Translation: The Basics

1st Edition

9781138016415

By Juliane House

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Resources

Questions and Tasks about the chapters in Translation: the basics

Chapter 1

What is the basic difference between an original and a translation?

List some positive and negative views and metaphors about translation!

Describe the difference between viewing translation as a product and as a process! Can translation be described as a science or as an art?
What are the main differences between translating and interpeeting?

Will computer-mediated translation replace human translation in the near future? Will globalization process kill translation?

Chapter 2

Is it enough to be bilingual in order to be a competent translator? Describe the role situational context has for translation competence.
How important are different types of knowledge for translation competence?

Chapter 3

Translation can be described from different perspectives. List some of them and characterize their strengths and weaknesses!

Chapter 4

How can one define culture?

What is the difference between traditional views of culture and more modern ones?

Chapter 5

What do we understand by ’linguistic relativity’?

What is the effect of linguistic relativity on translation? Are there limits to translatability and if so which are they?

Chapter 6

Do universals of translation exist?

Some researchers claim there are universals of translation, which are they? List some arguments against the existence of translation universals!

Chapter 7

How do we know when a translation is good?

Describe and evaluate some approaches to evaluating translations! What do we understand by ‘translation equivalence#?
Briefly summarize House’s model of translation quality assessment! Define overt and covert translation and the cultural filter!

Chapter 8

List some arguments against the validity of Thinking Aloud Protocols!

Can behavioral experiments in the context of translation tell us anything about what goes on in translators’ minds
Are neuro-imaging studies useful for translation process research?

Chapter 9

What is a corpus in the context of translation studies?

Is the use of corpora only important for quantitative research?

Chapter 10

Will translation become much less important in the age of globalization and digitization? Can you characterize Eco-Translation?
Will the dominant use of English as lingua franca have a negative effect on translation?

Chapter 11

Describe the role of translation in the language classroom over time!

Can the use of translation in the language classroom be described as beneficial for developing communicative competence in a foreign language?
Can you think of other communicative translation activities than the ones listed in chapter 11?

Chapter 12

Try to criticize the current use of translation in multilingual institutions such as the EU!

Describe a modern workplace for translators and characterize current computer-assisted translation! What types of ethical issues does a translator face today?
What kinds of conflict do translators face in situations of war and conflict? Describe some of the major types of audiovisual translation!