MSc Study Guide 2013-14 Final

8/12/2019 MSc Study Guide 2013-14 Final

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MSc in Scientific, Technical and Medical

Translation with Translation Technology

Translation Studies Unit

(TranSU)

Study Guide

20132014


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Study Guide 20132014

MSc in Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation with Translation Technology

2

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3

1.1. Academic Staff ............................................................................................................ 31.2. Administrative Staff..................................................................................................... 4

2. Responsibilities of staff and students ............................................................................. 5

3. Programme structure ..................................................................................................... 6

3.1. Part-time study ........................................................................................................... 7

3.2. Module descriptions .................................................................................................... 7

3.3. Registering for optional modules ................................................................................. 9

3.4. Attendance ................................................................................................................. 9

4. Assessment .................................................................................................................. 10

4.1. Assessment deadlines ............................................................................................... 10

4.2. Penalties for late submission ..................................................................................... 11

4.3. Extensions of deadlines and extenuating circumstances ............................................ 11

4.4. Award of MSc ............................................................................................................ 11

4.5. Re-assessment .......................................................................................................... 12

5. Presentation, submission and return of work .............................................................. 12

5.1. General guidelines for the presentation of written work ........................................... 12

5.2. Respecting word limits .............................................................................................. 13

5.3. Submission of work ................................................................................................... 13

5.4. Plagiarism ................................................................................................................. 13

5.5. Feedback and return of coursework .......................................................................... 14

6. MScTrans marking scheme........................................................................................... 15

6.1. Grades ...................................................................................................................... 15

6.2. Marking procedures .................................................................................................. 15

7. Communication and consultation ................................................................................ 15

7.1. Course materials on Moodle ..................................................................................... 15

7.2. Communication via e-mail: Distribution list ............................................................... 15

7.3. Information on PORTICO ........................................................................................... 16

7.4. Communicating your views ....................................................................................... 16

8. Facilities........................................................................................................................ 17

8.1. The Trans Lab and other PC clusters .......................................................................... 17

8.2. The Library ................................................................................................................ 17

9. Additional courses and activities .................................................................................. 179.1. SELCS Writing Lab ...................................................................................................... 17

9.2. Getting Started in the Translation Profession ............................................................ 18

9.3. Saturday Courses ...................................................................................................... 18

9.4. Public lectures and events ......................................................................................... 18

9.5. Translation Technology: E-course on Localisation ...................................................... 18

10. Academic and Administrative Support ......................................................................... 19

10.1. Careers Service.......................................................................................................... 20

APPENDIX 1: MScTrans objectives and learning outcomes ..................................................... 21

APPENDIX 2: Marking Criteria .................................................................................................. 22

APPENDIX 3: General advice on writing assignments .............................................................. 26


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1. IntroductionThe purpose of this document is to provide you with some important information about the MScin Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation with Translation Technology (MScTrans for short)

and to tell you a little about the Translation Studies Unit and UCL. It will also give you information

about what we expect of you on the course and what you can expect of us. The information

contained here is as accurate as we can make it at this stage: we shall inform you of any

alterations or corrections as soon as possible.

!! This is an important document which you will need to refer to throughout theyear. Once you have familiarised yourself with its contents, please remember to

keep it in a safe place.

1.1.Academic StaffCoordinators & members of staff

Dr Jorge Daz-Cintas

Head of the Translation Studies Unit and MSc Academic Coordinator

TRANG099 and TRANG11 Convener

Telephone: 020 7679 9363

Office room: 206, 50 Gordon Square

E-mail:[email protected]

Dr Roco Baos Piero

TRANG003, TRANG012 and TRANG014 Convener

Telephone: 020 7679 9361



Ms Mara Benetti

English > Italian Practical Translation Tutor

Telephone: 020 7679 9371

Office room: 206, 50 Gordon SquareE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Christophe Declercq

TRANG002 Convener

Telephone: 020 7679 9362



Dr Juan Lalaguna

English > Spanish Practical Translation Tutor

Telephone: 020 7679 9372Office room: 206, 50 Gordon Square

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.diaz-cintasmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.imperial.ac.uk/collegedirectory/index.asp?PeopleID=842825http://www.imperial.ac.uk/collegedirectory/index.asp?PeopleID=842825mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.declercqmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.lalagunamailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.lalagunamailto:[email protected]://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.declercqmailto:[email protected]://www.imperial.ac.uk/collegedirectory/index.asp?PeopleID=842825mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.diaz-cintas


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Ms Marga Navarrete

TRANG010 Convener

Telephone: 020 7679 9373



Ms Adriana Tortoriello

TRANG001 Convener

Telephone: 020 7679 9365



Dr Mark Shuttleworth

Senior Lecturer in Translation


Ms Soledad Zrate

TRANG013 Convener



1.2.Administrative Staff

MScTrans Administrator

Naomi Anderson-Eyles

Telephone: 020 7679 9370Office room: 206, 50 Gordon Square


Lab Assistant

Emmanouela Patiniotaki


Other tutors

Module Tutor

TRANG002 Daniela Ford

TRANG010 Dr Elsa Huertas Barros

TRANG012 Professor Frederic Chaume

TRANG013 Louise FryerTRANG014 Dr Bettina Bajaj

Language-specific tutors

You will have other tutors depending on your language combination (language-specific tutors)

in TRANG003, TRANG011 and TRANG012.

Details about these tutors will be provided by the module convenors.
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.navarretemailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.navarrete


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2. Responsibilities of staff and studentsStaff on the course aim to:

give full information on the aims, structures, organisation and assessment methods of its

courses; be available, as personal tutors, module conveners or the Programme Coordinator, at regular

hours during semester time to advise students individually, discuss their academic progress

and provide reasonable guidance and counsel;

undertake assessments impartially and strive for consistency in assessment standards;

mark and return written work as quickly as possible;

advise on bibliographical materials;

seek student feedback, in both oral and especially written form, from student representatives

and by other means, and to be responsive, over both the short and longer terms, to the views

which students express.

Students on this MSc programme are expected to:

attend all lectures unless unavoidably prevented (should you not be able to attend a specific

session, always notify the tutor/lecturer and the course administrator);

work diligently throughout the academic year, and to present all written work by the dates

prescribed;

work independently, and avoid any form of plagiarism;

give serious attention to improvement in their style and presentation where weakness has

been identified;

contribute to class discussions, and offer oral presentations as required;

learn, and utilise appropriate research skills and methodologies to undertake their work at

Masters level;

inform their personal tutors, module conveners or the Programme Coordinator promptly of

any circumstances which may affect their attendance, performance or punctuality;

familiarise themselves with the use of computers and information technology generally, and

to make the best use of word processing skills for presenting their written work;

use the UCL e-mail account as their prime source of contact and information.

For information on UCLsCode of Conduct, please refer to

www.ucl.ac.uk/dean-of-students/conduct
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3. Programme structureThe academic year is structured in three terms: Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3.

Induction week Mon 23 Sep - Fri 17 Sep

Term 1 Mon 30 Sep - Fri 13 Dec

Reading week Mon 4 Nov - Fri 8 NovTerm2 Mon 13 Jan - Fri 28 Mar

Reading week Mon 17 Feb - Fri 21 Feb

Term 3 Mon 28 AprFri 13 Jun (Teaching will finish on 23rd

May)

The programme is divided into core modules (TRANG001, TRANG002, TRANG003 & TRANG099) and

optional modules (TRANG010, TRANG011, TRANG012, TRANG013 and TRANG014). Brief

descriptions of the modules are provided below.

In order to be awarded the MSc, students must gain 180 credits in total. You must take all core

modules, plus three of the five optional ones. The modules are distributed over the academic yearas shown in the table below.

! Please checkAppendix 1for detailed information about the learning outcomes andobjectives of the programme.! You must choose one or two optional modules in Term1and one or two modules inTerm2 (you cannot choose 3 modules in Term2).

Module Term 1

(12 weeks)

Term 2

(12 weeks)

Term 3

(4 weeks)

Summer Credits

(total 180)

TRANG001Language and Translation

(2 hours/every other week)

15

TRANG002 Translation Technology (2 hours/week) 30

TRANG003Practical Translation

(2 hours/week)

30

TRANG099

Although the dissertation is usually started after

the exams, the module commences with tutorial

sessions in Term 1.

Dissertation

(three

sessions with

supervisor)

60

TRANG010Publishing Skills

(2 hours/week)

15

TRANG011Subtitling

(2 hours/week)

15

TRANG012

Translating for

Voiceover & Dubbing

(2 hours/week)

15

TRANG013Accessibility to the

Media(2 hours/week)

15

TRANG014

Language &

Automation(2 hours/week)

15


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3.1.Part-time studyIf you are studying part time, you will take TRANG001, TRANG002 and TRANG003 in the first year

and three optional modules in the second year. The dissertation (TRANG099) will be written in the

second year of the course.

As a first-year part-time student you will generally have to attend classes on two days per week:

Tuesdays and another day depending on your language pair. Most of the modules that you need to

attend in year two currently take place on Monday or Wednesday (optional modules). During both

years you will also need to schedule in some extra time on campus in order to access the specialist

software that you will need to use (this applies to both full-timers and part-timers). In addition to

your weekly commitments you will also be expected to attend at other times on an occasional

basis (e.g. for exams and one-off seminars).

3.2.Module descriptionsTRANG001 - Language and Translation

In this module you study aspects of linguistic theory that are relevant to translation, and also

theoretical ideas about translation that have a direct impact on translation practice. By

incorporating the study of language with a close look at various more specifically translation-

related topics this module aims to focus on some of the theoretical issues that translators need to

confront. Topics include terminology, grammar and meaning, translation and culture, translation

theory and descriptive translation studies.

Assessment: Essay (100%).

TRANG002 - Translation TechnologyIn this module you apply your theoretical and conceptual background of translation to a very

practical approach of using many current tools at the disposal of a translator. These range from

terminology management and translation memory tools to advanced file formats and software

localisation. The module includes hands-on experience with a wide range of translation tools in a

Translation Lab with state-of-the-art facilities. Packages to be covered include the following:

Wordfast Anywhere, SDL Trados Studio 2011, OmegaT, memoQ, and Alchemy Catalyst.

Assessment: Individual project (50%), group project (50%).

TRANG003 - Practical Translation

This module provides training in translation methods and techniques in specific language pairs andfields of specialisation. It is taught through an introductory lecture and through interactive,

practical seminars. You are expected to translate into your mother tongue.

The module is divided into three distinct blocks:

1) Scientific Translation (to include popular science articles, scientific journal papers, scientific

reports, proposals, etc.)

2) Medical Translation (to include healthcare documents, medical reports, clinical case studies,

pharmaceutical reports, etc.)

3) Technical Translation (to include user guides, product documentation, patents, technical

specifications, etc.)

Assessment: 3 take-home assessed translations (3x20%= 60%), Test (40%).


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TRANG099Dissertation

Once the teaching finishes in May, you will spend the remaining part of the course (to the

beginning of September) researching and writing a 12,000 word dissertation. For this you will be

assigned a supervisor. Research areas might include aspects of translation theory, translationtechnology, audiovisual translation, corpus linguistics, textual analysis and XML.

TRANG010 - Publishing Skills

This module provides you with useful skills for publishing digital documents. It offers you an

overview of different formats for publishing on the web, working with a range of commonly used

software. The module is split into three blocks. The first one focuses on website design using

industry-standard software Dreamweaver. You learn to design websites and to create webpages,

considering issues such as usability, interactivity, and the integration of other technologies. The

second block covers topics such as Photoshop, accessibility, and localisation. The final block

provides an insight into how to build XML applications and how to validate them using DTDs.Assessment: Project (70%), Project (30%).

TRANG011Subtitling

This module will help you to develop subtitling skills in a variety of registers and styles by

translating texts and programmes that will be consumed by the audiovisual and media world.

Through a range of carefully chosen examples and exercises, you will not only develop confidence

and skills in subtitling, but also broaden your awareness of the idiomatic and syntactic features

specific to the languages at work as well as your knowledge and perception of socio-cultural

referents. The course will help you develop sophisticated ICT skills thanks to the use of industry

standard subtitling software.Assessment: Test (50%), Project (50%).

TRANG012 - Translating for Voiceover and Dubbing

This module introduces you to the professional activity of translating audiovisual material for

voiceover and dubbing. During the lectures and seminars, you will cover areas such as history and

present situation of voiceover/dubbing, semiotics, conventions used in the profession, translation

strategies for revoicing, and economic and professional aspects of voiceover/dubbing. You will

develop voiceover and dubbing skills in a variety of registers and styles by translating texts and

programmes of an audiovisual nature drawn from various sources (films, corporate videos,

documentaries, series, animation) and covering a broad range of specialised genres and media

issues. You will produce your own translations with appropriate software and equipment.

Assessment: Test (50%), Project (50%).

TRANG013 - Accessibility to the Media

This module introduces you to the fascinating professional practice of making audiovisual material

accessible to people with sensory impairments. You will learn about audio description for the blind

and the partially sighted (AD) and subtitling for the deaf and the hard-of-hearing (SDH). You will

cover areas such as legislation, history and present situation of AD and SDH, audio describing and

subtitling for children and adults, live versus pre-recorded AD and SDH, economic and professional

aspects, and the conventions used on screen. The module is taught in English and all the activities

are carried out in English.

Assessment: Project (50%), Project (50%).


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TRANG014 - Language and Automation

This module is designed to cover a variety of topics concerning the use of computer systems to

present, manipulate, extract or translate information expressed in natural (i.e. human) language.

Areas likely to be covered include machine translation, controlled language and terminologyextraction. You will acquire a basic understanding of the technology behind language engineering

applications, and learn to use and evaluate different tools and technologies. Once again, this

module has a strong hands-on focus.

Assessment: Project (50%), Project (50%).

3.3.Registering for optional modulesIf you are a full-time student, or a part-time student in the second year of MScTrans, you will need

to register for the optional modules you would like to take. When making your choice you may like

to refer to the Timing of Assessments table on page 14 for information on when the key

assessment dates for the various modules fall.You register for individual courses using the online PORTICO system,www.ucl.ac.uk/portico.The

system has been set up so that you will be automatically entered for the compulsory modules, but

you will need to select your optional modules and submit your choices. For more information,

please see the User Guide:

https://evision.ucl.ac.uk/hts/ucl/module_registration_student_userguide.pdf.

3.4.AttendanceIn view of the intensive nature of the programme it is essential that students aim for 100%

attendance at all lectures, seminars and classes. Warning of unavoidable absences should be

conveyed to the tutor concerned as far as possible in advance.In the case of illness or any other factor likely to affect a students performance the student should

ensure that the relevant tutors (and the Programme Coordinator, if it is sufficiently serious) are

aware of it. The Programme Coordinator should also be provided with a medical note where

appropriate.
http://localhost/var/www/Users/Rocio/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/Downloads/www.ucl.ac.uk/porticohttp://localhost/var/www/Users/Rocio/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/Downloads/www.ucl.ac.uk/porticohttp://localhost/var/www/Users/Rocio/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/Downloads/www.ucl.ac.uk/porticohttps://evision.ucl.ac.uk/hts/ucl/module_registration_student_userguide.pdfhttps://evision.ucl.ac.uk/hts/ucl/module_registration_student_userguide.pdfhttps://evision.ucl.ac.uk/hts/ucl/module_registration_student_userguide.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/Users/Rocio/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/Downloads/www.ucl.ac.uk/portico


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4. Assessment4.1.Assessment deadlines

In putting the assessment schedule together we have done our best to avoid excessive bunching of

deadlines. However, it is your responsibility to organise your time.

Date Coursework Exams & Tests

TERM 1

w/c 18 November TRANG003: Block 1 Assessment

Monday 9 December TRANG010: Web Design Project

Wednesday 11 December TRANG011: Subtitling Test

14.30-17.30

CHRISTMAS BREAK: 16 December10 January

TERM 2

Monday 13 January TRANG011: Subtitling Project

Monday 20 January TRANG010: XML ProjectMonday 27 January TRANG002: Individual project

w/c 27 January TRANG003: Block 2 Assessment

Monday 10 February TRANG012:Voiceover Test

16.00-19.00

Wednesday 12 March TRANG013: SDH Project

w/c 17 March TRANG003: Block 3 Assessment

Monday 24 March TRANG014: Term Extraction

Project

Friday 11 April TRANG001: Essay

EASTER: 16 April23 April

SUMMER TERMWednesday 30 April TRANG012: Dubbing Project

Wednesday 7 May TRANG013: AD Project

Monday 12 May TRANG014: MT Project

Wednesday 21 May TRANG003 Test- 9.30-12.30

All language combinations

but En > Chinese

Thursday 22 May TRANG003 Test - 9.30-12.30

English > Chinese

Tuesday 27 May TRANG002: Group Project

END OF TEACHING

Monday 8 September TRANG099: Dissertation

! !In all cases, coursework must be submitted by 4 pm on the relevant day.


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4.2.Penalties for late submissionThe rules concerning the late submission of assessed coursework may be summarised as

follows:

- If you submit a piece of coursework after the deadline but within 24 hours of the

deadline, your mark will be reduced by 5 percentage points. If you submit a piece ofcoursework during the following six days, your mark will be reduced by a 15 percentage

points.

- Coursework submitted later than seven days after the deadline, providing that it is

submitted during Term 3, will be awarded a mark of zero but will be considered to be

complete, provided the coursework contains material that can be assessed.

- In the case of coursework that is submitted late and is also over length, only the lateness

penalty will apply.

If you are granted an extension without penalty for a piece of coursework, a new deadline for

that piece of work will be set. The penalties described above will come into effect if youovershoot this revised deadline.

4.3.Extensions of deadlines and extenuating circumstancesDeadlines will be extended in exceptional circumstances only, and never retrospectively.

Applications should be addressed in writing (email is acceptable in this case) to Dr Roco Baos-

Piero as Chair of the Board of Examiners, together with an Extension Request Form (see

www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs/masters), well beforethe deadline expires.

Extenuating circumstances: If there are circumstances that prevent you from performing

academically as well as you might, you should inform Dr Roco Baos-Piero as Chair of the

Board of Examiners as soon as possible. The problems may be health, bereavement or someserious personal upset. Put your case in writing, enclose evidence (e.g. medical certificates) and

mark the envelope Confidential.

4.4.Award of MScThe assessment and awarding of the MSc is overseen by the Examination Board, which meets

in November and consists of the Programme Coordinator, key tutors teaching on the

programme and external examiners. The possible outcomes are Distinction, Merit, Pass and

Fail. For the award of the degree of MSc all individual modules need to be passed, an average

mark of at least 50% is needed, as well as a mark of at least 50% on the Dissertation. Condoned

fail marks of not less than 40% are permitted on individual components, as long as no more than25% of the taught elements have marks below 50%.

Award of Degree with Distinction

An award of Distinction will be made where the overall mark is 70% or greater and where the

mark for the dissertation is 70% or greater. For an Award with Distinction to be made mark of at

least 50% should have been achieved in all other elements of the programme. There must be no

condoned marks, no re-sits, and all marks must be first attempts.

Award of degree with Merit

An award of Merit will be made where the overall mark is 60% or greater, and where the mark

for the dissertation is 65% or greater. For an Award with Merit to be made there must be no

marks below 50%, no condoned marks, no re-sits, and all marks are based on first attempts.
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If a student fails to complete the dissertation, a Postgraduate Diplomacould be awarded. For

an award of a Postgraduate Diploma students must have completed 120 UCL credits or the

equivalent 1200 learning hours and obtained an overall average mark of 50% or greater.

Examination regulations can be found here:www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/acd_regs/2013-2014/PG_Section_3_2013-2014.pdf

Release of

marks and

graduation

ceremony

Boards of Examiners are permitted to release unconfirmed provisional marks to

students, prior to the formal publication of results by UCL. Students will be

informed when their examination results have been published on Portico.

Graduating students will be sent an official transcript with their certificate within

three months of their date of award.

The Graduation Ceremonies are normally held in late August or the first half of

September of the following year

4.5.Re-assessmentStudents who, at their first entry, do not successfully pass an examination may re-enter for the

examination or other forms of assessment on one more occasion.

Students who fail an examination with a mark that cannot be condoned will be required to re-

enter that examination at the next normal occasion. For instance, a dissertation that is not

awarded a pass can be resubmitted the following September.

A mark cannot be condoned if it is below 40 or if more than 25% of the taught elements have

marks below 50, or if the Board of Examiners decides not to condone the mark.

If a student fails the dissertation and resubmits by the end of the first term of the following

academic year, the Board would then reconsider the award for these students in January.

5. Presentation, submission and return of workDuring your stay on MScTrans you are asked to submit different assessment components. This

section refers to most of these, except for the dissertation. Requirements for the dissertation

are very similar in most respects but are dealt in the separate dissertation handbook that will be

distributed during the Term 1.

! For general information on writing assignments (exams, essays, write-ups, etc.),please seeAppendix 3.

5.1.General guidelines for the presentation of written workPlease follow the guidelines below for the presentation of written work:

Use font size 12

All written work should be accurately typed and neatly laid out on A4 paper, with adequate

margins and consecutive page numbering, and with clear titles and subdivisions.

Make sure files are named and saved using the following convention:

Name_surname_assignment.doc: e.g. Alex_Turner_TRANG001Essay.doc

Make sure your work is proofread: up to three percentage points may be deducted for work

which is expressed in poor English. Non-native speakers of English should get their English

checked by a native speaker before submitting.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/acd_regs/2013-2014/PG_Section_3_2013-2014.pdfhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/acd_regs/2013-2014/PG_Section_3_2013-2014.pdfhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/acd_regs/2013-2014/PG_Section_3_2013-2014.pdf


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5.2.Respecting word limitsFor each piece of written work a particular word limit will be specified. All assessed work must

not exceed the prescribed word limit at all.If you go over the word limit, you give yourself an

unfair advantage over other people who have taken pains to adhere to it. Consequently, credit

will be deducted for excessive length according to the following scale of penalties:

Work that exceeds the upper

word limit by less than 10%

The mark will be reduced by 10 percentage marks

The penalised mark will not be reduced below the

pass mark, assuming the work merited a pass.

Work that exceeds the upper

word limit by more than 10%

The assessment will be considered complete, but

a mark of 0% will be awarded.

You should use the word counting facility in Microsoft Word or similar to keep an eye on the

length of the essay as you are writing it and you must state the final word count on the file

that you submit. The number cited must be no greater than the word limit and must be honest.There is no penalty as such if you write significantly less than the required number of words.

However, in this case you are simply not giving yourself the chance to develop your argument as

fully as would otherwise be the case and so you work will probably be marked correspondingly

lower.

Whats excluded from the word count?

When calculating the number of words we will not count bibliography, footnotes, appendices,

annexes or excessive quoted material. Excessive can be taken to mean multiple extended

quotations from academic sources or any passages taken from other sources (e.g. novels,

newspapers, etc.) to provide examples of translation strategies or other linguistic points etc.As a rule of thumb, quotations should occupy an absolute maximum of one quarter of your text.

5.3.Submission of workAll written work should be submitted by the advertised deadline in the manner required. In the

case of work being submitted in paper copy you must hand in the required number of copies of

all material submitted. For many modules, however, you will be asked to submit work through

Moodle(or sometimes on CD or DVD). Submission via email or fax is not acceptable, unless it

is a specific requirement of the course in question.

A policy of anonymous markingis followed. You will shortly be receiving a candidate number

which you will need to use to identify your exam coursework and to distribute grades to ensure

anonymity. Please put your candidate numberon the assessed piece of work, but NEVER your

name or student number.

5.4.PlagiarismPlagiarism in written submissions is taken extremely seriously in the TranSU and within

UCL. Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another persons thoughts or words as

though they were your own. Any quotation from the published or unpublished works of other

persons must therefore be clearly identified as such by being placed inside quotation marks, andall sources must be identified fully and accurately. A series of quotations from different sources,


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if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism as much as an unacknowledged long

quotation from a single source. Equally, if you summarise or adopt someone elses ideas,

judgements, figures, diagrams or software, appropriate reference mustbe made, and the work

referred to must be included in the bibliography. If your source of information is the Internet,

you must give the full address of the relevant site.

Plagiarism in any form is intellectual theft and is taken extremely seriously. As the assessment

for the MSc programme consists largely of work written in your own time, you will be required

to sign a declaration for each part of the assessment that the work is your own and that you are

aware of the rules concerning plagiarism. UCL employs the sophisticated JISC detection system

to investigate suspected plagiarism called Turnitin. When you submit your essay via Turn-it-in,

the software will generate an originality report and will provide an estimated percentage of

how much of the wording is taken from other sources. You need not be alarmed by percentages

of 10-25% if these are derived from using technical terms or if you have referenced quotations

from secondary sources. However, if the report determines that you have taken sentences orpassages from other sources without referencing them, then this will instigate further

investigation.

You must not use substantially the same material in different parts of the assessment. Failure to

observe the provisions of this policy constitutes an examination offence. Students found to have

committed an examination offence may be excluded from all further examinations of the

College and/or the University.

For further guidance on plagiarism, please see

www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/guidelines/plagiarism.

5.5.Feedback and return of courseworkEssays and other work submitted via Moodle will normally be returned to you via Moodle as

well. Results of assessments and examinations will sometimes be distributed via email, with

individual students being identified by candidate number. Work submitted in hard copy can be

collected from the department (please contact the MSc administrator for more information).

You can expect to be given feedback on assessed work as well as on coursework within

approximately four weeks of submission. The type of feedback and frequency with which it is

provided varies from one course to another.

Any feedback on the dissertation will have to wait until after the meeting of the Board ofExaminers. Once the marks have been confirmed by the exam board, the UCL Registry will make

your marks available on Portico. You will receive a full transcript with your degree certificate.
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6. MScTrans marking scheme6.1.Grades

Results for all individual pieces of work will be communicated to you in the form of letter grades.

Your percentage scores in individual assessments will be communicated to you by the CollegeRegistry after the Examination Board.

The mark awarded will reflect the following levels of attainment:

A 70-85% Distinction The pass mark for all work at MSc level is 50%.The

threshold for a distinction is 70%and for a merit

60%. The highest possible mark is 85%and the

lowest 25%(except in the case of non-submission

where a mark of 0%will be awarded).

B 60-69% Merit

C 50-59% Pass

D 25-49% Fail

6.2.Marking proceduresAssessment components are marked by the first marker and moderated by a second marker.

Tutors will not be able to enter into any kind of negotiations with you or anyone else

concerning your marks; once awarded, marks can only be revised by the relevant External

Examiner, to whom any serious disagreement will be referred.

The fairness of individual marks and the general comparability of standards across different UK

universities are ensured by the external examiners appointed from other universities. Normally

there is no discrepancy between the marks awarded internally and the e xternal examiners

assessment, but occasional disagreements do arise. Consequently you cannot be formally told

what you have scored on a given assessment until that assessment has been seen by anexternal examiner and the score has been officially ratified by the Examination Board.

7. Communication and consultationIncoming paper mail, both internal and external, is forwarded to the Administrator.

The notice board on the second floor of 50 Gordon Square (outside room 206) serves as a

general information point. The MSc Trans student pigeonholes(i.e. your mailboxes) are in 33-

35 Torrington Place, outside Room 1.2. You should check the notice board and your pigeonhole

on a regular basis.

7.1.Course materials on MoodleMost handouts and reading assignments can be downloaded from Moodle, our Virtual Learning

Platform, which can be accessed from www.ucl.ac.uk/moodle using your usual username and

password.

7.2.Communication via e-mail: Distribution listOnce the course is underway we will create an e-mail discussion group to which all students and

some members of staff will be subscribed. You can use this for communication amongst

yourselves but please bear in mind that we will also use it in order to pass important

information on to you. Email messages will be sent to your UCL email address only. We will not

send emails to private email addresses, e.g. gmail or hotmail accounts.
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7.3.Information on PORTICOPORTICO atwww.ucl.ac.uk/portico/provides password access to central student information in

an easy-to-use format. You can take ownership of your own personal data held by UCL on your

central record. The system offers a range of services to students: update personal details;

update contact addresses; view Module Results; view Module Directory; course and modulechoices; etc.

7.4.Communicating your viewsStaff-Student Consultative Committee

We organise Staff-Student Consultative Committeemeetings once every term to discuss any

and all matters of relevance to the MSc. Although all students and staff connected with the

programme are invited to the meetings, we would like you to appoint three student

representativesby the end of Week 4 Term1 to sit on the Staff-Student Committee. They will

liaise between the MScTrans students and the Programme Coordinator and Committee,

collecting items from the MScTrans students for the agenda of future Staff-Student Committeemeetings. They will also meet with members of staff informally to report on how the

programme is progressing and to identify areas of concern. Following each Staff-Student

Committee meeting, the student representatives will report back to the MScTrans students

with any relevant feedback. The role of class representative is a very important and rewarding

one that contributes to good practice, enabling problems to be relayed to the MScTrans Staff-

Student Committee at the earliest opportunity and facilitating the dialogue between MScTrans

staff and students.

The dates for the meetings of the Staff-Student Committee will be circulated by the

Administrator as soon as the representatives have been appointed.

Evaluation Questionnaires

You will be asked to complete questionnaires electronically at the end of each taught course.

The questionnaires give you a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of individual courses and the

quality of the educational experience involved. You will be asked to fill in a further questionnaire

about the programme as a whole in September. The comments you make in these

questionnaires are treated as strictly confidential. The use of course evaluation questionnaires is

in line with UCLs policy of constantly monitoring and improving teaching quality.

Informal feedback

Please feel free to approach any member of staff to provide informal feedback on the course.

Complaints and grievances

Complaints and grievances can be taken up in the first instance with your Personal Tutor, the

Course Conveners or the Programme Coordinator. Should you feel the need to take the matter

further, you can contact the Faculty Tutor in the Arts and Humanities Faculty Office.
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8. FacilitiesTRANG001, TRANG099, TRANG003 and some optional modules will be taking place in a range of

teaching rooms. Campus maps and specific information can be found here:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/maps

8.1.The Trans Lab and other PC clustersTRANG002 sessions and some of the optional modules with heavy use of computing facilities

will take place in the MScTrans Lab, a dedicated cluster in 220 Foster Court where a wide range

of translation software is available. As a general rule, students on the MSc have the largely

exclusive use of the Lab when it is not being used for classes. However, we might allow other

groups to use the Lab on an occasional basis, and the Lab will also be unavailable on a number

of Saturdays throughout the year and for much of the day during a three or four-week period

over the summer. However, we will endeavour to give you as much notice as possible whenever

it needs to be reserved for another activity.

Networked PC cluster rooms are dotted around UCL and some halls of residence. Contact theInformation Systems Division's Helpdesk for maps and authorization forms (Helpdesk tel.

25000).

The UCL computing system is backed up every evening and protected by firewalls, offering a

secure environment for your work. Store your coursework and drafts on the UCL system!

8.2.The LibraryThe MScTrans library contact is Sarah Burn ([email protected]).

The UCL Library should meet most of your requirements, and nearly all the items included in the

bibliographies you will receive during the course are available there. You may also want to use

other London University libraries or specialist collections, particularly when working on yourdissertation. Ask the Information Desk in the UCL Main Library for details.

The University of London Library in Senate House (Malet Street) serves as a back-up library, with

various specialist collections. The British Library (Euston Road) is five minutes walk from UCL.

The catalogues of all these libraries can be consulted via the Web. The library provision in

central London is world-class, so make the most of it.

9. Additional courses and activities9.1.SELCS Writing Lab

The SELCS Writing Lab is a free service for undergraduate and MA students within SELCS andCMII, and affiliate students in the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social & Historical Sciences

and the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES). The Lab runs workshopsand

offers one-to-one supportfor academic writing, with four knowledgeable and trained tutors.

In Terms 1 and 2, 2013-14, a series of workshops will be offered in the four weeks prior to

Reading Week. The Writing Lab will then be open for tutorials after Reading Week on Mondays

to Fridays from 12 pm to 6 pm. See the SELCS Writing Lab schedule for further details:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/schedule. Further information is also available on

Moodle:https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14661.

Students visiting the Writing Lab are reminded to bring relevant materials (essay titles,

instructions from course tutors, etc.) to show the tutors. This will allow tutors to help you moreefficiently.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/mapshttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/mapsmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/workshopshttps://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/workshopshttps://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/workshopshttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/schedulehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/schedulehttps://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14661https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14661https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14661https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14661http://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/schedulehttps://www.ucl.ac.uk/selcs-writing-lab/workshopsmailto:[email protected]://www.ucl.ac.uk/maps


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9.2.Getting Started in the Translation ProfessionEvery year for the past few years, we have run a short, non-assessed course of lectures and

seminars for our students on various aspects of becoming professionally active in translation.

The speakers, who are drawn from the profession, focus on a range of topics of direct relevance

to the kinds of position that you will probably be applying for after completing MScTrans. Thisyear the course is scheduled to run during the summer term.

! Placements and work experienceWe are not able to offer every participant the opportunity of an extended period ofwork experience with a translation company. However, a few openings may become

available. As and when opportunities arise, you will be informed by e-mail. All

job/placement information presented should be taken as impartial information and

does not in any way, represent endorsement or quality assurance by UCL.

9.3.Saturday CoursesThe Translation Studies Unit offers a wide range of stand-alone courses intranslation

technology andaudiovisual translation which take place on Saturdays. MScTrans students can

register in these courses at a discounted price. More information will be available soon.

9.4.Public lectures and eventsIn addition to the seminars and guest speakers organised by TranSU as part of the Dissertation

module (TRANG099), the Centre for Multidisciplinary & Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) also

organises lectures and events on topics related to Comparative Literature, European Culture &

Thought, European Studies, Film Studies, Gender Studies and Translation Studies. The

Translation in History Lecture Seriesis an example of such events. This series of public lecturesinvestigating the role of key figures and movements in the historical development of the theory

and practice of translation is organised with the support of the UCL Faculty Institute of Graduate

Studies (FIGS). For further information, please visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/translation-

studies/translation-in-history.

Public lunch-hour lectureson a broad range of topics take place during Terms One and Two on

Tuesdays from 1.15 pm to 1.55 pm in the Darwin Theatre. Watch the UCL website, noticeboards

and public displays.

9.5.Translation Technology: E-course on LocalisationFor the past few years we have been running an e-learning course on software localisation.

Although not actually part of MScTrans, it covers material that is quite close in nature to much

of what you will be doing on the Translation Technology module. Administered by the School of

Professional Development (SPD) at Imperial College, it is principally designed for external

delegates who want a serious introduction to this area.

The course runs three times per year, to coincide with university terms, and it will be possible

for you to request a place for Term 2 if you are interested. In order to cover costs the SPD make

a charge of 150 for this, which as you will see from the website represents a massive discount

on the normal fees that are charged. Participation is not compulsory, nor will you gain an unfair

advantage over your classmates should you decide to register.

If you decide to register, make sure you mention that you are a UCL student doing the
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/translationgroup/translationtechnologycourseshttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/translationgroup/translationtechnologycourseshttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/translationgroup/translationtechnologycourseshttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/multidisciplinary-and-intercultural-inquiry/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/multidisciplinary-and-intercultural-inquiry/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ah/figs/homepagehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/ah/figs/homepagehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/ah/figs/homepagehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/translation-studies/translation-in-historyhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/translation-studies/translation-in-historyhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/translation-studies/translation-in-historyhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/translation-studies/translation-in-historyhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/translation-studies/translation-in-historyhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/ah/figs/homepagehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/multidisciplinary-and-intercultural-inquiry/http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/translationgroup/translationtechnologycourseshttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/translationgroup/translationtechnologycourseshttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/translationgroup/translationtechnologycourses


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APPENDIX 1: MScTrans objectives and learning outcomes

The objectives and learning outcomes are a set of formally-defined benchmarks which are

designed to define what a particular programme of study is meant to achieve. They are usuallyput together when the programme is in the planning stage, but may be modified on an on-going

basis to reflect developments in the course itself. While obviously very closely interrelated they

are meant to reflect slightly different kinds of criteria.

MScTrans Objectives

To introduce students to the theory and practice of translation with a focus on the language

of science, technology and medicine.

To familiarise students with the techniques and methodologies of machine translation,

computer-assisted translation and terminology management.

To widen students' appreciation of language in general and to sharpen their awareness ofsyntactical, semantic and stylistic differences between languages and discourses.

To assist students in realising their individual potential by building on previous experience in

writing or translating and to encourage self-directed improvement.

To develop a degree of specialisation in the fields of language processing and translating in

particular languages and specific subject domains.

MScTrans Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing the proposed course students will have:

An extended knowledge of a wide range of translation techniques, lexical aids and

computational tools now widely available to the translator.

The capacity to analyse and evaluate text and published material with a view to selecting

appropriate methods for the task in hand.

The skills to enable them to produce work of a professional standard in a wide range of

fields.

The ability to manipulate language and to communicate efficiently and clearly within the

professional environment in a variety of modes and linguistic contexts and to work

independently to the very highest standard.

The ability to evaluate critically current research in the field of translation and make

discerning choices about their own area of research and development and systems best

suited to resolve them.


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APPENDIX 2: Marking Criteria

Marking criteria for translations

A 80-85% Distinction

1. The translation is extremely accurate and entirely fit for the purpose specified, with no need for revision.2. Student has fully understood all nuances of source text.

3. Reads like natural target language in appropriate register with no signs of linguistic interference. Rare

minor lapses do not detract at all from the quality of the whole.

4. Relevant translation techniques and strategies have been successfully implemented.

5. Superlative grammar and syntax, underlining an excellent command of the style.

6. The translation is of a very good professional standard in content as well as presentation.

A 70-79% Distinction1. Accurate translation and student has understood all nuances of source text.

2. Reads like natural target language in appropriate register with no signs of linguistic interference.

Occasional minor lapses do not detract from the quality of the whole.

3. Relevant translation techniques and strategies have been successfully implemented.

4. Excellent grammar and syntax, underlining an excellent command of the style.5. The translation is of a good professional standard in content as well as presentation.

6. Top: will have inspired translation ideas and solutions.

7. Low: occasional minor misreading of the original but maintaining overall coherence.

B 60-69% Merit1. Convincing and accurately translated on the whole. Very few instances of unusual expression or word

order.

2. The occasional sentence or phrase has not been (fully) understood.

3. Student has been able to recognise and solve most of the translation problems involved. Some relevant

translation strategies have been implemented successfully.

4. Most of the target text reads smoothly, with very few signs of linguistic interference. Errors, when

present, probably occur as a result of a tricky translation/terminology problem.

5. Some further polishing/revision may be necessary in order to make the translation fit for its purpose.6. Top: will display a good choice of appropriate vocabulary and syntactic structures.

7. Low: the odd lapse, along with a more limited range of expression.

C 50-59% Pass1. The TT version reflects the content of the original reasonably well, with a significant number of successful

attempts at difficult constructions. Nonetheless, some misunderstandings are evident in places.

2. Student has recognised and solved some of the translation problems involved.

3. Some relevant translation strategies have been implemented, although not always successfully.

4. Most of the target text reads smoothly, although there are few signs of linguistic interference.

5. Student may have forgotten to translate a small part of the source text, without serious impact on the

whole.

6. Considerable revision is needed at most levels of the translation.

7. Top: has significant redeeming features; low: may have patches which suggest guesswork.

8. Low: the expression is inauthentic, or inappropriate, at times. Subjects and tenses of verbs are not always

correctly identified.

D 25-49% Fail1. Student has misunderstood many ideas of the ST.

2. Student has been able to recognise and solve some of the translation problems involved, although not

always successfully.

3. The meaning of the TT language requires some effort to follow it; some parts of the original have been

misconstrued.

4. Little control is evident over the original and the style of the TT suffers from it.

5. Grammar and syntax are not adequate and clear signs of linguistic interference are present.

6. Few relevant translation strategies and techniques have been implemented.

7. Mis-renderings of large parts of the ST.

8. The translation has significant problems with coherence and cohesion and numerous errors.


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Marking criteria for essays/commentaries and write-ups

A 80-85% Distinction1. Evidence that student has an extensive, thorough and perceptive knowledge of the topic researched, has

understood the issues covered and can make links between them.

2. Clear evidence of an ability to critically evaluate existing research on the object of study as the basis foridentifying and defining new fields of research.

3. Clear evidence of having found relevant and up-to-date materials.

4. The work demonstrates considerable originality and independent thought. It is of publishable or near-

publishable quality, making a significant contribution to the discipline.

5. Ability to identify, engage and organise ideas clearly and logically.

6. Material is very well-organised, has a clear structure and a high standard of presentation.

7. The principles applicable to academic writing in the humanities have been perfectly understood.

8. Ability in evaluating, criticising and producing well-reasoned arguments in defence of a point of view.

9. Ability to identify interesting aspects of the research and their implications for future research projects.

A 70-79% Distinction1. Evidence that student has a thorough and perceptive knowledge of the topic under analysis, has

understood the issues covered and can make links between them.2. Evidence of an ability to critically evaluate existing research on the object of study as the basis for

identifying and defining new fields of research.

3. Evidence of having found some relevant and up-to-date materials.

4. The work demonstrates considerable originality and independent thought. It is of near-publishable

quality, making a contribution to the discipline.


6. Material is well-organised, has a clear structure and a high standard of presentation.

7. The principles applicable to academic writing in the humanities have been understood very well.

8. Ability in evaluating, criticising and producing reasoned arguments in defence of a point of view.

9. Ability to identify interesting aspects of the research and their implications for future research projects.

B 60-69% Merit

1. Evidence that student has a very good knowledge of the topic under analysis, has understood the issuescovered and can make links between them.

2. Evidence of an ability to evaluate existing research on the object of study as the basis for identifying new

fields of research.

3. Evidence of having made their own literature search and possibly having found some relevant and up-to-

date materials.

4. An understanding of the requirements of the question answered or of the title the student is responding

to.


6. Material is well-organised, has a clear structure and a good standard of presentation.

7. The principles applicable to academic writing in the humanities have been well understood.

8. Ability to produce work which is stimulating and thought-provoking.

C 50-59% Pass1. Evidence that student has good and reasonable understanding of the topic and has understood the

important issues covered.

2. Evidence of an ability to evaluate some existing research on the object of study.

3. A clear attempt to meet the requirements of the question answered or of the title the student is

responding to.

4. Work is mainly descriptive but demonstrates an adequate coverage of relevant issues appropriate to the

task, although the approach is generally unambitious.

5. Evidence of an ability to produce arguments relative to the issues under discussion but with limited

evidence of an analytical, critical or evaluative response.

6. Ability to organise ideas in a reasonably clear and logical way.

7. The task is completed satisfactorily and the material is presented with reasonable care and has a

discernible structure.8. The principles applicable to academic writing in the humanities have been understood.


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D 25-49% Fail1. Little evidence that student has knowledge of the topic or has understood some of the most important

issues covered.

2. Little evidence of having read and understood some key texts on the issue.

3. Little understanding of the requirements of the question answered or of the title the student is

responding to.

4. Work provides a superficial discussion, is descriptive and covers only some of the relevant material but

lacks depth and offers little evidence of an analytical, critical or evaluative approach.

5. Little attempt to organise ideas in a reasonably clear and logical way.

6. Material is not particularly well-presented or well-structured, and there is little evidence that the

principles applicable to academic writing in the humanities have been understood.

7. Little evidence that the student has related the work to personal ideas and views. Work lacks originality.

8. References to secondary material are superficial, inaccurate or non-existent.

9. Material is poorly presented and poorly structured.

Marking criteria for presentations

A 80-85% Distinction1. The presentation has been thoroughly researched and shows a strikingly original approach to thesubject.

2. The presentation is inventive, well organised and has an exceptionally clear structure.

3. The candidate is a superlative communicator who speaks clearly and fluently, maintains good eye

contact with the audience and is audible at all times.

4. The candidate has an extensive range of general and specific vocabulary, the register is perfect for the

topic and situation.

5. The candidate makes strikingly original and imaginative use of handouts and audiovisual aids

(computers, videos, tapes, etc).

6. The candidate responds to questions in an easy, imaginative and informative way and involves the

audience in discussion and/or other activities.

A 70-79% Distinction1. The presentation has been thoroughly researched and shows an original approach to the subject.2. The presentation is inventive, well organised and has an extremely clear structure.

3. The candidate is a very effective communicator who speaks clearly and fluently, maintains good eye


4. The candidate shows a high degree of accuracy and resorts to a wide range of general and specific

vocabulary, the register is perfect for the topic and situation.

5. The candidate makes original and imaginative use of handouts and audiovisual aids (computers, videos,

tapes, etc).

6. The candidate responds to questions in an easy, imaginative and informative way and may involve the

audience briefly in discussion and/or other activities.

B 60-69% Merit

1. The presentation has been well researched and shows an intelligent approach to the subject.2. The presentation is well organised and has a clear structure.

3. The candidate is an effective communicator who speaks clearly and with fluency, maintains good eye


4. The candidate displays a good range of structures and resorts to a wide range of general and specific

vocabulary, the register is very good for the topic and situation.

5. The candidate makes effective use of handouts and audiovisual aids (computers, videos, tapes, etc).

6. The candidate responds to questions in a helpful and informative way.

C 50-59% Pass1. The presentation has been adequately researched and shows a sensible rather than imaginative

approach to the subject.

2. The presentation has a clear structure.

3. The candidate speaks clearly and with some fluency but may have a tendency to read from fully written-out notes, and consequently may have some difficulty in maintaining eye contact with the audience. The

candidate may not be audible at all times.


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4. The candidate uses an adequate range of structures and of general and specific vocabulary, the register

is appropriate for the topic and situation.

5. The candidate makes use of handouts and audiovisual materials but they are not always an effective aid

to comprehension.

6. The candidate sometimes finds it difficult to respond to questions in a helpful and informative way.

D 40-49% Fail1. The presentation needs further research and shows an unimaginative approach to the subject.

2. There are times when the structure of the presentation is not clear.

3. The candidate sounds fluent in some situations but is prone to hesitation, does not always speak clearly

and may read from fully written-out notes, finding it difficult to make eye contact with the audience. The

candidate is not audible at all times.

4. The candidate lacks variety and range, over-relies on elementary constructions and displays a limited

range of vocabulary. Occasional use of inappropriate register.

5. Handouts and/or audiovisual aids are clear but unhelpful.

6. The candidate does not always respond to questions in an helpful and informative way.

D 25-39% Fail1. The candidate is ill-prepared and the presentation needs a lot more research.

2. The structure of the presentation is not clear.

3. The candidate is hesitant and lacking in fluency, does not speak clearly and reads from fully written-out

notes, finding it impossible to make eye contact with the audience and to communicate.

4. The candidate uses very basic constructions and a very limited range of vocabulary, usually of a general

nature. Often uses inappropriate register.

5. Handouts and/or audiovisual aids are not exploited at all or in an unhelpful way.

6. The candidate does not respond to questions and does not understand some of the questions.


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APPENDIX 3: General advice on writing assignments

General advice on writing a write-up

A write-up is a relatively informal piece of academic writing, a description in your own words of

a specific task. Writing this kind of account usually does not involve much research, orreferencing, but is rather a question of reflecting thoughtfully on your experiences with a piece

of software or something similar.

General advice on writing essays

When preparing essays, you should bear the following points in mind:

An essay that covers a small number of points in detail is usually preferable to one which

touches on a large amount of material superficially.

Having said that, it is better to be concrete than abstract: always flesh out what you are

saying with plenty of examples.

Include plenty of signposting (e.g. The essay contains three main points. The first of theseconcerns ...; Let us now turn our attention tothe question of realia. As I mentioned in my

introduction, ...). This makes your argument much easier to follow and hence more

convincing.

Do not keep repeating the assertion made in the title; instead, try to analyse it. Likewise, it is

not sufficient simply to reproduce (even with due referencing) material that you have read

or that has been covered in the programme without making a serious attempt to

demonstrate that you understand its significance, for example in terms of why it is

important or relevant in the context of the essay question, or how it fits into the overall

body of knowledge and insights that MScTrans seeks to convey.

Avoid colloquialisms; e.g. talk about conveying rather than putting across a meaning. Also,use full forms (do not)rather than contractions (dont).

If citing an example in another language make sure it is accessible to the reader; this will

probably mean providing a literal translation so that the reader will know approximately

what it says.

Do not make any new points in the conclusion; if you are saving up your most perceptive

comment for the end, it probably means you should rewrite your essay! A conclusion should

in fact be just that: a review of the points contained in your essay, and a briefy summary

designed to make what you have said more persuasive and to show what new thoughts or

insights it contains.

Refer to your reading to give your essay added authority; in doing so, remember that it isusually better to refer to a few sources in depth than to pepper your essay with one-off

references to large numbers of articles and books.

Items in the bibliography should be referred to or cited in your essay by year of publication

and page number, as follows:

Example 1

The purpose of covert translation is to produce a TT which is as immediately and

originally relevant as it is forthe source language addressees(House 1986:188).

Example 2

House (1986:188) argues that the purpose of covert translation is to produce a TTwhich is as immediately and originallyrelevant as it is for the source language

addressees.


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Example 3

House (1986:188) argues that the purpose of covert translation is to produce a TT

which is just as relevant for a target audience as the original was for the SL

addressees.

Do not put quotations in italics, unless you feel you need to emphasis something which they

contain. If you do find you have to do this then it should be indicated as follows:

The purpose of covert translation is to produce a TT which is as immediately and

originally relevant as it isfor the source language addressees(House 1986:188,

emphasis added).

NB: If you quote material which already contains italics, then you should say emphasis

original.

Bear in mind that your essays will be assessed with reference to the following generalcategories:

o Organisation:Is your argument easy to follow? Is there logic in the way in which you

present your material?

o References:Do you refer intelligently and relevantly to articles and books which you

have read? Do you use quotations as launching-pads rather than landing-strips? Is

your bibliography an accurate and full reflection of the works you quote from or refer

to in the course of your essay? NB Bear in mind that write-up-style assessments will

probably not need a bibliography.

o Analysis (NB Generally the most important criterion): Have you grasped the

implications of the title? Are you able to use relevant material from across themodule? Have you internalised the material in such a way that you are able to

construct an intelligent argument? Do you use telling, interesting examples? Can you

be creative and original?

o Relevance: Does everything you say have a direct bearing on the topic under

discussion? Do you cover all the ground required by the question? Does your essay

contain any material recycled from previous work of yours? Have you altered the

title of the essay in any way?

o Presentation: Is your work well presented? Is it free of spelling mistakes, bad

grammar or unclear English?

General advice on writing exams

Try to avoid reproducing general information about a topic that you have learnt off by heart;

once again, what we are looking for is understanding of a particular subject and the ability to

use your knowledge to answer a specific question.


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General advice on writing your bibliography

Your bibliography should contain only works which you refer to or quote from (and all of these).

All the works listed in your bibliographical list should contain the following information: authors

last name(s), authors first name(s), date of publication, full title, place of publication, and

publisher. The important thing is consistency whichever method of presentation you choose.Examples are given below:

Book Austermhl, Frank. 2001. Electronic Tools for Translators.Manchester:

St Jerome.

Somers, Harold (ed). 2003. Computers and Translation. A Translators

Guide. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Book with 2 or

more authorsDaz-Cintas, Jorge and Aline Remael. 2007.Audiovisual Translation:

Subtitling. Manchester: St Jerome.

Article in journal

or collectionMayoral Asensio, Roberto. 2000. Official (sworn) translation and its

functions. Babel46(4): 300-331.

Article in work of

reference or

collection of

articles

Lindquist, Hans. 1999. Electronic corpora as tools for translation, in

Gunilla Anderman and Margaret Rogers (eds). Word, Text, Translation.

Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 179-189.

N.B. Such works should NOT be listed with Anderman and Roger as

authors, neither in the course of your essay nor in the bibliography.

Web pagesPavel, Silvia & Diane Nolet. 2001. Handbook of Terminology, Ministerof Public Works and Government Services Canada, available at

http://www.translationbureau.

gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/english/notes/handbook.pdf.Last accessed

20/04/2012

Note that it is not always possible to supply such full information;

since many pages are not permanent it is usual to state the date when

the page was accessed.

Always try to work out a date if possible; otherwise write n.d. (= no

date). Also, try to identify the smallest group of people possible towhom to attribute authorship; if no individuals are named you should

cite the work under the name of the organisation or under the title of

the text. Since we are working electronically a nice touch is to turn

URLs in your bibliography into hyperlinks (select the URL, right-click

and choose Hyperlink).

! You can find more information on citing and referencing in the DissertationHandbook (TRANG099).
http://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/english/notes/handbook.pdfhttp://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/english/notes/handbook.pdfhttp://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/english/notes/handbook.pdfhttp://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/english/notes/handbook.pdfhttp://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/english/notes/handbook.pdf

MSc Study Guide 2013-14 Final

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