Degree in Translation
This annual course belongs to the 3rd
year of the Degree in Translation. It aims to continue the general
objectives and purposes defined in the previous English courses.
Although this is primarily a language course, we will not circumscribe ourselves to
its study: we will also tackle with some of its highest accomplishments in literature, which will remain at the core of our reflections. A whole set of
strategies is to be implemented so as to allow a more exhaustive knowledge not
only of the English language, but also of the literary text, as it makes use
of, questions, shapes and reformulates its raw material, thus giving room to
new dimensions, which go way beyond the everyday use of the language.
Students will therefore be introduced to the methodologies,
the conceptual universes and instruments of analysis of literary studies,
ranging from stylistics to semiotics, from structuralism to deconstruction,
thus enabling a better understanding not only of the complex anatomy of the literary
subject and object, but also of the relationship between writer/producer and
reader/consumer.
Culture also takes part in this equation. Students
will be asked to understand how linguistic and literary realization takes place
within the wider scope of cultural phenomena and to relate the works studied in
class with other cultural and historical references.
We intend:
1.
to deepen their proficiency
in English, in different communicative situations, in terms of both their oral
and written skills;
2.
to expand their cultural references;
3.
to develop their capability
of integrating different kinds of knowledge coming from various areas of study;
4.
to consolidate their
critical awareness as far as linguistic production and comprehension are
concerned;
5.
to stimulate their
commitment to group assignments and to individual research;
6.
to make them aware of the
fact that knowledge can be questioned and that at the same time answers must be
sought for;
7.
to encourage autonomous
thinking as a necessary tool for translation.
This syllabus is divided into two different fields of
study, namely:
1.
the English
language, to be studied in the
practical classes, which includes:
1.1.
brushing up the main
grammatical categories that are to be used as instruments of linguistic analysis;
1.2.
doing grammar and vocabulary
exercises, so as to consolidate the students’ linguistic proficiency;
1.3.
consulting and assessing
different types of dictionaries and grammars;
1.4.
participating in communicative-oriented activities based on subjects related to Literature.
2.
the English
literature, to be studied in the
theoretical-practical classes, where the following topics will be
discussed:
2.1.
the concepts and methods for
literary analysis;
2.2.
the evolution of the main
generic features of the literary text in several periods;
2.3.
the notions of author
and work and the way they affect our apprehension of the text, of its
textuality and intertextuality;
2.4.
the latest developments of
the critical theory.
The contents are further explained in the pdf
file (click here).
This being a foreign language subject, it offers the optimal conditions for linguistic intercourse within the scope of our fields of study. Attendance, participation, and commitment are, therefore, of the utmost importance. As a consequence, continuous assessment proves to be the most adequate assessment system. This way, students are required:
to attend at least 75% of all the classes (regardless of their typology) in case they attend this course for the first time;
to
to confirm their enrollment in this course within the first two weeks, by handing over their attendance file and by signing the attendance sheet;
to sit for two papers;
to submit at least two group assignments;
to conduct an individual research, whose results are to be presented in class;
to present other individual assignments throughout the academic year.
Thus, the different assessment parameters will have the following weight:
attendance: 5%
1st paper: 34%
2nd paper: 34%
1st group assignment: 3%
2nd group assignment: 3%
individual research: 7%
other assignments: 8% (overall)
participation in classes: 6%
Dictionaries:
A Dictionary of English Synonyms and Synonymous Expressions, Frederick Warne & Co.
Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary.
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
Collins New Portuguese - English.
Dicionário Ilustrado Português-Inglês-Português, Ed. Verbo.
Jones, Daniel, English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge, CUP.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Harlow, Longman.
Longman Dictionary of English Idioms, Harlow, Longman.
Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture, Harlow, Longman.
Longman Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs, Harlow, Longman.
Longman Language Activator, Harlow, Longman.
Novo Micaelis Dicionário Ilustrado Português-Inglês-Português, FA Brockhaus.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.