Module: Chinese Scientific/Technical Translation

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Chinese Scientific/Technical Translation
Module Code	CHN1013 (ITS: ZH402)
Faculty	SALIS	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

The purpose of this module is to further develop students’ semi-professional translation skills. Students will have the advanced translation skills for various purposes and will be able to make effective use of technical terminology resources and comparable text resources.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the source language expression and locate the equivalent target language to translate semi-specialised texts.
2. Choose a translation strategy that is appropriate to the purpose of the text, the translation brief, or other contextual factors in a translation assignment.
3. Employ terminological and domain knowledge that is suitable for use in semi-specialised scientific and technical texts and in a particular translation assignments.
4. Produce translations suitable for semi-specialised, scientific or technique texts, considering text cohesion and text presentation (typing, spelling, grammar, etc.).
5. Study the quality and strategies employed in existing Chinese-English translations.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	Synchronous timetabled sessions
Independent Study	78	Synchronous and asynchronous group work/study for class preparation, reviewing content delivered synchronously (slides, translation examples, etc.), directed learning (e.g. post-editing, translation practice and directed discussions).
Assignment Completion	25	Critique of post-editing (5 hours); Translation 1 (5 hours); Translation 2 (5 hours); Reflective log (10 hours).
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	20195	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Qi Zhang	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Assignment	Translation assignments	20%	n/a
In Class Test	Translation 2 (300 words)	40%	n/a
Reflective journal	Reflective log	40%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative Content
• Practical translation examples • Substitutions, omissions and additions in translation • Translation theory and practice • The importance of background research • Translation quality assessment in practice • Translating proper nouns appropriately • Domain-specific knowledge (for example, information technology, space technology, medical devices, patent translation, etc.)

Learning Activities
• Completing short quizzes, cloze or glossary-matching exercises • Building and maintaining a bilingual glossary of specialised language • Comparing published target texts with published source texts, or comparing different machine translation outputs • Producing translations in line with specific translation beliefs • Maintaining a reflective log to consider translation choices made and translation competences encountered in the module

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Baker, Mona: 1992, In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation,, Routledge, London,
Eoyang, Eugene Chen: 1993, The Transparent Eye: Reflections on Translation, Chinese Literature, and Comparative Poetics,, University of Hawaii Press Honolulu, Hawaii,
Cheung, Martha P. Y.: 2009, Chinese Discourses on Translation: Positions and Perspectives,, St. Jerome Publishing, Manchester,
Hung, Eva: 2005, Translation and Cultural Change,, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam/Philadelphia,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None