CHIN415-24S2 (C) Semester Two 2024

Specialised Chinese Translation and Interpreting

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 15 July 2024
End Date: Sunday, 10 November 2024
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 28 July 2024
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 29 September 2024

Description

In connection with LANC404, this course puts particular emphasis on the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural features between English and Chinese languages. Students will develop practical skills to produce a translation and rendition (interpreting) that is pragmatically equivalent to original text. Entry into this course is limited to native and near-native speakers of Mandarin Chinese.

In connection with the concept of Community Translation introduced in LANC404, this course puts particular emphasis on the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural features of English and Chinese that tend to create translation problems in today’s socio-cultural context of Chinese language and New Zealand society. Through basic comparison of linguistic features of the two languages, students will acquire knowledge of cross-linguistic features that may cause “pragmalinguistic failures” (Hale, 2014; Thomas, 1983), meaning failures of achieving the expected pragmatic functions (e.g. to persuade, to proffer an advice). In this regard, students will develop the awareness of relationship of linguistic features and functions that a text is expected to achieve. That in turn will help students develop practical skills to avoid pragmalinguistic failures in order to produce a translation that is pragmatically equivalent to original text. Knowledge and skills acquired in this course can also be applied to the practice of English-Chinese interpreting. Entry into this course is limited to native and near-native speakers of Mandarin Chinese.

Learning Outcomes

  • Upon successfully completing this course, students will:

  • Understand the key concepts of the academic discipline of Chinese translation studies particularly related to today’s more commonly practiced translation in community-based, business-purposed and tourist-oriented settings.
  • Develop critical thinking on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural features between English and Chinese.
  • Develop abilities to explain and analyse pragmatic functions of the English or Chinese original text.
  • Develop strategies to produce an English/Chinese translation that delivers the pragmatic functions similar to those of the Chinese/English original text.
  • Develop abilities to explain and analyse failures of expected pragmatic functions in translation/interpreting.
  • Be able to produce an English/Chinese translation of which the quality is in line with expectations in the current sector of professional translation practice in New Zealand and Chinese-speaking regions.
  • Gain the theoretical knowledge of translating for the culturally and ethnically diverse communities of Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Be able to engage in independent ethical decision-making and action while translating/interpreting for the Chinese community of Aotearoa New Zealand and the English speakers in a Chinese speaking region.
  • Appreciate the significance of translating/interpreting for the Chinese community of an English speaking society, such as that of New Zealand.
  • Appreciate the significance of integrating the Chinese community into a bicultural society, such as that of Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Gain a heightened understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s connectedness to the global communities and individuals’ rights to have language access to publicly shared information.
    • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Employable, innovative and enterprising

      Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

      Biculturally competent and confident

      Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.

      Engaged with the community

      Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.

      Globally aware

      Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

Subject to the approval of the Head of Department. Entry into this course is limited to native and near-native speakers of Mandarin Chinese. Students for whom Chinese is not their first language must have completed at least 60 points of Chinese language at 400-level, with a grade of at least a B+ average or have demonstrated equivalent competence in the language; or provided evidence of their Chinese language ability as follows: HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi Chinese Proficiency Test) Level 4; or provided evidence of their Chinese language ability as follows: TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Level 4.

Timetable 2024

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 10:00 - 13:00 Ernest Rutherford 225
15 Jul - 25 Aug
9 Sep - 20 Oct

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Wei Teng

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Study Journal (10) 5% due week 2 to week 11
Translataion assignments (4) 40% Due in weeks 3 and 6
Interpreting tests (2) 40% held weeks 9 and 12
Final essay 15% Due during exam period

Textbooks / Resources

Selected journal articles and publicly accessible public services related texts distributed in New
Zealand, China and Taiwan

Course links

AKO|LEARN

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $2,046.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All CHIN415 Occurrences

  • CHIN415-24S2 (C) Semester Two 2024