Monday 11/26/2018 07:11 pm

Department of English and American Studies

Department of Romance Studies,

Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

 

Joint MA Programme in Translation

Programme website (in Bulgarian): http://unisofia.minb.de/MAtransl/EnglishFrench

 

Programme Description

 

· The Joint MA Programme in Translation is a full-time taught programme lasting 3 semesters and worth 90 ECTS credits.

· The Programme offers the following language combinations: English-Bulgarian, French-Bulgarian, English+French-Bulgarian and French+English-Bulgarian.

· The aim of the Programme is to equip students with the scholarly knowledge and practical skills, including those related to the specifics of the local and international market of translation services and IT resources. The great number of compulsory choice (elective) courses offers students a wide range of options for specialisation in different areas of the translation profession. All courses, as well as the Translation Internship, allow students to get practical training in a real-life working environment and by working with experienced professionals.

· The Programme welcomes students with very diverse BA backgrounds.

Our statistics show that over the last 7 years, out of the students we have admitted, 64.17 % have a background in the working languages studies, 8.33% have a background in other languages studies (from Norwegian to Japanese), and 27.50 % graduated in other BA studies (economics, finance, engineering, law, international relations, psychology, biology, philosophy, cultural studies, European studies and other). Between 12 and 18 % of our students are mature professionals with a strong motivation to enhance their skills and competences. The programme welcomes students with disabilities and provides them with special accommodations to fit their unique needs (e.g. adapting course attendance, exam and internship modalities).

· The programme is oriented towards written translation but it also offers students the opportunity to acquire initial skills in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting.

 

 Admission requirements:

1. A Bachelor’s degree.

2. Applicants for self-financed study must present proof that the average grade from their studies is not lower than 4.00. 

3. Applicants with a different academic background must provide a certificate of high proficiency (CEFR level C1-C2) in written and spoken English or French (or both).

4. The admission exam, held in September, is in two parts. The first one is a written in-house exam. Applicants must translate a short general-purpose text in English or French into Bulgarian (applicants for specialization in both English and French have to translate texts in each language). The use of dictionaries is allowed. Those who have successfully passed the written part of the exam can proceed to the oral part. It is conducted as an interview in the course of which the applicants must show their language competence, general knowledge, communication skills, and motivation to pursue the programme.

The lowest average grade from the two parts required for enrolment in the programme is 4.50.

 

Directors of the Joint MA Programme in Translation:

Professor Vessela Guenova, D. Litt., Department of Romance Studies

Associate Professor Maria Pipeva, Ph.D., Department of English and American Studies

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Note: With the exception of “Contrastive Linguistics”, “The Anglophone/Francophone Cultural Tradition” and “Genre, Style and Translation”, all other compulsory courses are offered in Bulgarian to all students irrespective of their B language. Where no language pair is specified, the respective compulsory choice (elective) course is offered separately for students with English or French as their B language.

In their 1st and 2nd semester, students must acquire at least 16 credits each semester from compulsory choice (elective) courses.

 

COMPULSORY COURSES

 

THEORY OF TRANSLATION (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

15 hours, 3 credits (each part)

Course content:

· key concepts in translation theory and their diachronic evolution: translatability/ untranslatability, equivalence, adequacy, the unit of translation, translation norms, and others

· basic approaches to translation with an emphasis on macrolinguistic and cognitive perspectives

· cultural components and intercultural aspects of translation; the cultural turn in translation studies

· levels of analysis of the source text – from macrostructure to microstructural units

· translation strategies: transformation, pragmatic adaptation, etc.

· history and models of translation reception

· typology of translation strategies in specific genres and in translating stylistic/discursive phenomena.

Expected learning outcomes:

· acquisition of theoretical approaches in assessing the various parameters which play a role in creating meaning as a text is transferred from one culture to another 

· development of analytical skills and problem-solving ability in translation as a professional activity

· acquisition of the appropriate metalanguage for justifying translation solutions and choices

· developing skills for identifying the translator’s priorities with different text types and according to the target audience of the translation

· skills of finding and justifying the balance between domestication and foreignisation appropriate to particular translation situations

· acquiring a toolkit of approaches to translating phraseology, proverbs, metaphors, word play.

Assessment:

Part I – class participation 20%, presentation 20%, exam 60%

Part II – independent work 25%, tests 25%, term project 50%

 

CONTRASTIVE LINGUISTICS (ENGLISH-BULGARIAN; FRENCH-BULGARIAN) (1st semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· basic principles, concepts and methodology of contrastive analysis with a focus on aspects relevant to translation, e.g. comparability and translation equivalence, asymmetry, equivalence and congruence, direction of the analysis, work with dictionaries and translation corpora.

· specific problems on the various levels of languages A and B, e.g. problems of pragmatics and cultural differences (realia, puns, translation of names, transcription and transliteration).

Expected learning outcomes:

· knowledge of the basic principles of contrastive linguistic analysis and of the main linguistic and pragmatic differences between English and Bulgarian / French and Bulgarian

· understanding linguistic asymmetry between English/French and Bulgarian and ability to make informed decisions in the process of translation from English/French into Bulgarian

· skills in analysing and commenting on translations from a linguistic and translatological perspective, using the relevant theoretical and terminological toolkit. 

Assessment: workshops 20%, tests 20%, term project 60%

 

BULGARIAN LANGUAGE COMPETENCE (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

15 hours, 3 credits (each part)

 Course content:

· the grammatical system of Modern Bulgarian: problems in the use of the verbal and nominal systems, esp. language asymmetries with English and French in verbal tense, mood, aspect, voice, participial forms; problems in the use of the article

· stylistic registers of Modern Bulgarian; problems of lexical usage under the impact of the Internet and the social media

· pragmatic aspects of Bulgarian phraseology

· recent normative changes in Bulgarian orthography and punctuation

· existing dictionaries and databases of the Bulgarian language, and their usefulness to the translator

· focus on the Bulgarian verb categories, their specificities and the importance of taking them into account in translation

· extensive practice with specially designed exercises, problem-solving activities and tests.

Expected learning outcomes:

· critical self-awareness in the professional use of language A

· production of grammatically and stylistically adequate texts in the process of translation from English and from French into Bulgarian

· practical experience in a wide range of Bulgarian language practices, e.g. imaginative literature and pragmatic texts, the media

· editing and proofreading skills

· efficient use of dictionaries and reference materials

Assessment: class participation 20%, workshops 10%, midterm test 20%, final exam 50%

 

DATA MINING AND TRANSLATION (1st semester)

15 hours, 2 credits

Course content:

· introduction to the basic resources for information mining, means and strategies of documentation using electronic media and especially Internet resources (e.g. EUR-LEX, IATE, Lexilogos, SDL International Multi Term, etc.)

· simulation of a variety of professional situations in which students are required to apply knowledge about various online information sources, online databases and skills of information mining.

Expected learning outcomes:

· skills of identifying the appropriate online databases and informed use of their resources for professional translation

· ability for efficient search in various databases and critical evaluation of their applicability in any specific translation situation

· ability to use efficiently offline and online information resources

· development of a critical analytical approach to resources

· ability to acquire and use in translation work thematic knowledge relevant to LSP.

 Assessment: workshops 30%, portfolio 70%

 

TEXT PROCESSING, EDITING AND REVISING FOR TRANSLATORS (1st semester)

30 hours, 2 credits

Course content:

· updating and developing students’ skills of using word-processing programmes specifically for the purposes of translation and editing/self-editing

· introduction to a variety of word-processors and some specialised types of word-processing and editing, e.g. annotation, summarising, formatting, editing of machine translation, etc.

· practising the skills in a variety of situations relevant to the translation profession, and using various media.

Expected learning outcomes:

· competence in critically assessing and choosing the most appropriate word-processing and editing tools and procedures; applying them at a professional level in any translation-related situation

· ability to revise successfully translations in different professional contexts

· skills in using efficiently and responsibly machine translation and post-editing of machine translation (PEMT)

· enhanced efficiency and quality of performance in other classes in specialised translation

· improved skills in team-working, time management and communication with co-workers and clients.

Assessment: workshops 20%, tests 30%, portfolio 50%

 

THE ANGLOPHONE/FRANCOPHONE CULTURAL TRADITION IN CONTEMPORARY TEXTS (2nd semester)

30 hours, 3 credits

Course content:

· intertextuality and its functional significance in the translation of contemporary Anglophone/Francophone texts (esp. literary, political and texts in the humanities) containing allusions and references to classical sources, esp. the Bible and other religious texts, classical mythology, art

· the impact of the cultural tradition on decision-making in the process of translation

· strategies of tracing such intertextual references

· informed choices of adequate strategies of translation of allusions to classical sources, assessing the needs of the target audience

Expected learning outcomes:

· raised intercultural awareness of the presence and role of religion, mythology and the arts as sources of allusion in contemporary Anglophone/Francophone fiction and non-fiction

· development of skills of using relevant sources for information mining and archiving resource materials

· development of intercultural skills in rendering Biblical, mythological and other classical allusions for the target Bulgarian audience

· skills in annotating translated texts

· revising, self-editing and editing skills.

Assessment: class participation 30%, portfolio 30%, term paper 40%

 

TRANSLATION TECHNOLOGY: CAT AND MT TOOLS (2nd semester)

60 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· systematic critical survey of the most commonly used CAT tools, their role, applicability, usefulness and limitations

· archiving tools, alignment tools, CAT tools (creating, managing and working with translation memories, alignment practices, term bases – online and offline), voice recognition applications, machine translation and applications

· simulation of professional situations requiring CAT tools where students make informed choices and apply practical skills acquired in this course and in the course of Databases and Translation.

Expected learning outcomes:

· mastery and confidence in the use of CAT tools, e.g. SDL Trados Studio, WordFast Anywhere, Memsource, various free CAT tools, in professional situations

· ability to critically evaluate the available CAT tools and make informed choices suited to each professional translation task

· ability to conduct efficiently QA checks, incl. through various CAT tools

· ability to (co)-organise and fulfil a translation project complying with all professional requirements.

Assessment: tests 40%, portfolio 60%

 

GENRE, STYLE AND TRANSLATION (ENGLISH; FRENCH) (2nd semester)

30 hours, 3 credits

Course content:

· introduction to the genre-specific and culture-specific elements of texts

· basic principles, concepts and terms in textual, genre, stylistic and cultural analysis

· identifying registers in the original text and choosing appropriate strategies and linguistic resources for rendering them in translation

· extensive practice in the analysis of authentic texts across a range of genres and subjects, such as political and cultural journalism, public speeches, essays and newspaper and magazine columns, interviews and discussions, blogs, dialogue and interior monologue in literary fiction, etc.

· practice in textual transformation and adaptation of the translated text to fit media conventions and recipients expectations

· practice in team work and collaborative learning using available digital platforms.

Expected learning outcomes:

· ability to recognise and analyse language variation in speech and writing and in an intercultural and transmedial context

· awareness of the dynamics of genre traditions and conventions in the source and target sociolinguistic and cultural context

· ability to adapt a translation according to communicative needs and conventions in the target culture

· acquisition of an appropriate metalanguage for analysis

· skills of close reading and analysis of texts of various genres, styles and registers using the appropriate methodological tools

· ability to present and support an argument in a spoken or written mode

· editing and proofreading skills in languages A and B

· self-assessment, peer-reviewing and team-working skills.

Assessment: class participation and workshops 50%, portfolio and tests 50%

 

RESEARCH METHODS AND ACADEMIC WRITING (3rd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· basic principles of research in the humanities and specifically in the field of translation; academic standards and requirements

· methods and stages of research and its progress: choosing a topic, deciding on an appropriate theoretical framework and methodological approach, compiling and analysing corpora, documenting data, structuring the text

· types of MA theses: peculiarities and requirements (analytical thesis; glossary compilation and critical analysis of terms)

· evaluation criteria for the quality of research and academic writing: workshops on the academic output of previous graduands of the programme

· preparation for the Master’s thesis defence

· guiding each individual student in their choice of topic for the MA thesis and assisting them in approaching appropriate academic supervisors.

Expected learning outcomes:

· practical knowledge of the basic research principles in the humanities and their application in writing an MA thesis in the field of translation studies

· academic writing skills

· quick orientation in choosing a topic

· ability to plan and carry out the writing of the MA dissertation that meets the academic standards of the programme

· ability to produce, revise and QA check a compulsory chunk of translation, thematically related to the MA thesis topic

· ability to perform to the standard expected at the viva voce.

Assessment: class participation 20%, data-mining task 10%, oral presentation with written summary 70%

 

THE TRANSLATION PROFESSION (3rd semester)

60 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· overview of the translator’s profession today: most common types and categories of translation, kinds of jobs and statuses, professional organisations

· organisation of the translation business; stakeholders, legal regulations, the stages and processes of translations, deadlines and time management, quality management

· presenting oneself on the market: CVs, job prospecting, job interviews, freelancing vs. in-house work

· introduction to management in the areas of translation; the translation bureau and agency, free-lancing, job seeking, working for EU institutions

· direct contact with experienced professionals across the whole range of jobs and translation and management activities

· team work and professional ethics, psychological constraints, continuing education

Expected learning outcomes:

· basic knowledge of the specifics of the translation industry and markets and their stakeholders

· knowledge of best practices for language service provision through meetings and discussions with experienced translators and managers

· familiarisation with the basic principles of business management and launching a translator’s career; project management, business and translation ethics

· familiarisation with the current state of the Bulgarian and international market of translation services and ability to make informed decisions about one’s place in them through self-evaluation

· development of strong interpersonal skills as an essential professional asset

Assessment: workshops 25%, class participation 25%, course project 50%

 

TRANSLATION PROJECT SIMULATION (3rd semester)

60 hours, 3 credits

Course content:

· comprehensive global simulation of the translation project: preparation, planning and implementation from the initial stage of the request of a translation service to the final one of handing the completed product to the client

· initial lectures preparing the students for the simulation, assignment of roles and tasks

· upon completion of the simulation, analysis of the results.

Expected learning outcomes:

· developing further skills in project planning and management in the context of the translation industry, approaching clients and negotiating terms

· team-working skills, time, stress and quality management and control, self-monitoring and responsibility

· experience in a simulated real-life situation typical of the translation industry under its specific constraints 

· practice in the metalanguage used in the translation service industry

· practical application of the knowledge and skills acquired in the MA programme in Translation and better preparation for entering the translation profession.

Assessment: workshops 10%, group activity 10%, problem solving 80%

 

TRANSLATION INTERNSHIP (2nd and 3rd semester)

120 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· 30 hours (1 week) of internship at a translation agency where students get direct experience of the translator’s professional environment and working conditions

· another 90 hours of internship through a variety of flexible schemes (self-organised or assisted by the programme directors): carrying out translation/interpreting-related tasks for a translation agency, publishing house, print or online media, translation department of a company, state institution, NGO, etc.). The employer provides written feedback on the type of tasks performed and the quality of the student’s performance.

· implementation of a range of professional tasks such as translation, editing and project management

· familiarisation in a real-life environment with the place and role of the stakeholders in the translation industry.

Expected learning outcomes:

· practical application in a real-life professional environment of the knowledge and the range of skills and competences acquired in the various courses in the MA in Translation

· implementation of real tasks and heightened awareness of the responsibilities required in the various job situations related to the translation profession

· awareness of the ethical issues of the translation profession

· transition towards the status of a professional translator.

Assessment: agency- and self-reports 30%, agency-assigned tasks and translations 70%

 

____________________________________________________________

 

COMPULSORY CHOICE (ELECTIVE) COURSES

 

In the 1st and 2nd semester, students must acquire at least 16 credits each semester from compulsory choice (elective) courses. They are not restricted in the number of elective courses they may choose.

 

TRANSLATION OF SOCIO-POLITICAL TEXTS (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits (for each part)

Course content:

· aspects of genre, discourse and macrostructure of texts connected with the public domain in a historical perspective

· issues in the translation of texts from the international public and political sphere, esp. from EU and UN institutions, the media and Internet (Part I); political speeches, government documents, journalism (Part II)

· register and terminology used in texts from the socio-political sphere

· political speeches, government documents, journalism.

Expected learning outcomes:

· understanding the macrostructure and discursive features of texts in the whole range of the socio-political sphere

· developing strategies of solving translation problems arising from the specific register of such texts

· developing awareness of intercultural differences and audience expectations, recognising allusions, presuppositions and implicit meanings

· developing and putting to practice advanced translation skills in socio-political fields

· editing and post-editing skills

· skills in information mining and terminology use.

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: class participation 10%, independent work 40%, term project 50%

French-Bulgarian: class participation and independent work 70%, exam 30%

 

TRANSLATION OF LITERARY TEXTS (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits (for each part)

 Course content:

· analyzing literary texts (mostly contemporary fiction) in their cultural contexts

· identifying linguistic and stylistic peculiarities and translation challenges, both created by language asymmetries and the individual style of the author

· making informed decisions about appropriate translation strategies

· approaches to the translation of narration, description and dialogue in literary fiction; rendering point of view

· recognizing and rendering shifts in explicitness, strategies of preserving the coherence and cohesion of the literary text

· translating realia, dialects and sociolects

· translatability of culture-specific humour, intertextual references, wordplay and punning

· translation of specific genres, esp. children’s literature

· self-editing and peer-editing

· case studies of topical cases in the publishing industry.

Expected learning outcomes:

· knowledge about the common stylistic and discursive features of contemporary literary prose in English/French and skills in choosing from a range of strategies in order to render them adequately into Bulgarian

· critical reading of published translated texts, appropriate use of metalanguage in discussing their merits and demerits; ability to carry out small-scale research for the purposes of term papers and Master’s thesis writing

· advanced translation skills with regard to intercultural contexts

· skills in the efficient use of dictionaries and reference materials

· editing and self-editing skills

· awareness of the professional standards expected by publishers, and of basic practical aspects of interacting with employers in the field (contacting publishers, making a proposal, negotiating terms working with editors and proofreaders).

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: class participation 25%, portfolio 25%, term project 50%

French-Bulgarian: class participation 20%, portfolio 20%, exam 60%

 

TRANSLATION OF LEGAL TEXTS

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· comparative overview on fundamental concepts and commonly used terms and phraseology across the Bulgarian and Anglophone/Francophone Company, Contract, and Property Law

· the language of EU law and its typical documents

· practical work in the translation of typical real-life texts, such as court (incl. European Court) decisions, constitutional documents, commercial contracts, international agreements, notary deeds, leases and others; texts and documents related to legal aspects of the EU institutions.

Expected learning outcomes:

· ability to understand specialised texts in the field of national and EU law in its specific contexts

· competence in the handling of legal terminology in English and Bulgarian / French and Bulgarian

· strategies of information mining and the use of appropriate reference materials

· confidence in the translation of legal texts from English/French into Bulgarian, producing skopos-appropriate texts

· awareness of cultural differences between different legal systems and their discourse; mastering appropriate strategies to deal with them.

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: class participation 20%, tests 40%, exam 40%

French-Bulgarian: tests 20%, presentation 20%, independent translation 20%, exam 40%

 

TRANSLATION-BASED RECEPTION OF ANGLOPHONE LITERATURE IN BULGARIA

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· principles and methodology of reception studies

· history of the reception of British and American prose and poetry in Bulgaria

· analysis of the reception of specific authors and works: their ways of entering and impact on the Bulgarian cultural context; the influence of the contact on the formation and evolution of the Bulgarian reader as intercultural mediator

· linguistic and aesthetic problems of the translation of such authors and their significance for their reception and impact

Expected learning outcomes:

· knowledge about the history and typology of literary translation from English into Bulgarian

· ability to contextualise literary translation from a historical and cultural perspective

· awareness of tradition and innovation in solving problems in literary translation

· mastering the critical metalanguage appropriate to diachronic translatological studies

· critical awareness of the status and quality of contemporary literary translation and publishing practices

· developing advanced skills in analyzing literary texts in comparison with the source texts, applicable in other courses, as well as in preparing the Master’s thesis.

Assessment: workshops 10%, independent work 20%, term project 70%

 

SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits (for each part)

Course content:

· specifics of oral and especially simultaneous interpreting

· microphone speech technique and other technology used in simultaneous interpreting

· techniques of simultaneous interpreting, chuchotage

· practical work in simultaneous interpreting using real texts.

Expected learning outcomes:

· skills in using the technology

· advanced skills in summarising spoken and written text

· ability to render the meaning of the original correctly and fluently

· improved proficiency in language A in its spoken variety

· skills in preparing relevant term banks

· team working skills.

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: test 25%, independent work 50%, exam 25%

French-Bulgarian: class participation 20%, tests 80%

 

CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits (for each part)

Course content:

· introduces the students in a step-by-step manner through graded exercises (e.g. reading comprehension of a text, summarizing a text, taking notes, format of notes, etc.) to the analytical skills required by a consecutive interpreter

· familiarises students with the specifics of consecutive interpreting in the various formats of bilateral and multilateral interaction, speeches, report etc. across a whole range of subjects

· offers teaching and practice in note taking, behavior in public, speech technique and pronunciation

· includes analysis of skills and individual progress.

Expected learning outcomes:

· mastering note-taking and summarising skills

· improves mastery of terminology and phraseology

· skills in compiling mini-glossaries in various thematic fields

· developing the psychological aptitude needed in consecutive interpreting, incl. non-verbal behaviour

· improved spoken performance in languages A and B

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: class participation 25%, independent work 25%, tests 50%

French-Bulgarian: workshops 10%, class participation 20%, tests 70%

 

TRANSLATION OF TECHNICAL TEXTS:

FRENCH-BULGARIAN (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester); 30 hours, 4 credits for each part

ENGLISH-BULGARIAN (2nd semester), 30 hours, 4 credits

 Course content:

· familiarises students with the specific generic macrostructural linguistic and stylistic features of technical writing

· focuses attention on the cohesive means used in technical writing in the cultures of language A and B

· introduces the students to the methods and procedures of term-extraction in specialised technical fields

· offers students knowledge and practice in the compilation of terminological glossaries

Expected learning outcomes:

· terminological and terminographic skills

· knowledge and skills of identifying and documenting information in the technical sciences

· technological competence in using CAT tools and online databases

· ability to document data and organise and archive one’s own database

· competence in translating, esp. by using a register specific to the technical field

· awareness of intercultural differences in the technical sphere.

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: class participation 25%, independent work 25%, tests 50%

French-Bulgarian: workshops and portfolio 25%, class participation 25%, tests 50%

 

TRANSLATION OF MEDICAL TEXTS (1st semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the specifics of medical and pharmaceutical texts (print, electronic and screen): aims, macrostructure, style and terminology

· familiarises students with the Latin and Greek terminology most commonly used in medicine and pharmacology, its meaning and principles of word formation

· offers students practice in the translation of original English/French -language texts across the various fields of medicine and pharmacy and illustrating the most commonly used formats and text types (discharge summaries, test results, product information, etc.)

· offers students practice in the translation of films on medical topics

Expected learning outcomes:

· ability to understand texts in a specialised field

· competence in the handling of medical and pharmacological terminology

· strategies of information mining, term extraction and the use of appropriate reference materials;

· ability for critical evaluation of online sources

· skills of archiving terminological data and building corpora and databases for translation purposes

· developing translation skills in the medical field

· professional skills, esp. in the provision of a socially important translation service

· knowledge of intercultural differences in medical discourse and skills of tackling them.

Assessment: class participation and independent work 50%, exam 50%

 

TRANSLATION OF TEXTS IN ECONOMICS AND FINANCE (French-Bulgarian – 1st semester; English-Bulgarian – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the basics of economic theory and finance texts 

· basic concepts and terminology in the fields of macroeconomics, microeconomics and finance

· extensive practice in the translation of authentic texts in the fields of macroeconomics, microeconomics and finance, as well as business correspondence

Expected learning outcomes:

· ability to understand and to translate professionally specialised texts in the field of economics and finance

· competence in the handling of economic and financial terminology

· strategies of information mining and the use of appropriate reference materials

· skills in compiling and archiving one’s own database,

· skills in handling business correspondence and complying with conventions

· intercultural awareness.

Assessment: workshops and portfolio 50%, exam 50%

 

TRANSLATION OF STANDARDISED DOCUMENTS (FRENCH-BULGARIAN) (1st semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· techniques of translating documents with a view to their sources and purposes (skopos)

· standard document layouts and description of graphic images

· specifics of document translation from language A into language B (Bulgarian into French)

· the regulatory framework related to the translator’s responsibilities, current practice, authorisation and legalisation

· transliteration of common personal and geographic names

· glossary compilation 

Expected learning outcomes:

· familiarisation with the documents issued by the Bulgarian authorities and most commonly subject to translation; complying with norms, regulations and conventions of the genre

· developing and enhancing translation skills in the relevant specific field

· editing and proofreading skills, monitoring quality standards

· data-mining skills, assessing and working with relevant IT applications

· skills in preparing term banks and glossaries; terminological competence

· ability to work in conditions of confidentiality and legal responsibility

· team-working skills

· intercultural awareness.

Assessment: workshops 20%, portfolio 30%, tests and final exam 50%

 

 

TRANSLATION OF TEXTS IN THE HUMANITIES (ENGLISH-BULGARIAN) (1st semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

 Course content:

· conceptual fields and macrostructure of texts from diverse areas in the humanities (e.g. philosophy, psychoanalysis, cultural studies etc)

· problem zones in the translation of texts in the humanities: gender and queer studies, multicultural studies and postcolonial theory

· terminological research and term coining.

Expected learning outcomes:

· ability to understand specialised texts in the fields of the humanities

· strategies in handling textual and discursive problems caused by differences in cultural traditions

· competence in the handling of existing terminology and initial skills in term coining

· strategies of information mining and the use of appropriate reference materials

· developing advanced translation skills in different fields of the humanities

Assessment: class participation 20%, tests 30%, term project 50%

 

ENGLISH AS A SECOND FOREIGN LANGUAGE (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 2 credits (for each part)

FRENCH AS A SECOND FOREIGN LANGUAGE (Part I – 1st semester; Part II – 2nd semester)

30 hours, 2 credits (for each part)

Course content:

· offered primarily to students with English/French as their C language

· may be taken by students with English/French as their B language, whose Bachelor’s degree is in fields other than English or French Studies

· enhancement of reading, writing, listening and reading skills, as well as analytical and academic skills, within the framework of an integrated approach

· helping students reach proficiency in English as a B or C language / French as a B or C language, through practical tasks and activities designed specifically in consideration of their work as translators.

Expected learning outcomes:

· Increased proficiency in English as a B or C language / French as a B or C language

· Increased awareness of interlingual and intercultural differences.

Assessment: class participation 25%, homework 25%, tests 50%

 

TRANSLATION FOR THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS (ENGLISH–BULGARIAN AND FRENCH–BULGARIAN) (2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· European institutions and their documents

· Language departments and translation services for the EU institutions; translation workflow

· specifics of Eurospeak, and of its translation with a view to the different language levels

· translating constraints relevant to the language of European institutions

· lexical, syntactic, stylistic issues of translating European texts into Bulgarian (comparative and critical approach)

· translation and editing of EU texts.

Expected learning outcomes:

· knowledge of European institutions and their documents

· good understanding of EU texts

· ability to use the relevant terminology

· skill in using EU on-line databases

· advanced skills in translation of EU texts

· ability to comply with specific requirements of the client

· attention to and monitoring quality in the translation of EU texts from French and English.

Assessment: class participation 20%, portfolio 30%, take-home exam 50%

 

LEXICOLOGY (FRENCH-BULGARIAN) (2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the basic concepts of lexicology

· taxonomy of dictionaries and their purposes

· introduction to dictionary macro- and micro-structure

· specificity of electronic and online dictionaries; collaborative lexicography sites

· techniques of assessing the reliability and appropriateness of specific lexicographic resources to specific translation tasks

· efficient use of lexicographic resources to facilitate the translator’s work and assure its quality.

Expected learning outcomes:

· mastery of the basic concepts and terms of lexicology

· awareness of the types of dictionaries available to the translator

· skills of analysing a dictionary’s usefulness, matching lexicographic resources to particular translation tasks, making informed choices of types of dictionaries

· efficient use of dictionary resources

· developing basic skills in lexicography for the purposes of specialized translation and writing a Master’s thesis in translatology.

Assessment: workshops 25%, class participation 25%, exam 50%

 

FILM TRANSLATION AND SUBTITLING (FRENCH-BULGARIAN AND ENGLISH-BULGARIAN) (2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the specific semiotic structure of audio-visual texts

· current state and modern perspectives of the different types of film translation.

· hands-on practice in film translation and editing from French/English across a wide range of genres

· hands-on practice in subtitling, incl. using up-to-date subtitling software

· translation for dubbing

Expected learning outcomes:

· knowledge about strategies suitable for rendering different types of AV texts

· ability to select strategies according to social, cultural, linguistic and physical norms and restrictions, to recognise and render registers

· skills in using the appropriate professional software

· ability to summarise and condense information

· skills in translating dialogue

· skills in subtitling

Assessment: class participation 25%, presentation 25%, term project 50%

 

CREATIVE WRITING (1st semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the expressive potential of different stylistic modalities in English and Bulgarian written literary and non-literary texts 

· strategies of creating expressive, esp. rhetorical effects and rendering them in translating

· criteria and forms of (peer) evaluating and reviewing textual production in a variety of genres

· extensive practice in creative writing across commonly translated forms and genres.

Expected learning outcomes:

· heightened awareness of language variation, genre and register, alertness to overall coherence and means and strategies of achieving it

· extended repertoire of stylistic and discursive means in one’s own text production and awareness of their effects 

· hands-on experience in developing strategies of summarising, rephrasing and restructuring texts in one language and in translation

· ability for and metalanguage of critical analysis and evaluation of existing texts.

Assessment: class participation 40%, portfolio 60%

 

VERSE TRANSLATION (2nd semester)

15 hours, 3 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the basic principles of translating verse and rendering the impact of the original

· overview of the Anglo-American/French poetic traditions and the Bulgarian poetic tradition

· formal and stylistic levels of the poetic text; prosodic and versification systems and their traditional use in the Anglophone/French and Bulgarian tradition

· comparative analysis of existing verse translations from English/French

· practice in verse translation.

Expected learning outcomes:

· awareness of the specificity of verse and the role of the linguistic and cultural medium of the translation

· awareness of the similarities and differences between the English/French and Bulgarian poetic traditions and prosodic systems

· knowledge about strategies suitable for rendering different types of prosodic systems

· ability to select and apply strategies of verse translation and preserve the meaning and impact of the original

· ability for independent critical analysis and evaluation of existing verse translations. 

Assessment:

English-Bulgarian: class participation 25%, independent work 25%, term project 50%

French-Bulgarian: workshops 20%, portfolio 30%, tests 50%

 

SPOKEN FRENCH IN WRITTEN TEXTS (2nd semester)

30 hours, 4 credits

Course content:

· introduces students to the widespread presence of forms of spoken French and Bulgarian in written texts in all spheres of communication in both languages

· strategies of identifying and understanding forms of spoken French on various stylistic levels and in different registers

· existing dictionaries and reference materials on spoken and colloquial French assisting translation

· extensive practice in translation of spoken French in samples from various genres and periods.

Expected learning outcomes:

· awareness of language variation in L1 and L2

· sensitivity to the presence of forms of spoken French across the whole range of written and media texts

· awareness of the presence, forms and use of spoken Bulgarian in written texts

· developing strategies suitable for rendering different types, stylistic forms and registers of spoken French into Bulgarian

· ability to select suitable reference materials

· ability for critical analysis and evaluation of existing translations containing spoken French.

Assessment: independent work 50%, tests and final exam 50%

 

 

DEGREE COMPLETION: DEFENCE OF MASTER’S THESIS

 

THESIS DEFENCE SESSIONS: APRIL AND OCTOBER

 



last change: Monday 11/26/2018 07:12pm