Module: Translation in Crises

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Translation in Crises
Module Code	TRA1018 (ITS: LC5850)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	SALIS
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10

Description

Political insecurity and conflict drive long-term displacement around the globe, frequently at levels leading to crises. Many of the countries facing these crises are multilingual, yet the importance of language diversity in crisis communication with displaced people has been un- or under-recognised. This research-based module aims to encourage potential future communicators to question assumptions and propose solutions to multilingual crisis communication using “translation” as a lens.

Learning Outcomes

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2. Explain communication challenges in crises, in particular in relation to refugees
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7. Illustrate the need for and contribution of translation and interpreting in crisis communication
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12. Question assumptions made in research and practice about how best to communicate with displaced people
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17. Evaluate technologies that support multilingual crisis communication, considering their related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges
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22. Plan solutions to multilingual crisis communication challenges, taking into account ethical questions of translation and interpreting in crisis settings
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27. Synthesise literature on communication with displaced people in crisis settings in a systematic review
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*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Directed learning	22	Attending synchronous teaching sessions
Independent Study	35	Completing assigned and independently sourced readings
Directed learning	35	Reviewing content asynchronously (slides, videos, etc.)
Independent Study	70	Reading for systematic literature review
Independent Study	30	Taking and reviewing notes for systematic literature review
Directed learning	8	Small quizzes, directed discussions, etc. assigned during the semester
Independent Study	50	Assignment completion (oral presentation, critical essay, writing up of systematic literature review)
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	20642	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Patrick Cadwell	Module Teacher	Sharon O'Brien

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Assignment	An individual oral presentation (about a crisis context and its translation needs) made during the semester	20%	n/a
Assignment	A critical essay (involving the planning and critique of a language access plan) submitted at the end of the semester	30%	n/a
Assignment	A systematic literature review submitted at the end of the semester	50%	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
Crisis policy; Access to information; Basic principles of translating; Volunteerism and voluntarism; Translation as empowerment; Technology; Terminology; Ethics.

Indicative Learning Activities
Reading assigned texts and independently selected texts; Sourcing examples of translation and interpreting in crises; Analysing crisis communication needs in a crisis setting; Presenting a crisis context and its related communicative needs; Writing an essay involving the design and critique of a language access plan; Creating a systematic literature review on an aspect of crisis communication relevant to refugees.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Federico M. Federici: 2016, Mediating Emergencies and Conflicts, Springer, 215, 9781137553515
Carmen Valero-Garcés,Rebecca Tipton: 2017, Ideology, Ethics and Policy Development in Public Service Interpreting and Translation, Translation, Interpreting and, 248, 9781783097517
Henry W. Fischer: 2008, Response to Disaster, University Press of Amer, 238, 9780761841173
Mark Sheehan,Deirdre Quinn-Allan: 2015, Crisis Communication in a Digital World, Cambridge University Press, 350, 9781107678231

Articles:

Cadwell, P. and S. O'Brien: 2017, Translation Facilitates Comprehension of Health-Related Crisis Information: Kenya as an example, Journal of Specialised Translation, 27, 53483
2016: Language, Culture, and Translation in Disaster ICT: An Ecosystemic Model of Understanding, Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 24(4),

Other Resources

None