Unit Outline

This unit aims to develop students’ practical skills and techniques of translation from English to Chinese. It is suitable for students who are native speakers of Mandarin Chinese and its dialects. It is also suitable for heritage or non-heritage students whose Chinese is native-like.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Apply basic theories and principles used for translation, appreciating linguistic differences between English and Chinese.
2.	Analyse and interpret an English source text.
3.	Apply basic skills and techniques to translate English texts into Chinese.
4.	Produce accurate and natural translations giving appropriate consideration to target language grammar and conventions.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to the feedback from previous student cohort, changes have been made including some adjustment to learning content, assessment weightings and alignment of some of the timelines. As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2024, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s eVALUate surveys following your completion of the unit.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Mid-semester Exam	Week 7	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Reflection report	Week 12	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Final Exam	Week 14	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Participation	Refer to Assessment Description	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Mid-semester Exam

Task Description:

See MyLO site for assessment task description

Task Length:

60 minutes

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate understanding of translation theories and concepts.	LO1
2	Appreciate linguistic differences between English and Chinese, demonstrating ability to correctly analyse and interpret the source text.	LO1, LO2
3	Translation is faithful to the dominant function of the source text, be that defined in terms of the message or style.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Translation is natural and smooth, giving appropriate consideration to target language grammar and conventions, and there are virtually no spelling or punctuation mistakes.	LO1, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Reflection report

Task Description:

See MyLO site for assessment task description

Task Length:

1,500–2,000 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate understanding of translation theories and concepts as well as translation techniques.	LO1, LO3
2	Demonstrate understanding of linguistic differences between English and Chinese and ability to correctly analyse and interpret the source text.	LO1, LO2
3	Demonstrate ability to convey the meaning, register, style and nuances of the source text accurately into the target language and ability to produce natural translations, applying translation techniques discussed in class.	LO1, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Final Exam

Task Description:

See MyLO site for assessment task description

Task Length:

100 minutes

Due Date:

Week 14

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate an ability to comprehend the source text, including an understanding of the generic and cultural nuances, and an ability to convey these nuances accurately.	LO1, LO2
2	Translation is faithful to the dominant function of the source text, be that defined in terms of the message or style.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Translation is natural and smooth, giving appropriate consideration to target language grammar and conventions, and there are virtually no spelling or punctuation mistakes.	LO1, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 4: Participation

Task Description:

See MyLO site for assessment task description

Task Length:

Participation in the class

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate understanding of translation theories and concepts.	LO1
2	Appreciate linguistic differences between English and Chinese and demonstrate ability to correctly analyse and interpret the source text.	LO1, LO2
3	Complete weekly in-class quizzes and other translation exercises, applying translation techniques discussed in class.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Engage constructively with other students in class discussions and present views with clarity and persuasiveness.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Workshop PPT slides and reading materials provided by the lecturer

Paper or electronic English to Chinese dictionaries