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PGB3: Translation into Portuguese and Portuguese through audio-visual media

This paper is available for the academic year 2023-24.

 

PGB3: Translation into Portuguese and Portuguese through the Media

Paper B3 is made up of two distinct components: Translation into Portuguese and Portuguese through the Media (MD). Together, the B3 Translation and MD elements will help you develop your linguistic skills and cultural competence in a range of areas.

The B3 paper is only available to Part IB (i.e., second-year students) who had an A-level or equivalent in the language when they arrived. In addition, if your other language is ab initio, you can choose not to do this paper in Portuguese and instead do an extra literature/linguistics paper from the schedule of IB papers. If, however, both your languages are post A-level, then this paper (both components) is compulsory.

 

Aims and objectives:

If you attend all classes and carry out all the set work for the B3 Translation paper, by the end of the year you will be able to:

  • Identify translation problems in passages taken from a range of sources (for example, literature, essay, newpaper articles)
  • Develop and apply a set of strategies to tackle translation problems
  • Acquire and use with confidence a wide range of vocabulary and idiom in Portuguese
  • Develop your ability to compensate effectively and resourcefully for lexical gaps
  • Have a strong command of Portuguese grammar
  • Develop your awareness of register and tone in Portuguese
  • Hone your sensitivity to stylistic features in English texts
  • Enhance your understanding of contrastive grammar in English and Portuguese

 

If you follow the course (attending classes, supervisions, and lectures, as appropriate) and carry out all the set work for the MD paper, you will meet the following aims and objectives:

  • Broaden your understanding of the culture of the Portuguese-speaking world
  • Consolidate and further develop your command of Portuguese, with a particular focus on oral skills and aural comprehension
  • Engage critically with content discussed in videos
  • Enhance your ability to write expository-argumentative texts in Portuguese
  • Develop your ability to discuss orally topics of cultural import concisely and effectively
  • Improve your research skills using authentic written and audiovisual sources in Portuguese
  • Develop your presentation skills

 

Course materials:

You will find a dedicated Moodle site for each component of this paper (one for B3 Translation into Portuguese and one for MD) with all the material for classroom use and for independent study, as well as numerous resources. You will be given access to the Moodle sites at the beginning of the academic year. The Language Centre Online also provides useful resources for self-study.

There is no set grammar book for this course, but if you would like to continue to do dedicated grammar practice, here are two good books you can use (please note that these books won’t be used in class):

  • Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide, John Whitlam, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017
  • Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: Workbook, John Whitlam, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017

 

Teaching and learning:

In the B3 Translation component you will practise translation into Portuguese in a fortnightly class. This class builds on your grammatical and lexical knowledge of the language through systematic practice and feedback, helping you develop the skills and the confidence to translate complex English structures and registers into Portuguese.

The Portuguese Through the Media (MD) component is taught via weekly supervisions during Michaelmas and Lent, 8 each. There is no teaching in Easter. You will also be advised to attend lectures in the language or view equivalent recorded content. The MD paper offers you the opportunity to engage with authentic material/sources in Portuguese and to explore a number of cultural topics relevant to the Portuguese-speaking world while building up your vocabulary and your command of both spoken and written Portuguese.

 

Assessment:

The Translation component of the B3 paper is assessed in a two-hour examination. The exam consists of two passages in English (200 words each) which you are asked to translate into Portuguese. No dictionaries or other reference materials are allowed.

The Portuguese Through the Media component will be assessed via a 5-7 minute video recording to be submitted in week 4 of the Easter term. Here are some key details about this task:

  • Your video should last 5-7 minutes. No submissions over 7 minutes long will be accepted.
  • You will be able to choose the topic of your video presentation. Your class teacher and/or supervisor will be able to offer you advice on the suitability of your topic.
  • The video recording must be your own independent work. Your supervisor will not be able to offer feedback on the actual plan, nor on the recording.
  • Your video must contain a minimum of 500 words uttered by you.
  • Content and language will be equally weighted when assessing your video submission.
  • You will also need to submit a synopsis of up to 150 words of your video which will not be assessed, but you will need to submit it so it can be checked for plagiarism.
  • You may use presentation software for your video if you wish (e.g. Powerpoint, Prezi, Google Slides), but this is not compulsory. You may choose to present your content in other ways. Either option is equally valid.
  • You will have to show your face at the start of the video for identification purposes; after that, it is your choice whether your face is on camera or not
  • One one-hour session will be offered to all students taking this paper across the Faculty to offer technical guidance and advice on producing your video.

 

Literature/Culture/Language and other Portuguese resources.

 

Marking criteria for this paper will be released and uploaded here in Michaelmas term 2022.

Past papers: MML Moodle site

Course contact: Mr Felipe Schuery