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2010/1 Module Catalogue
 Module Code: TRAM058 Module Title: TRANSLATION OF PERSUASIVE TEXTS
Module Provider: Language & Translation Studies Short Name: TRAM058
Level: M Module Co-ordinator: ASIMAKOULAS D Dr (Lang & Trans)
Number of credits: 15 Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
 
Module Availability
Semester 1
Assessment Pattern
Unit(s) of Assessment
Weighting Towards Module Mark (%)
1 essay 2000 words: commentary on a specific (linguistic, cultural) aspect of persuasion in translation with example(s).
50%
1 essay 2000 words: commentary on a specific (linguistic, cultural) aspect of persuasion in translation with example(s).
50%

Qualifying Condition(s): An average mark of 50% is required to pass the module
Module Overview
This module focuses on the specificities of operative text types and the ways in which their persuasive thrust can be retained in translation. Drawing on examples from the areas of advertising, this module offers students the opportunity to hone their (con)textual analysis skills that are crucial for felicitous translation decisions. 
 
The module is suitable for students with different language backgrounds.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None
Module Aims
This module explores issues of discursive organisation in texts whose aim is to alter the cognitive environment and behaviour of recipients. The central question addressed is the way in which information can be (re)framed or (totally) recontextualised in order to secure a similar/equivalent response on the part of the TL addressees. Throughout the semester, the analytical usefulness of various conceptual tools will be examined from the angle of creativity and problem-solving.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
  • identify, define and discuss the hybridity of text purposes and the persuasive function of segments in seemingly uniform texts;
  • explain the basic principles of how discourse is organised both in terms of content and form;
  • identify the strategic interaction of pictorial and linguistic elements;
  • report on wider contextualisation issues, ranging from linguistic/cognitive cues to the cultural specificities underpinning instances of the given text type;
  • develop/make effective use of relevant conceptual tools that will be transferable to other modules in their course;
  • practise problem-solving and priority-setting skills which will be useful for their future employment in the translation world.
Module Content
  • Introduction to key concepts pertaining to pragmatic and semiotic aspects in translation;
  • Practice in applying these concepts to their respective source text-target text language pairs; practical ST analysis exercises;
  • Exploration of the transformative synthesis of micro-level features, macro-level organisation and pictorial elements in specific samples;
  • Integration of cultural considerations and aspects of rhetorical organisation in translation;
  • Audience design;
  • Exploration of issues pertaining to inference and emotion manipulation.
Methods of Teaching/Learning
2 hours per week for 1 semester: 20-22 hours’ class contact over the semester. Interactive language seminars (in English) including practical tasks; lesson materials will focus on translating into or from English, so they will be accessible to students of varied language backgrounds.
Selected Texts/Journals
Passages for analysis and relevant case-studies are provided by the lecturer.
 
Essential reading:
Adab, Beverly and Christina Valdés (eds) (2004) The Translator Special Issue: “Key Debates in the Translation of Advertising Material” 10(2).
Cook, Guy (2001) Discourse of Advertising. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge.
Forceville, Charles (1996) Pictorial Metaphor in Advertising. London: Routledge.
Kress, Gunther and Theo van Leeuwen (1996) Reading Images. The Grammar of Visual Design. London and New York: Routledge.
Kress, Gunther (2001) Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. London: Arnold.
Leech, Geoffrey N. (1966) English in Advertising: a Linguistic Study of Advertisement in Great Britain. Harlow: Longman.
Tanaka, Keiko (1994) Advertising Language. A Pragmatic Approach to Advertisements in Britain and Japan. London and New York: Routledge.
 
Recommended reading:
Anderman, Gunilla and Margaret Rogers (eds) Word, Text, Translation. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Gorlée, Dinda (1994) Semiotics and the Problem of Translation. With Special Reference to the Semiotics of Charles S. Peirce. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Gutt, Ernst-August (2000) Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.
Hatim, Basil and Ian Mason (1990) Discourse and the Translator, London and New York: Longman.
Hatim, Basil and Ian Mason (1997) The Translator as Communicator, London and New York: Longman.
 
Background reading in selected journals:

Babel – Target – Perspectives/Studies in Translatology - Meta – The Translator - Journal of Pragmatics – Communication Studies- Journal of Advertising Research - Journal of Marketing - Journal of Consumer Research
Last Updated
12 August 2009