“Practical translation” aims to heighten your awareness of the differences between German and English, and to enable you to circumnavigate common translation problems. We will begin by looking at common problems such as translating complex noun phrases, relative clauses, false friends, progressive / simple aspects and the present perfect, as part of a topic-based unit on the Great Famine in Ireland. You will then be given the opportunity to select your own text to translate, for example fiction, newspaper report, film review or biography, which you present in class for peer review. You could also choose to create subtitles for a film clip. Practical translation thus focusses on fine-tuning your accuracy and use of idiomatic English as well as equipping you with the tools to edit and translate a variety of genres of text.
The assessment is based on two in-class 90-minute tests (one compulsory and one optional for students needing 3 credit points; both compulsory for students requiring 6 credit points), plus the translation of the text you selected and a commentary.