Translating Text Types

Objective

Translating Text Types (Arabic-English/ English-Arabic)" focuses on practice in translating four main text-types: journalistic texts (especially first page newspaper articles), economic texts (i.e. in business and finance), promotional and advertising texts, and touristic texts. The course includes both theoretical and practical components. The theoretical part introduces students to discourse concepts such as text types, register, and genre and their relation to the translation of various text types as well as translation procedures to deal with translation issues that are related to differences in these discourse concepts between the two languages involved

Outcomes

• Knowledge and Comprehension
• Discuss key concepts of genre, register and text types in relation to translation between Arabic and English in a variety of text types and genres.
• Skills
• Analyze source texts of various genres to identify their text type and register in preparation for translation.
• Translate various types of texts in different contexts between Arabic and English by applying translation techniques appropriate for the norms and style of the text-type and genre in each language.
• Present information effectively in translating different texts.
• Values
• Demonstrate self-discipline, ethical standards and academic integrity in performing translation project.

Content

• Theoretical background:  

-The concepts of text types, register, and genre and their implication to translation between Arabic and English. 

- Translation equivalence at different levels of texts (word level, sentence level, discourse level). 

-Theoretical issues in media translation

• Translation of journalistic text: E-A-E 

Translating headlines and first-page newspaper articles /Political news /Social news

• Translation of economic texts (texts from financial and banking sectors such as annual reports such as agreements and contracts, financial reports, and profit and loss statements). 
• Translation of touristic texts (e.g. museum labels)
• Translation of advertisements and promotional texts (newspaper and TV)

Textbook

Ghazala, Hassan. (2012). Translating the Media and Political Idiom. Jeddah: KonoozAlmarefa.

Course ID: ENGL 311