Course coordinator
Ms May Zhang
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Languages & Cultures School
This course builds on the translation concepts introduced in CHIN2700 and extends their application to texts of both the same and new, more complex, genre. In so doing, an advanced understanding of genre-specific issues in translation from Chinese into English is provided as well as advanced development of context-appropriate English expression.
This course explores advanced Chinese-to-English translation techniques, with a focus on integrating traditional skills and AI-assisted tools to address contemporary challenges. It is divided into modules that train students in translating diverse genres, including politics, traditional Chinese medicine, Australian history, fiction, climate science, and government health brochures. Students will engage with genre-specific translation issues, refine their ability to produce linguistically and culturally appropriate translations, and gain insights into NAATI expectations. Emphasis will be placed on the strategic use of AI technologies to enhance translation accuracy and efficiency. This course provides hands-on guidance but is not recorded.
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course is for native speakers of Chinese and its dialects.ﾠ It assumes the ability to read and understand Modern Standard Chinese, BOTH SIMPLIFIED AND TRADITIONAL form (简体 + 繁体).
Very advanced learners of Chinese can also take this course as a BAﾠelective, with CHIN3210 or equivalent as PREREQ.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
CHIN2700
Restrictions
This course is for native speakers of Chinese.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Ms May Zhang
Dr Shirley Wu
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
You attend oneﾠ2 hour Workshop per week (there is no separate lecture or tutorial).
Public holidays:
Alternative arrangements for affected students will be announced through the Blackboard site.
Class allocation:
In order to optimise the student experience, it may be necessary to reallocate students to a different class from their first choice. Before this happens, every effort will be made to enable students to voluntarily change into an alternative class that is suitable.
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email hass.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full name,
- Student ID, and
- the Course Code
Additional information and support can be found here .
Aims and outcomes
ﾠThis course aims to trainﾠnative (and near-native) speakers of Chinese in the key issues concerning translation of more advanced genres from Chinese into English
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
translate more advanced text genres from Chinese into English in a linguistically and culturally appropriate mannner
LO2.
appreciate linguistic and cultural differences across more complex text genres
LO3.
be aware of the key cultural and ethical issues in translation, as set out by NAATI
LO4.
access and understand the application of translation resources
LO5.
have a well-rounded linguistic vocabulary to talk about texts
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Weekly e-quizzes on Bb
|
20% |
7/03/2025 5:00 pm 14/03/2025 5:00 pm 21/03/2025 5:00 pm 28/03/2025 5:00 pm 4/04/2025 5:00 pm 11/04/2025 5:00 pm 17/04/2025 5:00 pm 2/05/2025 5:00 pm 9/05/2025 5:00 pm 16/05/2025 5:00 pm 23/05/2025 5:00 pm 30/05/2025 5:00 pm |
| Examination |
ONLINE (Blackboard) In-Semester Exam
|
35% |
4/04/2025 7:10 pm
The exam starts at 6pm and is due at 7:10pm. |
| Examination |
ONLINE (Blackboard) Final Exam
|
45% |
31/05/2025 3:10 pm
The exam starts at 2pm and is due at 3:10pm. |
Assessment details
Weekly e-quizzes on Bb
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
7/03/2025 5:00 pm
14/03/2025 5:00 pm
21/03/2025 5:00 pm
28/03/2025 5:00 pm
4/04/2025 5:00 pm
11/04/2025 5:00 pm
17/04/2025 5:00 pm
2/05/2025 5:00 pm
9/05/2025 5:00 pm
16/05/2025 5:00 pm
23/05/2025 5:00 pm
30/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Type: E-quizzes on Bb
Reading: 0 minutes
Duration: 20 minutes
Format: Translation and multiple-choice
Starting from Monday morning in Week 2, an online quiz will be posted on the "Assessment" page on Blackboard, which you must complete before Friday 5 pm of the same week.
During even-numbered weeks (i.e., Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, & 12), each e-quiz comprises 8 multiple-choice questions designed to assess the topics covered in both the current week's and the preceding week's classes. Each of the 8 questions in an e-quiz has only one correct answer.
During odd-numbered weeks (i.e., Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, & 13), the online quiz entails a practical translation task comprising 6-8 sentences. This task is based on the material covered in the preceding week(s) and/or the current week. For example, the quiz in Week 3 covers content from Weeks 1, 2, and/or 3, while the quiz in Week 5 focuses on material from Weeks 4 and/or 5, and so forth.
You must complete an e-quiz in 20 minutes without interruption. So, be sure to use reliable internet, e.g., UQL.
The best 10 e-quiz results for each student will be used to calculate the final mark for this assessment item.
STATEMENT ON AI & MT
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
Submission guidelines
Submit via Blackboard.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
No extensions are allowed for this series of tasks as students are given a seven-day period to complete them. Individual results and correct answers are automatically released on a weekly basis. Timely engagement with these tasks supports sequential nature of learning in this course. Additionally, only the best 10 e-quiz results out of 12 will be used to calculate the final mark for this assessment item.
Late submission
Late submissions not accepted, as the task remains open for one week.
ONLINE (Blackboard) In-Semester Exam
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
4/04/2025 7:10 pm
The exam starts at 6pm and is due at 7:10pm.
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
The in-semester assessment will test students' knowledge and understanding of all the W1-W5 course content, particularly the in-class materials. Students will translate seen texts or texts similar to the in-class materials (25% of exam content) and an unseen text (75% of exam content). The unseen text is approximately 300-320 characters in length. The texts will represent the different genres studied in W1-W5. Students may have access to lecture notes and paper dictionaries during the exam.
Exam will be administered online via Blackboard. Be sure to access a reliable internet connection.
Once you start the exam you must complete it in 60 minutes in one go. The exam is automatically submitted.
You may use any online tools to complete this assessment, but all other forms of assistance are prohibited.
STATEMENT ON AI & MT
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Open Book examination |
| Exam platform | Other |
| Invigilation | Not invigilated |
Submission guidelines
The exam is automatically submitted.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
ONLINE (Blackboard) Final Exam
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 45%
- Due date
31/05/2025 3:10 pm
The exam starts at 2pm and is due at 3:10pm.
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Students will translate seen texts or texts similar to the in-class materials (25% of exam content) and revise a translation of an unseen text (75% of exam content), based on the government health texts and climate science texts translated in class. The unseen text is approximately 320-350 characters in length.
The exam will be an online Blackboard timed assessment and will be scheduled with a strict time limit of 60 minutes so that all students will complete the exam simultaneously. Be sure to access a reliable internet connection.
Once you start the exam you must complete it in one attempt. You will have 10 minutes of planning time. The exam is automatically submitted.
You may use any online tools to complete this assessment, but all other forms of assistance are prohibited. Students may also access lecture notes and paper dictionaries during the exam.
STATEMENT ON AI & MT
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Open Book examination |
| Exam platform | Other |
| Invigilation | Not invigilated |
Submission guidelines
The exam is automatically submitted.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student has not submitted work of any substance. ﾠ |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Frequent comprehension errors, not only of the nuances but also of major points. Failure to recognise and/or convey the dominant function of the source text, be that defined in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. Frequent grammatical errors cause the meaning to be unclear or misunderstood. Generally unnatural and awkward target text, and many spelling or punctuation mistakes. Very limited variety in use of expressions and synonyms, and often used inappropriately in the context. Fails to consider the discourse structure and no restructuring evident. Fails to pay attention to the connection between sentences. Inappropriate use of terminology, and obvious failure to conduct the necessary background research. In a professional situation the translations would be considered highly inaccurate and require so much checking and rewriting that it would not be considered viable.ﾠﾠLess than half of the e-taskﾠ answers are correct. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Frequent comprehension errors, not only of the nuances but also of major points. Failure to satisfactorily recognise and/or convey the dominant function of the source text, be that defined in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. Frequent grammatical errors cause the meaning to be unclear or misunderstood. Generally unnatural and awkward target text, and many spelling or punctuation mistakes. Very limited variety in use of expressions and synonyms, and often used inappropriately in the context. Fails to consider the discourse structure and no restructuring evident. Fails to pay adequate attention to the connection between sentences. Inappropriate use of terminology, and obvious failure to conduct the necessary background research. In a professional situation the translations would be considered unsatisfactory and require inordinateﾠchecking and rewritingﾠto make itﾠviable.ﾠﾠLess than half of the e-task ﾠanswersﾠ are correct. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Only average source text comprehension, with a general lack of understanding of the nuances. Generally accurate in the broad details, but with notable omissions in many key areas, and many inaccuracies in the minor details. Partial recognition of the dominant source text function, be that defined in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters, but with some distortion of this function evident. The meaning is sometimes clear, but many grammatical errors present. Frequent awkwardness in the translation, and frequent spelling or punctuation mistakes. Idioms and figurative language are often misunderstood and/or mistranslated. Limited variety in the use of expressions and synonyms, and they are not always used appropriately in the context. Rarely considers the discourse structure and no evidence of restructuring. Sometimes pays attention to the connection between sentences, albeit with many obvious errors. Few attempts at using appropriate terminology, and necessary background research appears lacking. In a professional situation, the translations would require considerable checking and significant rewriting. ﾠOnly half of the e-taskﾠquestions areﾠ correct. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Good source text comprehension, including an understanding of some of the nuances and an ability to convey these nuances accurately, but with some errors or omissions in a few key areas which alter or detract from the source text meaning. Generally faithful to the dominant source text function, be that defined in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. A few instances of obvious grammatical errors. A few instances of awkwardness in the translation, and spelling or punctuation mistakes, which partially detract from the work as a whole. Some attempt to render idioms and figurative language, but not always with success. Limited variety in the use of expressions and synonyms. Rarely considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring. Pays attention to the connection between sentences, albeit with a few major errors. Use of terminology is generally appropriate, and any necessary background research appears done in part. In a professional situation, the translations would require checking and rewriting in a few key areas. ﾠMost of the e-task ﾠanswers are correct. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Very good source text comprehension, including an understanding of most of the nuances and an ability to convey these nuances accurately, but with some minor errors or omissions which do not majorly alter or detract from the source text meaning. Generally faithful to the dominant source text function, be that defined in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. A few minor grammatical errors. Occasional awkwardness in the translation, and occasional spelling or punctuation mistakes, which do not detract significantly from the work as a whole. Attempts have been made to render idioms and figurative language. Variety in the use of expressions and synonyms, and generally used appropriately in the context. Often considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring. Pays attention to the connection between sentences, albeit with some minor lapses. Use of terminology is generally appropriate, and any necessary background research appears to have been done. In a professional situation, the translations would require some minor rewriting.ﾠ Most of the e-taskﾠanswers are correct. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Excellent source text comprehension, including an understanding of the nuances and an ability to convey these nuances accurately, without error. Faithful to the dominant function of the source text, be that defined in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. Negligible grammatical errors. Style is natural and acceptable, and there are virtually no spelling or punctuation mistakes. Idioms and figurative language are handled skilfully. Extensive range of expressions and synonyms, used appropriately in the context. Considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring, and always pays attention to the connection between sentences. Use of terminology is always appropriate, without error, and any necessary background research has been done. Translations could be used in a professional situation with little checking or rewriting.ﾠNearly all of the e-taskﾠanswers are correct. |
Additional course grading information
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
See course Blackboardﾠsite.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 1 - Week 1: Introduction Overview of course requirements and content, and issues of genre in Chinese>English translation + Translating political text started (if time permits). Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 1 - Week 2: Political texts Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 2 - Week 3: Traditional Chinese Medicine Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 3- Week 4: Indigenous history and fiction 1 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 3-Week 5: Indigenous history and fiction 2 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Workshop |
Module3-Week6: Indigenous history & fiction 3 & Exam Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Workshop |
Module 4 - Week 7: Exam reflection & Health 1 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Workshop |
Module 4 - Week 8: Health 2 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid-semester break |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Workshop |
Module 4 - Week 9: Health 3 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Workshop |
Module 5 - Week 10: Climate science 1 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Workshop |
Module 5 - Week 11: Climate science 2 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Workshop |
Module 6 - Week 12: NAATI Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Workshop |
Week 13: Revision Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.