Languages and Translation BA Honours

This module introduces students to and develops the practical and conceptual foundations of the translation process. In addition to language-specific translation seminars that focus on real-world texts of a gradually more complex but mostly factual and explicit nature, in the translation workshops, students will be introduced to a range of translation-specific skills, including IT skills as well as basic theoretical concepts as a means of identifying, understanding and resolving translation issues in a practical manner.

The module provides you with an introduction to the relevant theories of interpersonal and intercultural communication. By exploring these theories and linking them to practical everyday situations, you will have the opportunity to reflect on how these apply to your own communicative contexts. Focus will be placed on gaining practical strategies for enhancing your own competencies as communicators.

This module examines English around the world as an international, intra-national, native, second, and foreign language. It considers the distinctive features of these varieties and the social and cultural implications of English as a global language. British varieties of English may be referred to as examples in the introductory part of the module but are not the main content or part of the assessment.

The module introduces the core theoretical knowledge, methodologies and fundamental skills required for the study of language and culture. This includes developing a sound understanding of key terms and concepts in addition to the skills needed to produce clear and competent written English in a range of registers and styles appropriate for undergraduate academic study.

The module emphasises the interconnectedness of the study of language and culture and introduces you to a variety of methodological approaches, including textual and visual analysis, semiotics, and adaptation. The module encourages you to think critically about the construction of meaning in different languages, cultural contexts, and media.

Beginners and false beginners of Arabic will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with a limited degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Arabic-speaking countries and the learning environment. Language and culture are taught in an integrated way through task-based and enquiry-based approaches to learning. You will achieve level A2 on the CEFR; cultural elements focus on key concepts. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

Beginners and false beginners of Chinese will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with a limited degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Chinese-speaking countries and the learning environment. Language and culture are taught in an integrated way through task-based and enquiry-based approaches to learning. You'll achieve levels 1-2 (beginners and false beginners) or 2-3 (intermediates) on the HSK; cultural elements focus on key concepts of study from the Chinese world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

Beginners, false beginners and intermediate students of French will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with a limited to fair degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy in French-speaking countries and the learning environment. Language and culture are taught in an integrated way through task-based and enquiry-based approaches to learning. Students will achieve levels upper A2 (beginners or false beginners) or lower B2 (intermediate) on the CEFR; cultural elements focus on key concepts. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

Beginners, false beginners and intermediate students of Spanish will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with a limited to fair degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Spanish -speaking countries and the learning environment. Language and culture are taught in an integrated way through task-based and enquiry-based approaches to learning. Students will achieve levels upper A2 (beginners or false beginners) or lower B2 (intermediate) on the CEFR; cultural elements focus on key concepts. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This module introduces the study of contemporary and ancient material culture and examines its meaning in social, political and historical perspectives. You'll acquire skills of object analysis and visit London galleries and museums to apply them. You'll examine the social and cultural lives of objects, and how their meaning changes depending on their context and use, by assessing their production, the impact of trade, war and migration on their circulation, and their provenance and politics of ownership and access.

This module develops your practical and conceptual translation competences. In addition to language-specific translation seminars that focus on increasingly complex real-world texts of a linguistically and thematically sophisticated nature, in the translation workshops you'll become acquainted with and will deepen your understanding of the theoretical and wider social dimensions of translation competence.

The module examines the relationship between representation and the production of meaning through the analysis of a wide range of contemporary socio-cultural topics, including gender, ethnicity and language, through different media. In this module students are encouraged to challenge and develop an understanding of the critical links between representation, meaning and identity in a global frame. The analysis focuses primarily on the representation of cultural difference and 'othering' in the public space and aims to answer a fundamental question: How can textual and visual media help to develop an understanding of cultural diversity and cultural difference, and help advance intercultural awareness? Examples are drawn from a wide array of media and cultural narratives, including advertising, literature, film and the internet.

In this module you will examine how those in positions of power use language to create narratives, values and beliefs held by different groups of people in the world. You will explore how language found in the public space reflects values and conventions and how this can change across different societies. The module focuses on the role and purpose of different kinds of social institutions and analyses the means through which they maintain their identity in the international public space and the language they use to do so. You will be shown methods of reading between the lines and how to evaluate the success or otherwise of their communications. This will also be applied to the specific languages you are studying through seminar sessions.

In this module, post-beginner students of Arabic will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with a good level of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Arabic-speaking environments. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special emphasis on the promotion of intercultural understanding. You'll achieve level B1 on the CEFR; cultural elements focus on key events and ideas that have shaped the modern and contemporary Arabic world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

You will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with an intermediate level of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Chinese -speaking environments. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special emphasis on the promotion of intercultural understanding. you'll achieve levels 2-3 (post-beginners) or 3-4 (post-intermediates) on the HSK; cultural elements focus on key events and ideas that have shaped the contemporary Chinese world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

Second-year post-beginner and post-intermediate students of French will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable you to function with an intermediate to good level of linguistic and cultural autonomy in French-speaking environments. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special emphasis on the promotion of intercultural understanding. You'll achieve levels upper B1 (post-beginners) or upper B2 (post-intermediates) on the CEFR; cultural elements focus on key events and ideas that have shaped the modern and contemporary French and Francophone world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

Second-year post-beginner and post-intermediate students of Spanish will learn a range of language skills,, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with an intermediate to good level of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Spanish-speaking environments. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special emphasis on the promotion of intercultural understanding. Students will achieve levels upper B1 (post-beginners) or upper B2 (post-intermediates) on the CEFR, while cultural elements focus on key events and ideas that have shaped the modern and contemporary Hispanic world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This blended module – which combines lectures, workshops, and online student-to-student collaboration – introduces professional language transposition skills relevant to the communication of current affairs in an increasingly globalised and digitised world. You take ownership of learning, choosing the topics studied and how to manage the synchronous online sessions. International collaborations develop interpersonal and organisational skills, as well as interlingual, intermodal, and intercultural competences. The module prepares you for the year abroad and, for those not going overseas, enables language practice in authentic, professional settings, such as subtitling, voiceover, and interpreting.

This module focuses on key cultural developments that have impacted the Arabic/Chinese/Francophone/Hispanic world (according to students’ language of study) through the analysis of pertinent cultural artefacts. It considers the development of each cultural and linguistic area over time up to and including the present day. To do so, the module will identify and focus on cultural artefacts that include text, objects, and audiovisual media such as – but not exclusively – literature, film, individual testimonies, political material, music, museum pieces, and artwork. The module aims to support students’ language learning through the study of these artefacts in the target language. It will also introduce students to key concepts relevant to their culture of study, such as gender, sexuality, race, class, language, and society, thereby developing their research, analytical, and critical thinking skills.

In this module you will examine how those in positions of power use language to create narratives, values and beliefs held by different groups of people in the world. You will explore how language found in the public space reflects values and conventions and how this can change across different societies. The module focuses on the role and purpose of different kinds of social institutions and analyses the means through which they maintain their identity in the international public space and the language they use to do so. You will be shown methods of reading between the lines and how to evaluate the success or otherwise of their communications. This will also be applied to the specific languages you are studying through seminar sessions.

The module is designed for students combining English with any other language, who wish to become familiar with the nature and particularities of computer-assisted translation (CAT), machine translation (MT) and post-editing. The module will include instruction in industry-standard software for translation, providing an in-depth introduction to translation memory, machine translation tools and practical experience of SDL Trados,one of the main packages in use in the industry. Students will also be given the opportunity to sit the SDL Trados Level 1 Certification examination as part of this module.

The Final Year Project offers students a choice of three pathways in order to complete an independent project:

• The Professional Transcreation Project pathway gives students the opportunity to work to a professional brief as they create materials for an organisation’s expansion into new markets, focusing on localisation and transcreation processes.
• The Translation Project pathway prepares students for translation in a professional context through the completion of an extended translation as well as a critical commentary. It is available to any student who began their studies at level 4 as intermediate or proficient in their language of study.
• The Dissertation pathway offers students the opportunity to propose, research, and write their own project in the form of an extended essay on any topic related to their language and/or culture of study.

All students on the module are supported in their chosen pathway through the development and application of skills needed for their project through pathway-specific workshops and tutorials, and each student is further guided in their own work by their own project supervisor.

This module prepares you for translation in a professional context. In addition to language-specific translation seminars that focus on rhetorically and conceptually complex real-world texts of a specialised nature, in the translation workshops you'll explore the theoretical and practical dimensions of translation as a cultural, political and commercial practice.

In this module students will further expand their knowledge of and expertise in functioning as communicators in an international environment. Students will analyse the use of language and culture in professional contexts from a range of perspectives including translational communication and working in a multilingual, multicultural environment. Students will apply current theories of discourse, interpersonal and intercultural communication to real world contexts and improve their own practical competencies as international communicators.

In this module students will expand their knowledge of and expertise in functioning as communicators in an international environment. Students will analyse the use of language and culture in professional contexts from a range of perspectives including working in a multilingual, multicultural environment. Students will apply current theories of discourse and interpersonal and intercultural communication to real world contexts and improve their own practical competencies as international communicators.

This module is designed for final year students. Students will learn a range of language-specific structures and skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities appropriate to this level which will enable them to function with linguistic and cultural autonomy in an Arabic-speaking environment. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special focus on intercultural understanding. Students will achieve upper B2 (post-beginners without year abroad) or C1 (post-beginners with year abroad) on the CEFR; cultural content focuses on contemporary topics and issues. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This is a work experience placement associated with employment with an appropriate employer that you as a graduate might eventually join, such as a small or large business, an arts organisation or a subject-based placement in a school.

Assessment consists of a portfolio which you'll complete. You'll need to source your own placement. Support is provided via three face-to-face teaching sessions: one introductory session, one session focused on the assessment, and one drop-in session to discuss work towards the assessment. You are also strongly encouraged to make full use of the support offered by discussing your placement and coursework with the module leader during the semester. In cases where you are unable to secure a placement by the end of the first week of the semester, or where a placement has fallen through, the University will support and facilitate a change in module.

This module is designed for final-year students. Students will learn a range of language-specific structures and skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities appropriate to this level which will enable them to function with linguistic and cultural autonomy in a French-speaking environment. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special focus on intercultural understanding. Students will achieve upper B2 (post-beginners without year abroad), C1 (post-beginners with year abroad or post-intermediates without year abroad) or upper C1- lower C2 level (post-intermediates with year abroad) on the CEFR; cultural content focuses on contemporary topics and issues. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.  

This module is designed for final year students. You'll learn a range of language-specific structures and skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities appropriate to this level, which will enable you to function with linguistic and cultural autonomy in a Spanish-speaking environment. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special focus on intercultural understanding. You'll achieve upper B2 (post-beginners without year abroad), C1 (post-beginners with year abroad or post-intermediates without year abroad) or upper C1- lower C2 level (post-intermediates with year abroad) on the CEFR; cultural content focuses on contemporary topics and issues. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This module explores various forms of cultural and political representation from the Arabic/Chinese/Francophone/Hispanic worlds, according to your chosen language. In particular, it examines core themes and issues, such as identity, belonging, and social movements, that are pertinent to the culture of study, considering how local, national, and transnational landscapes have influenced these issues. The module will develop your knowledge of key concepts and theories relevant to the culture of study and encourage the analysis of a wide range of texts, including, but not limited to, literature, film, popular culture, documentary, non-fiction, art, and other visual images.

The way that we talk tells us something about the way we interact with the world around us; it also explains to a certain extent the behaviour of those who see and hear us. Why, for instance, are some types of multilingualism seen as 'good' ('Trump’s grandchildren can already speak Mandarin, aren’t they clever'), while others are seen as 'bad' ('Spanish should be abolished in American primary schools')? In the sorts of contexts that we live in, society is structured in such a way that it benefits those who talk a certain way ('Speak the Queen’s English to get on in life'), and systematically disadvantages others who do not talk a certain way ('You’ll never get anywhere talking like that'). This has consequences that affect us as individuals, and language as a whole. In this module on multilingualism, you'll be asked to interrogate these processes. 

The module will introduce seminal texts that provide the analytical framework for exploring languages and language use in very disparate societies and cultures. At the same time, the module has a strong practical component: you'll draw on a range of empirical data (both quantitative and qualitative), as well as your own lived experiences, in order to model the relationships between language and society. In the lectures and language-specific seminars, there will be a particular emphasis on the interface between language use and ideologies, policy, the media, education and wider socio-political and cultural formations.

Across the globe, gender is a key principle of social organisation which defines the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion in both domestic and public life. Gender is fundamental to ideas about social order and power. Protest is a vital force for political and social change, particularly for changing conversations about gender. As such, this module considers the relationship between gender and protest. In particular, it considers the importance of protest in shaping both popular and theoretical constructions of gender across a range of cultural contexts, including, but not limited to, Latin America, East Asia, and Europe.

This is a work experience placement associated with employment with an appropriate employer that you as a graduate might eventually join, such as a small or large business, an arts organisation or a subject-based placement in a school.

Assessment consists of a portfolio which you'll complete. You'll need to source your own placement. Support is provided via three face-to-face teaching sessions: one introductory session, one session focused on the assessment, and one drop-in session to discuss work towards the assessment. You are also strongly encouraged to make full use of the support offered by discussing your placement and coursework with the module leader during the semester. In cases where you are unable to secure a placement by the end of the first week of the semester, or where a placement has fallen through, the University will support and facilitate a change in module.