Exploring the boundaries of transcreation in specialized translation

Transcreation has recently become a buzzword in Translation Studies. Definitions abound, some of them placing it within a functionalist perspective (e.g. Baker 2009), some interpreting it as a heuristic method to be used in the translation of poetry (e.g. Snell-Hornby 1994), some others relating it to the translation of computer games (O\u2019Hara & Mangiron 2006). Nowadays often used in advertising and the media, transcreation is a portmanteau word made by combining together translation and creation, in order to emphasize the considerable amount of creativity required in the process. Yet, since a varying degree of creativity is implicit in the translation of any type of text, this study argues that creativity is not the discriminating factor in order to recognize the difference between translation and transcreation; the aim, rather, is to restore the original conception of the term, based on the word \u2018creation\u2019, i.e. the generation of new words or meanings. From this perspective, no single domain (poetry, computer games, advertising, etc.) can be said to have priority in the use of transcreation. In particular, I argue that even a domain which is thought to impose the heaviest semiotic constraints on the translator, i.e. legal translation, is developing in ways that generate \u2018semantic voids\u2019 to be filled; an example is the lack of lexicalization of new concepts

Translating stones: A Corpus-Based Linguistic and Lexicographic Study in Specialized Terminology

This study originated from the real-world need to provide a lexicographic reference work for the specialized field of stone processing. Very little is available on this specific niche of the lexicon. This contribution will offer lexicographers and terminologists a first insight into the identification and designation of materials, activities, and processes related to the quarrying and processing of stones. The study was conducted on the data collected to build a pair of comparable corpora, each containing a variety of texts \u2013 from brochures to technical specifications \u2013 in one of the source languages investigated: English and Italian. The methodology employed derives from the report on a Council of Europe project (see International Journal of Lexicography vol. 9, n. 3, 1996). To advance the inquiry, a number of term candidates were identified \u2013 based on the frequency and keyword lists generated from the corpora \u2013 and analysed in their contexts of use to eventually formulate hypotheses of equivalence in both languages. This work is the result of the growing convergence of different approaches to meaning, all harnessing corpus evidence

New challenges in Designing Second/Foreign Language Programs in a Networked World

Several scholars have acknowledged the centrality of needs analysis in course esign. However, while Second Language Acquisition authors have extensively written on needs analysis applied to primary and secondary education, very few studies are available as to how needs analysis can be applied to tertiary education. Different approaches to needs analysis exist, yet, to the best of my knowledge, none of them alone attempts to investigate the needs of learners in second/foreign language programs based on computer-mediated communication in a networked learning setting. This paper aims at filling this gap. This study contributes to complementing current literature with three additional building blocks of needs analysis, which can be used to integrate the information gathered from a traditional needs analysis, and will help teachers to further clarify the purposes of their language programs so that they address the needs of today\u2019s connected learners

Researching Language and the Law: Textual Features and Traslation Issues

Review of: Giannoni, Davide Simone/Frade, Celina (2010): Researching Language and the Law: Textual Features and Traslation Issues. Frankfurt a.M. u.a.: Lang. (Linguistic Insights: Studies in Language and Communication). ISBN: 879-3-0343-0443-6, 278 Pages

Effect of resveratrol on mitochondrial function: Implications in parkin-associated familiar Parkinson's disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress occur in Parkinson's disease (PD), but the molecular mechanisms controlling these events are not completely understood. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a transcriptional coactivator known as master regulator of mitochondrial functions and oxidative metabolism. Recent studies, including one from our group, have highlighted altered PGC-1α activity and transcriptional deregulation of its target genes in PD pathogenesis suggesting it as a new potential therapeutic target. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound proved to improve mitochondrial activity through the activation of several metabolic sensors resulting in PGC-1α activation. Here we have tested in vitro the effect of resveratrol treatment on primary fibroblast cultures from two patients with early-onset PD linked to different Park2 mutations. We show that resveratrol regulates energy homeostasis through activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and raise of mRNA expression of a number of PGC-1α's target genes resulting in enhanced mitochondrial oxidative function, likely related to a decrease of oxidative stress and to an increase of mitochondrial biogenesis. The functional impact of resveratrol treatment encompassed an increase of complex I and citrate synthase activities, basal oxygen consumption, and mitochondrial ATP production and a decrease in lactate content, thus supporting a switch from glycolytic to oxidative metabolism. Moreover, resveratrol treatment caused an enhanced macro-autophagic flux through activation of an LC3-independent pathway. Our results, obtained in early-onset PD fibroblasts, suggest that resveratrol may have potential clinical application in selected cases of PD-affected patients

Current Trends on MA Translation Courses in the UK: Changing Assessment Practices on Core Translation Modules

Assessment underpins all forms of translator training and is an essential element of any teaching and learning process. By looking at university assessment practices, we can gain an insight into current understandings about the nature of translation practice and what issues are foregrounded in translator education. This paper presents the findings of the second stage of our research into assessment practices on core translation modules of MA Translation courses offered in the UK, and follows on from a preliminary case study conducted at the University of Westminster in 2015 and 2016 with MA Translation tutors and students (n=16; n=53). The research presented in this paper was carried out via documentary research into all universities offering MA Translation courses (n=27) and via a survey which asked a representative of each UK university to fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 55% of universities (n=15). The areas explored include universities' learning outcomes, assessment instruments and criteria. In the light of the data gathered, our study aims to discover if and to what extent current assessment practices on the core translation modules reflect the competence-based understandings of the translation process and have adopted new forms of assessment

Learning translation strategies in a CSCL framework

This study investigated the extent to which the social constructivist approach can be applied to the teaching/learning of translation strategies in an e-learning environment. To advance the inquiry, three research questions were developed that focussed on: individual learning vs. social learning; knowledge seen as content versus knowledge sees as process; teacher control versus student control. The method of research was located within a qualitative, interpretive paradigm based on multiple case studies associated with the classes involved. Data collection included reports from participants, issued periodically in the semesters investigated. Techniques of qualitative analysis were used to identify, describe and interpret the forms of argumentative collaboration and co-construction of knowledge participants were experiencing online. The main conclusions of the inquiry were: (1) evidence of a change in the ability of students to think and solve problems in ways that match the characteristic methods of the academic discipline (translation studies) and \u2013 to a certain degree \u2013 of professional experts; (2) critical issues revolving around the difficulties of effectively managing discussions and/or work progression as a result of the more or less effective management of the social relationships between students in the smaller and larger groups; (3) full blending of the contrasting pairs focussed on as research questions, leading toward integration rather than confrontation of the dual views of acquisition and construction of knowledge

La Didattica CLIL

Preparare docenti delle scuole secondarie di secondo grado della provincia di Macerata a progettare, elaborare e valutare moduli CLIL in lingua inglese per l'insegnamento delle materie non-linguistiche. Progetto "Formazione CLIL" finanziato dall'URS Marche con prot. 686 C/12 del 18/01/2012

eCollaboration in Proactively Learning Organizations: More Than Just a Buzzword!.

This paper examines the concept of collaboration as it occurs in learning organizations, and addresses such issues as the integration of methods, processes and tools where distance learning technologies are involved. It discusses some of the theoretical issues related to online learning communities, and suggests a methodology relying on a collaborative platform model based on constructivist and experiential learning principles using both e-learning and action-research approaches. This research takes previous work one step further by establishing a framework for learning with an approach that integrates online learning systems, coaching, and actual work into a seamless process. The study conducted illustrates ways in which proactively learning organizations can learn how to effectively collaborate online, and achieve real, generative learning

The Future of Professional Translator Training: Triangulating Principles, Objectives and Conditions from the Academic, Professional and Service Provider Communities Through the \u201cOPTIMALE\u201d Network

This paper focuses on the outcomes of a project funded by the European Commission that has been running in the past three years and that involved a network of 70 partners from 32 countries, which cooperated with European language service providers and professional language industry associations to enhance the quality and relevance of translator training in higher education across Europe. The OPTIMALE (Optimising professional translator training in a multilingual Europe) network aimed at mapping translator training in Europe, while monitoring market and societal needs as well as professional requirements and standards relevant to translator education and training. The main objectives of the network, which were achieved by crosslinking the needs and conditions of the academic, professional and service provider communities, included the reinforcement of the economic and societal relevance of ongoing or future translator training programmes, and the enhancement of the quality of translator trainer training. The outcomes of the project include a pan-European snapshot of specific competence requirements for graduates seeking employment in the industry and for programme directors seeking to improve the employability of their graduates in the translation professions. This paper is meant to present and analyze the steps that brought all partners involved in the project to reassert the continuing need for high level, professionally-relevant translator training, and to set out the principles, objectives and conditions that are required to ensure that European businesses and institutions can continue to find the high level multilingual professionals they need to promote their interests and their image on the world stage