths, contributing meaningfully to the whole programme and the work of the Centre.

The course involves researching and reading Chinese primary and secondary literature, and abstracting, presenting and discussing it in English.

Direct Reading and Translation I will focus on summarising skills and the mechanics of academic writing, including good referencing practice. For each seminar, every student will be asked to read one or two Chinese-language articles on a key topic, normally from a selection provided by the course leaders, and to prepare two abstracts and/or translations of approximately 300–400 words each, to be submitted to the lecturer in advance. The students will present their abstracts orally during the Core course, offering an overview of the Chinese literature on each of the subject areas covered.

The broad subject areas will follow the Core course in Term 1. As far as possible, the seminars will be tailored to the interests and needs of the participants.

 In the second half of Term 1, each student will write a Literature Review of 3,000 words on a subject of his or her choice, in preparation for the MA Dissertation.

Work of a sufficient standard will be published online. Where the student is also a PhD student registered at a Chinese university, this could entail re-writing elements of the thesis in English.

All students are expected to support their own learning by making full use of the wide range of self-access English language learning material available at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (formerly UCL Language Centre) If appropriate, students may be advised to attend additional courses in English for Academic Purposes at the Language Centre.

Evaluation

100% coursework:
50% composite mark for weekly English abstracts/translations (20 x c. 300–400 words)
50% literature review (one essay, 3,000 words)

Reading and preparation

It is expected that each student will spend an average of 20 hours a week on reading and preparation.

Recommended reading

Print-outs of articles in Chinese on the core topics will be provided each week during Term 1.

Academic Writing in English

Bailey, Stephen, Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students (3rd edition) (London: Routledge, 2011)

Gillett, Andy, Angela Hammond and Mary Martala, Inside Track to Successful Academic Writing (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2009)
especially Chapter 10, pp. 185–193 (‘Summarising’, ‘Paraphrasing’, ‘Synthesing’)

Glasman-Deal, Hilary, Science Research Writing for Non-Native Speakers of English (London: Imperial College Press, 2010)

Chinese-English translation

Pellatt, Valerie and Eric T. Liu, Thinking Chinese Translation: A Course in Translation Method: Chinese to English (London: Routledge, 2010)
especially Introduction, Chapters 1–3, Chapter 5, ‘Medical Translation’, and Chapter 6, ‘Translating Traditional Chinese Medicine’

Theory and practice of translation

Bassnett, Susan, Translation Studies (3rd ed.) (London: Routledge, 2002)

Eco, Umberto, Mouse or Rat? Translation as Negotiation (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2003)

Newmark, Peter, A Textbook of Translation (New York/London: Prentice Hall, 1988)

Steiner, George, After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983)

Venuti, Lawrence, The Translation Studies Reader (London: Routledge, 2000)

English grammar

Foley, M. and D. Hall, Advanced Learners' Grammar: A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book with Answers (Harlow: Longman, 2003)

Swan, M. and C. Walter, How English Works: A Grammar Practice Book with Answers (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997

Online learning material

UCL Language Centre Moodle Academic Writing Course (requires log-in):
https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=12499

Thinking Writing, Queen Mary, University of London (includes subject-specific guides),
http://www.thinkingwriting.qmul.ac.uk/srb.htm

skills4studycampus, Palgrave Macmillan (interactive resource, including academic writing and related skills, requires UCL log-in):
http://www.skills4studycampus.com

Academic Phrasebank, Manchester University (academic writing resource, designed primarily for international students whose first language is not English):
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

Using English for Academic Purposes: A Guide for Students in Higher Education:
http://www.uefap.com/index.htm

English Language Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (an extensive range of resources oriented towards Chinese speakers using English for academic purposes):
http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/sitemap.htm
See in particular English for Academic Purposes:
http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/#Referencing

Virtual Language Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
See in particular Writing:
http://vlc.polyu.edu.hk/academicwriter/Frames/framesLinks.htm

The Writing Machine, English Centre, University of Hong Kong (self-study material for academic writing):
http://www4.caes.hku.hk/writingmachine/

The UCL Internet Grammar of English.
Also available as an iPhone app (iGE or iGE Lite):
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english-usage/apps/ige/