B6489 - Translation between English and Spanish

Learning outcomes

Students need advanced command in both English and Spanish, to be able to comprehend and produce complex written and oral texts. They should excel in information extraction, text editing, and revision for both languages, utilizing general digital tools (not CAT tools). The course targets improvements in text production and succeeding in managing and carrying out a semester-long, individual translation project.

Course contents

Students considering enrollment in this course should:

1. Have an advanced command of both English and Spanish (reading and writing at least at CEFRL B2).

2. Be capable of understanding, analyzing, and coherently drafting complex texts of various genres and types, including those with multimedia features.

3. Master the strategies, techniques, and digital tools necessary for information mining, editing, composing, and revising texts.

The course focuses on freelance translation through class assignments and homework. It is organized into two parallel streams: Multilectal text production tasks into Spanish and a semester-long scientific translation project from Spanish into English.

For the semester-long project, students will translate a recent (untranslated) quantitative research article from a social science journal, from Spanish into English. Rather than focusing solely on scientific translation, the emphasis is on addressing different challenges that often arise in scientific texts but are present in many genres. The instructor will review and approve each student’s proposal of the original article to work on, which should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words long.

Students will dedicate one class session per week to work on their project, with the instructor monitoring their progress. Additionally, students are expected to spend at least two hours per week working on their translation at home to ensure timely completion for submission in the last session of the semester.

 

To have this assignment graded, students must:

(a) Attend at least 70% of the course sessions.

(b) Install and use the program Inputlog.

(c) Refrain from using AI, machine translation tools, and similar aids.

 

Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the student being switched to a final exam only.

As for the weekly rotating exercises, through the semester, students will also perform exercises on texts ca 350 words long, and will perform the following tasks:

A. Source-based writing (translating the second half a text)

B. Transediting English news for Spanish media

C. Infography translation into plain text

D. Paraphrasing texts for different audiences

E. Sing along (translate lyrics to be sung)

Readings/Bibliography

Boxman, Raymond & Edith Boxman. 2017. Communicating science. A practical guide for engineers and physical scientists. World Scientific.

Byrne, Jody. 2006. Technical translation. Usability strategies for translating technical documentation. Springer.

Byrne, Jody. 2012. Scientific and technical translation explained. St Jerome/Routledge.

Departamento de Lengua Española. 2010. Manual de revisión. Comisión Europea.

Jiménez Jiménez, Antonio F. 2021. Introducción a la traducción: inglés < > español. 2^nd ed. Routledge.

López Guix, Juan Gabriel & Jacqueline Minett Wilkinson. 2021. Manual de traducción inglés-castellano. Gedisa.

Lunn, Patricia V. & Ernest J. Lunsford. 2021. En otras palabras: Perfeccionamiento del español por medio de la traducción. 3^rd ed. Georgetown University Press.

Martínez de Sousa, José. 2008. Diccionario de usos y dudas del español actual. 4a ed., corregida y aumentada. Ediciones Trea.

Martínez de Sousa, José. 2012. Manual de estilo de la lengua española (MELE 5). 5a ed., revisada y ampliada. Ediciones Trea.

Martínez de Sousa, José. 2014. Ortografía y ortotipografía del español actual. 3a ed., corregida. Ediciones Trea.

Mitchell, James Brian Alexander & Anca Irina Florescu-Mitchell. 2022. A practical guide to scientific and technical translation: Publishing, style and terminology. World Scientific.

Mugüerza Pecker, Pablo. 2012. Manual de traducción inglés-español de protocolos de ensayos clínicos. Fundación Dr Antonio Esteve.

National Academy of Sciences. 2017. Communicating science effectively: A research agenda. The National Academies Press.

Olohan, Maeve. 2016. Scientific and technical translation. Routledge.

Penet, J.C. 2024. Working as a professional translator. Routledge.

Rothwell, Andrew, Joss Moorkens, María Fernández Parra, Joanna Drugan & Frank Austermuehl. 2023. Translation tools and technologies. Routledge.

Russell, Nicholas. 2009. Communicating science. Cambridge University Press.

Sánchez Cárdenas, Beatriz & Clara Inés López Rodríguez. 2020. Retos de la traducción científico-técnica profesional. Teoría, metodología y recursos. Comares.

Valdeón García, Roberto A. 2022. Interdisciplinary approaches to journalistic translation. Journalism, 23(7), 1397-1410. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849221074531

Walker, Callum. 2023. Translation project management. Routledge.

Teaching methods

Due to the didactic methods and activities in this course, attending it requires that students complete before, in e-learning mode, Modules 1 and 2 of the program on safety training in the workplace. More information, here.

 

This course is designed as a workshop, requiring active participation in most, if not all, assignments. Students will work on their article projects weekly throughout the semester, both in and out of class. Text-production exercises (A to E) will be conducted in class once a week. All class sessions from both streams are interactive, and students are expected to ask about doubts and difficulties and later contribute to the course wiki by finding, compiling, and organizing further information. General issues raised in class will be discussed on the spot for up to half an hour, whenever possible.

Assessment methods

Course grade

Students may opt for formative (class grades) or summative assessment (exam only, 100%). Students who choose a summative assessment will take it in the official date and place determined by the DIT.

Students attending the course regularly (more than 70% of sessions) and keeping pace with their assignments may choose to have their semester-long translation into English graded by turning it in before the last class of the semester. This option requires contributing to the common pool of knowledge about translators' professional practices and practical tips in a wiki (Apuntes) at least once. The grade will be calculated as follows: exam on a text composition exercise from English into Spanish, 50 percent; final, complete translation of the research paper into English, 50 percent.

Students who upload a minimum of four contributions to the wiki may request and obtain an overall grade for them. Their grade will then be calculated as follows: exam on a text composition exercise from English into Spanish, 40%; final, complete translation of the research paper into English, 40%; contributions to the wiki (average, 20%).

Each wiki contribution should substantially cover one point, addressing major related issues and including references for further reading. For example, topics might include translating place names, converting measurements and currencies, keyboard shortcuts, etc. Each contribution must be at least 300 words long, and cut-and-paste will not be accepted.

The course grade from the Spanish-English translation (and, if applicable, of the wiki contributions) will only apply in the first call. Starting with the second call, students will sit for a 100% exam.

Note: All class and homework assignments are voluntary. Deadlines cannot be moved or negotiated. Turning in work on time is part of the work's quality. One of the course goals is learning how to plan a long project and keeping the plan under control.

Learning assessment scale

30-30L Excellent. The candidate possesses excellent translation skills, and also very high source- and target language command.

27-29 Above average. The candidate makes only minor errors, and shows a solid command of the required skills.

24– 26 Generally sound. The candidate displays a number of shortcomings, indicating a reasonable command of the required skills.

21-23 Adequate. The candidate displays significant shortcomings and only an adequate command of the required skills.

18– 20 Minimum. The candidate only meets the minimum level required and shows a minimal command of the required skills.

< 18 Fail. The candidate’s does not meet the required standard and shows a wholly inadequate command of the required skills.

Teaching tools

Teaching tools

Lessons will take place in a classroom equipped with computer support and Internet connection.

Office hours

See the website of Ricardo Munoz Martin