Specialised Translation and Interpreting (Legal) (TRIN7340)

No calculators permitted

Invigilated in person

No calculators permitted

One A4 sheet of handwritten or typed notes, double sided, is permitted

Invigilated in person

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: Very limited comprehension. Extremely inaccurate. Unjustifiable omissions. Serious distortion of the dominant function of the source text, be that in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. (This delity may or may not involve delity to the form of the source text.) Numerous grammatical errors cause the meaning to be unclear or misunderstood. Very unnatural and awkward target text, and many spelling or punctuation mistakes that might hinder communication of the meaning. Idioms and figurative language are nearly always misunderstood and/or mistranslated. No variety in the use of expressions and synonyms, and they are frequently used inappropriately. Pays no attention to the connection between sentences. No effort to check terminology or to carry out the necessary background research. Never considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring. Translation speed is very slow, and homework is often not submitted at all. In a professional situation so much checking and rewriting would be required that it would not be economically viable to employ this person as a translator. Professional manner is totally lacking. Very little of the target language information is accurate. There are numerous unjustified omissions and/or additions. Target language output is characterised by unnatural expressions and grammatical/syntactical errors. Delivery is uneven; ranging from very slow and hesitant to very fast, with many pauses and corrections. Output is largely incomprehensible.

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: Limited comprehension. Highly inaccurate. Unjustifiable omissions. Little or no attempt to convey the dominant function of the source text, be that in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. (This delity may or may not involve delity to the form of the source text.) Frequent grammatical errors cause the meaning to be unclear or misunderstood. Unnatural and awkward target text, and many spelling or punctuation mistakes that may hinder communication of the meaning. No variety in the use of expressions and synonyms, and they are often used inappropriately in the context. Fails to consider the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring. Usually fails to pay attention to the connection between sentences. Little effort to check terminology, and little or no evidence of background research. Translation speed is very slow, and homework is sometimes submitted late or not at all. In a professional situation so much checking and rewriting would be required that it would not be economically viable to employ this person as a translator. Professional manner is not adequately maintained. Only some of the information given in the target language is accurate. There are frequent unjustified omissions and/or additions. Target language outputs often characterised by unnatural expressions and grammatical/syntactical errors, which distort the meaning and make the output difficult to comprehend. Delivery is uneven; ranging from very slow and hesitant to very fast, with frequent pauses and corrections.

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. Unjustifiable omissions. Frequent failure to recognize and/or convey the dominant function of the source text, be that in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. (This delity may or may not involve delity to the form of the source text.) Grammatical errors cause the meaning to be unclear or misunderstood. Frequently unnatural and awkward target text, and many spelling or punctuation mistakes. Very limited variety in use of expressions and synonyms, and sometimes used inappropriately in the context. Rarely considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring. Frequently fails to pay attention to the connection between sentences. Inappropriate use of terminology, and frequent failure to conduct the necessary background research. Translation speed is slow, and homework is occasionally submitted late or not submitted at all. In a professional situation the translations would require extensive checking and rewriting. Good professional manner is not maintained. More than half of the target language output is inaccurate and/or not readily comprehensible. There are many meaning errors, unjustified omissions and/or additions. Many grammatical/syntactic errors and unnatural expressions distort the meaning, and the output is often difficult to comprehend. Unsuccessful delivery and presentation. Many instances of inappropriate linguistic style and register. Limited ability to use appropriate terms and expressions.

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: Reasonable source text comprehension, but a lack of understanding of the nuances. Accurate in the broad details, but inaccuracies in the minor details. Unjustifiable omissions. Recognition of the dominant source text function, be that in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters, but some distortion of this function. (This delity may or may not involve delity to the form of the source text.) The meaning is clear despite any grammatical errors present. Some awkwardness in the translation, and some 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. Sometimes considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring. Sometimes pays attention to the connection between sentences. Some attempt has been made to use appropriate terminology and conduct any necessary background research. Translation speed is probably rather slow, but most homework has been submitted on time. In a professional situation, the translations would require considerable checking and rewriting. Adequate professional manner is maintained. The source language message is succinctly accurately conveyed. There are a number of meaning errors, ranging from major to minor. There may be unjustified omissions and/or additions of information. Many details and nuances are omitted or inaccurate. Appropriate target language expression and register are sometimes used, but there are also many instances of non-idiomatic usage. Grammatical/syntactical errors may detract from the quality and clarity of the message. Delivery may be fluent in some parts but hesitant in others. Overall the main points of the message are comprehensible although some parts may not always be entirely clear or accurate.

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 most of these nuances accurately, but with some minor errors or unjustifiable omissions. Generally faithful to the dominant source text function, be that in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. (This may or may not involve delity to the form of the source text.) Few grammatical errors. Occasional awkwardness in the translation, and occasional spelling or punctuation mistakes. 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. Usually pays attention to the connection between sentences. Use of terminology is generally appropriate, and any necessary background research is usually done. Translation speed might be somewhat slow, but all homework is submitted on time. In a professional situation, the translations would require checking and some rewriting. Good professional manner is maintained. Most of the important points of the source language message are accurately conveyed in the target language, with only a few errors. There are unjustified omissions and/or additions of information, but these are not significant. Some of the details and nuances of the original are inaccurate or omitted. Variety and appropriateness of target language expression and register may fluctuate. Delivery is fluent in some parts but rather hesitant in others. Non-idiomatic usage and grammatical/syntactical errors are present and may at times distort the meaning, but generally the main points of the target language message are readily comprehensible.

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: Very good source text comprehension, including an understanding of the nuances and an ability to convey these nuances accurately. Source text is fully translated. Faithful to the dominant function of the source text, be that in terms of the message, the style, the tone or other parameters. (This may or may not involve delity to the form of the source text.) No grammatical errors. Style is natural and acceptable, and there are no spelling or punctuation mistakes. Idioms and figurative language are handled skilfully. Extensive range of expressions and synonyms, used appropriately in the context. Always considers the discourse structure and the desirability of restructuring, and always pays attention to the connection between sentences. Use of terminology is always appropriate, and any necessary background research has been done. Able to translate within a reasonable time frame, and all homework is submitted on time. Translations could be used in a professional situation with little checking or rewriting. Very good professional manner is maintained. Most of the important points of the source language message are grasped and accurately conveyed in the target language with no serious errors of meaning. Most of the details and nuances are also accurately grasped and conveyed. Target language expression is reasonably varied and appropriate to the source language text, while register for the most part accurately reacts that of the source language. Fluency is generally good, though subject to some punctuation. Output features only a few instances of non-idiomatic usage or grammatical/syntactical errors, but these rarely distort the meaning. The message is generally clearly comprehensible.

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: As for 6, plus some of the following: Creative solutions and evidence of special air for target-language expression. Ability to work at professional speed. Translations could be submitted as professional work with virtually no need for checking or rewriting. Excellent professional manner is maintained. The source language message is conveyed in the target language accurately and fluently, with few errors of meaning. All important points, details and nuances of the original speech are accurately conveyed. There are few omissions or additions of information, and any that occur are negligible and do not distort the original message. Target language expression is varied, appropriate to the source language message and in the correct register. Delivery is fluent and confident, with few hesitations. There may be a few cases of non-idiomatic usage or grammatical/syntactical errors, but these are negligible and do not distort the meaning or clarity of the message. Overall performance is close to that of a T&I professional working in legal settings.