Practical Translation Workshop 1 MODLANG5042

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course offers a multilingual translation workshop, where students working across different languages will translate texts for feedback from peers and tutors. Students will examine how human-led translation work differs from and can use machine translation in order to better understand the current languages industry. The programme is intentionally co-creational, that is, decided with the students based on their interests, but it would be expected to cover using technology in translation, writing reflective commentaries, and translating across a range of genres and discourses (e.g. business, literary, legal, medical, technical). 

Timetable

10 weeks x 2 hours as scheduled on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Standard entry to Masters at College level

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Oral Presentation - 10 minutes - 20%

Reflective Commentary 1 - 2000 words - 40%

Reflective Commentary 2 - 2000 words - 40%

Course Aims

The course aims to: 

■ Develop students' translation skills in a multilingual environment, and in relation to changes in technology, increasing AI literacy. 

■ Encourage reflection on translation practice, in relation to existing scholarly work in the field and known standard practices. 

■ Develop students' research skills in relation to translation practice. 

■ Ask students to discuss translation practices across language barriers and explain their thinking orally and in writing. 

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

■ By the end of this course students will be able to:
Critically analyse their own and others' translation practice in relation to relevant scholarship.

■ Reflect on their translation practice, using knowledge of standard practices and relevant scholarship.

■ Examine how translation and other technologies can be used critically in the production of translated texts, or why they might be avoided.

■ Communicate complex ideas orally and in writing in relation to translation.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.