Translation and Interpreting Course

Lesson 1 • Text Types and Their Functions

Introduces informative, expressive, and operative text types using functional text theory. Students match translation strategies to text function from the outset.

Lesson 2 • The Nature of Translation

Defines translation as a communicative act and distinguishes it from word-for-word substitution. Grounds students in the purpose-driven nature of professional translation.

Lesson 3 • Cultural Dimensions of Language

Examines how culture shapes meaning, idiom, and register. Students learn to identify culturally embedded content that resists direct transfer.

Lesson 4 • Language Structure and Meaning

Covers phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics as they relate to translation. Establishes the linguistic framework underlying all subsequent transfer decisions.

Lesson 1 • Sentence and Discourse-Level Decisions

Moves beyond word-level choices to cohesion, coherence, and information flow across sentences. Students restructure paragraphs to match target-language discourse norms.

Lesson 2 • Oblique and Adaptive Strategies

Introduces transposition, modulation, equivalence, and adaptation for meaning-preserving restructuring. Students apply these when direct transfer distorts meaning or naturalness.

Lesson 3 • Handling Untranslatables

Addresses lexical gaps, culture-specific items, and neologisms that lack direct equivalents. Students develop strategies including paraphrase, footnote, and descriptive translation.

Lesson 4 • Self-Editing and Quality Checking

Trains systematic review of one's own translations for accuracy, fluency, and consistency. Students apply a structured checklist before submitting any translation.

Lesson 1 • Technical and Scientific Translation

Focuses on manuals, patents, and scientific papers requiring terminological precision and logical clarity. Students use reference materials and glossaries to ensure accuracy.

Lesson 2 • Literary and Creative Translation

Examines the translation of fiction, poetry, and drama where aesthetic effect equals semantic content. Students balance fidelity to meaning with preservation of style and voice.

Lesson 3 • Medical and Life Sciences Translation

Addresses anatomical, pharmacological, and clinical terminology alongside patient-facing document conventions. Students balance precision with accessibility depending on audience.

Lesson 4 • Legal Translation Principles

Covers legal text types, system-specific terminology, and the risks of false equivalence across legal systems. Students translate contracts, statutes, and certificates accurately.

Lesson 1 • Delivery and Voice in Interpreting

Covers projection, pacing, intonation, and clarity as tools for effective interpreted delivery. Students practice controlled delivery under simulated interpreting conditions.

Lesson 2 • Ethics and Role Boundaries in Interpreting

Defines the interpreter's role as a conduit and addresses advocacy, intervention, and boundary dilemmas. Students apply ethical decision-making to realistic scenario cases.

Lesson 3 • Cognitive Demands of Interpreting

Analyzes listening, comprehension, memory, and production as simultaneous cognitive tasks. Students identify their personal cognitive bottlenecks through structured exercises.

Lesson 4 • Interpreting Modes and Settings

Distinguishes consecutive, simultaneous, whispered, and sight interpreting by cognitive demand and setting. Students map each mode to its professional context.

Lesson 1 • Extended Speech Interpreting

Scales practice to five- to ten-minute speeches with complex argumentation and dense information. Students refine note systems and manage cognitive load over longer segments.

Lesson 2 • Handling Numbers and Proper Nouns

Targets the high-error areas of figures, dates, names, and acronyms in consecutive delivery. Students use targeted drills to automate accurate recall of numerical data.

Lesson 3 • Performance Review and Benchmarking

Uses recorded playback, peer critique, and instructor scoring to identify persistent weaknesses. Students set measurable improvement targets based on structured feedback.

Lesson 4 • Interpreting Across Registers

Exposes students to formal, informal, technical, and emotional speech registers in consecutive mode. Students adapt output register to match speaker intent and audience.

Lesson 1 • Shadowing and Ear-Voice Span

Introduces shadowing as the foundational exercise for simultaneous processing and output. Students progressively extend ear-voice span while maintaining comprehension.

Lesson 2 • Conference and High-Stakes Simulation

Simulates full conference sessions with multiple speakers, topic shifts, and time pressure. Students demonstrate sustained simultaneous performance across a complete session.

Lesson 3 • Booth Skills and Equipment Use

Covers booth protocol, microphone management, relay interpreting, and equipment troubleshooting. Students practice professional booth behavior under simulated conference conditions.

Lesson 4 • Coping Strategies Under Pressure

Teaches generalization, approximation, omission, and reformulation as controlled coping tools. Students apply strategies without losing the core message of fast or dense input.

Lesson 1 • Healthcare Interpreting

Covers medical consultations, informed consent, mental health sessions, and end-of-life conversations. Students handle clinical terminology and emotional content with accuracy and sensitivity.

Lesson 2 • Legal and Court Interpreting

Addresses courtroom procedure, oath-taking, witness examination, and police interview interpreting. Students apply strict accuracy standards and manage adversarial communication dynamics.

Lesson 3 • Triadic Communication Dynamics

Analyzes the three-way interaction between interpreter, service provider, and service user. Students manage turn-taking, positioning, and communication flow in dialogue settings.

Lesson 4 • Social Services and Education Settings

Prepares students for parent-teacher conferences, social work interviews, and benefit consultations. Students navigate power imbalances and advocate-adjacent situations within ethical limits.

Lesson 1 • Certification and Accreditation Pathways

Maps major professional certification bodies, exam formats, and continuing education requirements. Students identify the credentials most relevant to their target market and specialization.

Lesson 2 • Freelance Business Fundamentals

Covers rate-setting, invoicing, contracts, and tax obligations for self-employed translators and interpreters. Students create a functional business structure before entering the market.

Lesson 3 • Client and Agency Relationships

Addresses communication, deadline management, feedback handling, and long-term client retention. Students practice professional correspondence and negotiation in realistic scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Building a Professional Portfolio

Guides students in selecting, presenting, and contextualizing work samples for different client types. Students produce a portfolio ready for agency submission or direct client pitching.