Translation in Practice (Coursera)

These examples are elaborated on to show you how to understand the idea, style and tone of the writer, the historical and cultural context of the writing, as well as the explicit and implied meanings of words, the grammatical structures of sentences, and the logic of sentences and paragraphs in order to achieve faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance in the translation.

After completing this course, you will know what makes a qualified professional translator and acquire the abilities and skills that such a translator needs

Syllabus

WEEK 1

A Brief Introduction to Translation

This module discusses why translation matters, what is translation, and what is good translation. It also gives an overview of the content of the entire course.

WEEK 2

The Process of Translation

This module discusses the four-step process of translation. Each step is discussed in detail.

WEEK 3

Understanding and Expressing Word Meaning

This module discusses how to understand word meaning in the source language and how to express word meaning in the target language.

WEEK 4

Sentence Translation: Word Order, Division, and Combination

This module discusses the techniques often used in the translation of sentences: keeping/changing the original word order and dividing/combining sentences.

WEEK 5

Cultural Elements in Translation

This module discusses the awareness of cultural elements in the source language and the translation of these cultural elements.

WEEK 6

Translation of Different Genres of Writing

This module discusses the translation of different genres of writing, including scientific writings, legal documents, public speeches, and literary works.