Translation of texts related to EU law and international law (B language) - German 3200-M2-1TUMBN
The aim of the course is to develop the skills and knowledge of techniques for translating EU and international law texts from language B/C into Polish and from Polish into language B/C.
Student’s time investment:
30 class hours;
30 hours = preparation;
Total: 60 hours, corresponding to 2 ECTS.
COURSE CONTENTS:
• specific issues in the translation of EU and international law texts (cf.
SUBJECT MATTER);
• enhancing the students’ knowledge about translation strategies and translation techniques based on EU texts such as primary legislation (treaties) and secondary legislation (regulations, directives, decisions), case-law, international agreements, etc.;
• advanced issues concerning punctuation and spelling (capitalization, punctuation marks, abbreviations, dates, numbers and currencies), grammar (passive voice, nominalizations, conjunctions), style (text as genre, its macro- and micro-structure), pragmatics (defining the recipient or text function as criteria shaping the translation project and influencing the scope and contents of a possible paratext) and ethics (steps taken in the event of errors in the source text);
• working with terminology and text databases such as IATE, Eur-lex, EuroVoc;
• selecting appropriate dictionaries, resources, as well as analogical and parallel texts; knowledge of documents on editing, publishing and translating EU law and international law texts (e.g. Polish Style Guide, Interinstitutional Style Guide, Joint Practical Guide of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission for persons involved in the drafting of European Union legislation) and their priority;
• the issue of compensating and paraphrasing in specialist texts;
• terminological issues: borrowings vs. native terms, terms of art, legal and logical prerequisites;
• forming a professional approach to a simulated commission and the commissioner, in line with translation ethics.
FORMS OF WORK:
- translating texts individually, the results to be discussed in class (longer pieces);
- in-class translation tasks;
- team work with various tasks assigned (equivalence search, translation proper, editing and revision);
- analyzing published/existing translations;
- getting familiar with term bases and other terminological resources;
- preparing domain-based glossaries;
- exercises preventing interference on various levels, including examination of one’s own errors – especially in translating into the non-native language.
If classroom learning is impossible, the workshop will be conducted with the help of distance communication tools, most probably Google Meet and others recommended by the University.
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE TRANSLATED TEXTS:
Texts and vocabulary in the native and the foreign language pertain to the following topics in the domain of EU law and international law:
- European integration,
- European Union institutions,
- European Union law,
- European Union system of justice,
- Poland in the European Union. National law vs. supranational law.
- substantive law of the European Union. Selected aspects.
- translating for the European Union.
- international law vs. EU law. Sources of the international law. International agreements.
- international organizations.
- international courts.
TEXT TYPES:
- documents, legal acts, judgments,
- websites,
- court trials,
- press releases of the international institutions,
- summaries of legal acts and judgments
- press texts
- enquiries and resolutions of the European Parliament, opinions of the Venice Commission, etc.
CREDIT REQUIREMENTS:
participation in in-class discussions, preparing translations as part of the homework, end-of-term translation assignment, glossary work, project, attendance (in the case of exceeding the maximum number of two absences, the student should ask the lecturer for further assignments to satisfy the credit requirements.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course,
KNOWLEDGE: the graduate knows and understands
K_W01 — in depth the complex structure of a language as a system,
S1_W01 — in depth the key concepts related to translation studies and the main trends in contemporary translation studies,
K_W02 — in depth the psycholinguistic, biological, cultural, and linguistic aspects of language usage,
S1_W02 — in depth the translation strategies and techniques used in various types of written and audiovisual texts and in various translation contexts,
K_W03 — in depth the specialist terminology of language studies,
S1_W03 — in depth the latest trends, issues and research methodologies in the field of written and audiovisual translation, and knows where the most important translation research centres in Europe and worldwide are located,
S1_W05 — in depth the intellectual property and copyright protection in the context of written and audiovisual translation,
K_W07 — professionally the basic concepts and principles related to the intellectual property and copyright protection,
S1_W07 — in depth the translator's working environment and the translation process,
K_W09 — in depth the links between language studies and other academic disciplines,
K_W10 — in depth the principles for establishment and development of various forms of entrepreneurship on the translation market,
K_W11 — in depth the ethical contexts of professional activity,
K_W13 — in depth the basic principles for establishment and development of various forms of entrepreneurship on the translation market.
SKILLS: the graduate can
S1_U04 — can translate various types of texts from languages B and C into their native language (language A) and from their native language (language A) into languages B (and C), recognise the type of text being translated and translate it into the target language, selecting appropriate equivalents that are relevant to the given social context,
S1_U05 — communicate on translation-related topics with clients, institutions and translation recipients in a manner that is understandable to non-specialists, and to justify the decisions made and translation strategies used,
K_U07 — use the B language at the C2 level, and the C language at the C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages,
S1_U07 — manage a team working on a translation project,
K_U08 — cooperate and work in a group, assuming the role of a language mediator,
S1_U08 — independently plan and implement their own lifelong learning thanks to their knowledge of various translation-related centres and sources that can be used to improve their translation skills,
K_U09 — autonomously acquire knowledge in the field of language studies and assess the usefulness of the learnt methods, practices, and procedures in professional activity,
K_U10 — autonomously plan and pursue self-learning, using the knowledge of foreign languages,
K_U11 — cooperate with members of a language and cultural community.
SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE: the graduate is prepared to
K_K01 — recognize the importance of the most recent findings in the discipline and critically assess the ideas received,
S1_K01 — critically evaluate original texts and their translations,
S1_K02 — recognise the importance of knowledge, including translational knowledge, in solving translation problems,
S1_K03 — critically evaluate research in the field of translation studies, in particular that published in scientific journals and monographs as well as popular science sources,
K_K05 — recognize the importance of knowledge in resolving cognitive and practical problems, and of seeking experts’ opinions,
K_K06 — use research-based criteria for the evaluation of various types of translation.
Assessment criteria
Grades for particular assignments; continuous assessment (on basis of attendance, preparedness for the class, participation in the discussions, individually done translation work, mid-term written tests, final test, end-of-term translation assignment, glossaries, terminology lists).
Each requirement, if assigned, must be fulfilled independently, hence their share in the final mark is not determined.
The criteria of grading translation assignments:
Assessment takes into account translational, pragmatic, linguistic and formal aspects.
99% – 100 – 5!
98% – 91% – 5
90% – 86% – 4,5
85% – 76% – 4
75% – 71% – 3,5
70% – 60% – 3
below this level – 2 (unsatisfactory).
The same criteria apply to a make-up exam as to the original exam.
Bibliography
The course is taught in a workshop format, and reading assignments are not part of credit requirements.
Consulting monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, reference works, parallel texts as well as corpora, terminology and text databases in both languages is part of in-class work. CAT tools are also used.
Recommened reading:
Bilingual dictionaries
• Kilian A., Kilian A., 2021, Słownik języka prawniczego i ekonomicznego. Tom I. Niemiecko-polski, 4. wyd. Warszawa: Wolters Kluwer.
• Kilian A., Kilian A., 2022, Słownik języka prawniczego i ekonomicznego. Tom II. Polsko-niemiecki, 4. wyd. Warszawa: Wolters Kluwer.
• Pieńkos J., 2002, Polsko-niemiecki słownik prawniczy. Kraków: Kantor Wydawniczy Zakamycze.
Other publications (lexicons, handbooks etc.)
• Barcz J. (red.), 2006, Prawo Unii Europejskiej. Zagadnienia systemowe. Prawo materialne i polityki. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Prawo i Praktyka Gospodarcza, wyd. 3.
• Góralczyk W., Sawicki S., 2015, Prawo międzynarodowe publiczne w zarysie, Warszawa: LexisNexis, wyd. 16.
• Jabłońska-Bonca J., 2004, Wprowadzenie do prawa / Introduction to law, Warszawa: LexisNexis.
• Jopek-Bosiacka A., 2006, Przekład prawny i sądowy. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
• Latoszek, E. i in. (red.), 2018, Unia Europejska: istota, szanse , wyzwania,. Warszawa: Wyd. CeDeWu.
• Malinowski A., 2010, Teksty prawne Unii Europejskiej. Opracowanie treściowe i redakcyjne oraz zasady ich publikacji, Warszawa: LexisNexis.
• Šarčević S., 1997, New Approach to Legal Translation. The Hague: Kluwer Law International.
• Stankowski W. (red. nauk.), 2011, Europeistyka. Leksykon. Warszawa: Wyd. Nauk. PWN.
• Weidenfeld W., Wessels W. (red.), 2002, Europa von A bis Z: Taschenbuch der europäischen Integration. Bonn: bpb.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: