CHN8025 : Simultaneous Interpreting II
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Fred Wu
- Owning School: Modern Languages
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module aims to give students:
* an advanced understanding of professional interpreting practice
* experience of dealing with problems in interpreting at the advanced level
* experience of working in conference interpreting settings
* guidance in developing sufficient background knowledge in subject areas for conference interpreting
Building on the knowledge and skills required in CHN7010 Simultaneous Interpreting I, this module is designed to develop the professional skills of simultaneous interpreting. The course starts with an introduction session to simultaneous interpreting, the latest development in the industry, such as remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI), and follows up with a series of seminar workshop and exercise to help students develop the skills required to work as a professional interpreter, including international conference etiquette, preparing for conference interpreting assignments, advanced strategies for simultaneous interpreting, etc.
Outline Of Syllabus
Over the course of two semesters, the following main areas, but not limited to, will be covered.
1. Theoretical models of interpreting and understanding your work space and equipment, including the latest
development in remote interpreting, or RSI.
2. How to deal with numbers, and multi-tasking exercises (smart shadowing).
3. The role of background knowledge as a comprehension strategy in SI.
4. Multi-tasking with audio and visual information inputs.
5. Ear-Voice-Span management: how close or how far to follow the speaker.
6. Developing the communicative sense in interpreting.
7. How to deal with cultural differences, including humour, in speeches.
8. Managing different paces of speeches and interpretation delivery.
9. Working professionally as a team in real-life assignments.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Large group lecture sessions to provide induction (semester 1) and feedbacks (semester 2). |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Synchronous online Small group guided hands-on exercises of remote simultaneous interpreting. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 16 | 2:00 | 32:00 | Present-in-person Guided hands-on exercises, plus a scheduled mock exam at the end of semester 1 |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 1 | 126:00 | 126:00 | Guided ind. learning platforms: Canvas and Teams. Individual practices online and in booths. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 4 | 8:00 | 32:00 | Present-in-person and/or Synchronous online Mock conferences, 2 days per semester |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The scheduled practical and small group teaching sessions provide guidance and input in interpreting skills and subject contents, enabling students to do guided practices in class and independent learning at home. The scheduled practical activities, i.e. remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) and mock conference, enable students to prepare and perform interpreting tasks assigned to them, putting their skills to the test in simulated real-life settings. The contact hours are conducted in consideration of the specialised nature of the interpreting skills, especially remote interpreting, which requires intensive guided training. Nonetheless, students are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in private study with the support of online and offline learning resources, including the Teams Online Booths.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Examination | 60 | 2 | A | 100 | Two simultaneous interpreting tasks in two language directions. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Examination | 1 | M | Mock exam. 2 simultaneous SI tasks in 2 language directions. Students will receive feedback on performance to improve for final exam |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Building up their interpreting experience to cope with different scenarios as the training progress over the course, the end-of-semester interpreting examination allows students to demonstrate their interpreting skills in a simulated real world setting, including RSI for hybrid-mode events. The simultaneous interpreting exam creates a situation where the candidates can perform under a realistic work condition as a conference interpreter. Preparation materials will be provided in advance, allowing students to exercise their research and preparation skills for interpreting assignment, including remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI).
During the course of the study, students will be given a mock exam as formative assessment. This approach allows the students time to reflect on their learning without undue pressure, and make progress according to individuals’ different pace of learning, including familiarising with the RSI technical operations.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CHN8025's Timetable