'Theory and / or practice in translator's curricula. A

comparative-contrastive view from Rijeka and Trieste’

Maja Brala-Vukanović

Rijeka University, Croatia

Trieste University, Italy

Aim:

• Offer a threefold perspective on the issue theory vs. practice in translator’s curricula• Former student at Trieste’s ‘School for

translators and interpreters’ (SSLMIT)

• Professor at an academic institution with a long (curricular and other) tradition – Trieste

• Co-founder of a new academic programme in translation (and professor) – Rijeka

Invitation for a discussion

Outline

• On translator’s competence ...

• ...in theory and practice

• A look into practice – some questions

• Trieste postgraduate curriculum

• Rijeka postgraduate curriculum

• Students’ feedback

• Discussion (in place of a conclusion)

Translator’s competence

• Various views (theory oriented vs. goal / result oriented) - DICHOTOMY

• Increasing integration of views

• Towards a competence based approach (at least for the European Masters in Translation level)

• ’Competence’?

Competence based training

• Translator’s professional competence = set of competences, subcompetences and skills (‘macrocompetence’, Kelly, 2002; ‘supercompetence’, 1976; Ramos, 2011)

• Defined as ‘the underlying knowledge system needed to translate’ (PACTE research group, 2005)

Core components

• Language competence;

• Textual competence (txt reception, analysis, production, quality assessment);

• Subject / thematic competence;

• Cultural competence;

• Research competence;

• Transfer competence

Key question(s)

• How are these competences integrated / developed within the curriculum?

• Which of these competences does the curriculum rely on and which does it aim / manage to develop / enhance?

• The two questions are often not kept separate and the answers are lumped into one (promise)

Discussion about possible causes

• ‘Transfer competence’ identified as the distinguishing domain of the translator (Neubert, 2000)

• ‘Knowledge about translation’ (strategic, instrumental competence) is central (PACTE, 2005)

• Knowledge about translation vs. Knowledge of translation ...

• Knowledge of (practice) gives rise to awareness of (understanding, knowledge about)?

• What happens in practice?

Postgraduate course in legal translation (Trieste, Italy)

• One year postgraduate course (second level Master)

• Oriented: legal translation

• Total 1500 hours (lectures, seminars, practice)

• 60 credits (CFU)

Intro to Private law 1 10 h

2 cr

Intro to Private law 2 10 2

Civil documents 25 5

Intro to Constitutional law

10 2

Intro to Criminal law 15 3

Criminal trial records

10 2

Right of translation in criminal proceedings

15 3

Intro to Comparative law

15 3

Intro to EU law 15 2

Italian legal language

15 2

Legal terminology and translation ENG-ITA

20 4

Translation 2nd lang – ITA(Fr; Spa; Ger; Cro)

20 3

Intro to Comparative Commercial law

15 3

Computer assisted translation technology

5 1

Terminology and legal translation (passive ITA – ENG)

20 4

Terminology and legal translation (passive ITA – 2nd lang)

15 2

Seminars: Language officers in the Italian Ministry of Internal affairs

The profession of legal/judicial translator

Translating Academic Transcripts

Legal translation in the EU

Types of legal texts

Conf.10

2

Internship 250 10

Final exam 10 2

Postgraduate diploma in translation (Rijeka, Croatia)

• One year postgraduate course (specialized Master C++)

• Broad orientation: EU/legal translation; IT tools; simultaneous / consecutive ...

• Organized in three modules (Croatian; general; translation)

• Total 380 (frontal) hours (lectures, seminars, exercises)

• 60 credits (CFU)

Croatian module: Standard Croatian for translators (15)

Basics of Croatian spelling (15) Text and context (15)

General module: (all 15)

Translation studies

Machine translation

Management system in the EU

Legal aspects of the EU

(Crosscultural) Pragmatics for translators

Specialized (ESP) translation (maritime)

Business corresponence for translators

Business negotiations for translators

Language (transl.) module (all 60)

Written translation exercises A (1st L – Cro)

Exercises in interpretation A (1st L – Cro)

Written translation Exercises B (Cro – 1st lang)

Exercises in interpretation B (Cro – 1st lang)

Written translation exercises C (2nd lang – Cro)

1st: ENG, GER 2nd: GER, FR, ITA

Students’ feedback

• RIJEKA:

- Excellent reception of the Croatian module;

- Very varied percepetion of the general module (less good for very theoretical subjects ‘Translation theory’; good IT, business correspondence, mock conference

- Chaotic translation module (too much work at home)

• TRIESTE• Theory is less useful than

practice, but theoretical notions about legal systems in different countires are useful (should be learned through texts);

• Practical work is very useful;

• Glossaries are handy – get them for each language

Two interactive elements1) COMPETENCE ACQUISITION (basic learning

process: theory? and practice) – DECLARATIVE KNOWLEDGE

2) COMPETENCE REINFORCEMENT (drill – academic practice and professional practice ) – OPERATIVE KNOWLEDGE

- Academia: 1 →→ 2- Work (practice): 2 →→ 1- Integrated learing process (just a slogan?)- Fallacies: 1 – complexity, academism, irrelevance; 2 – chaotic, inadequate, unsystematic, unverifiable, too reliant on individual ‘imported competences’ ...

Core components (1 or 2?)

• Language competence;

• Textual competence (txt reception, analysis, production, quality assessment);

• Subject / thematic competence;

• Cultural competence;

• Research competence;

• Transfer competence ...

• Strategic, instrumental, interpersonal – interaction with other translators, clients, professionals ... (Kelly, 2002)

Interdiciplinary competence

• Putting different skills at the service of concrete translation tasks

• METHODOLOGICAL competence (Ramos, 2011) (‘strategic’ – controls the application of other skills – self evaluation)

• Some skills guaranteed by selection procedure

• Other skills developed functionally through drill and ‘awarenes through practice’ identificatory / analytical method (systematic reflection on the translation process through practice)

• Become more aware of ‘entrance’ competences vs. ‘developed’ ones