Course Outline for ECTB61H3F Fall 2023
English and Chinese Translation: Theory and Practice
!"#$%&'()*
1. Instructor and contact information:
Dr. Jingsong Ma
Email:
Phone% 647-601-4555 (during the office hours only)
2. Consultation Hours:
Thursday 17:00-18:00 MW302
Please email me to book your time slot.
You can also email me for questions. Please use your University of Toronto email
address and put the course code on the subject line. Your email will be answered within
48 hours.
3. Class Hours:
Section Day & Time Delivery Mode & Location
LEC01 Thursday, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM In Person: MW 223
LEC02 Thursday, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM In Person: AC 334
Refer to ACORN for the most up-to-date information about the delivery and location of
the course meetings.
The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights and respect for
diversity. All members of the learning environment in this course should strive to
create an atmosphere of mutual respect where all members of our community can
express themselves, engage with each other, and respect one another’s differences. U
of T does not condone discrimination or harassment against any persons or
communities.
All lecture notes will be posted on Quercus.
ECTB61H3F Course Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 1|9
, 4. Course description and learning outcomes:
An introduction to the major concepts and theories of translation and a survey of
English/Chinese translation in history. It discusses the linguistic, cognitive,
sociopolitical, and cultural aspects of translation. Through analysis and application of
translation theory, students practice the art of translation and develop awareness of
issues that translators face.
Students must already have mastered the principles of grammar and composition in
both English and Chinese.
Learning outcomes:
You will be able to answer questions such as:
a. The definition of translation; what is “literal translation,” “sense for sense
translation”, “free translation” and “equivalent value”? Theories in China and in
the West.
b. What are the criteria to translate a text from the source language to target language?
c. Why is it necessary to change the part of speech of the corresponding word which
is available in both Chinese and English?
d. What are the basic analytical methods of translation, such as derivative method,
methods of adding and omitting words, method of adjusting structure, and method
of translating discourses?
e. Are social values, political attitude, customs and institutions important to aid
personal interpretation and understanding of a translated text?
f. How to use specific methods to translate different types of texts?
Along with the explanation and discussion of key terms and concepts, and
methodology, students will have also learned critical analysis of chosen translations
and textual samples to observe the ART of English and Chinese translation in terms
of Accuracy, Readability, and Tone.
5. Textbook and other study materials:
Textbook:
- Xu, Lina +,-. Linguistic Approaches to English-Chinese Translation.!"#$
/&0. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2014.
(Please ask the students from previous classes for an E-copy or hard copy. It is also
available on amazon.cn. I will also post lecture notes for the students who cannot
obtain the textbook.)
ECTB61H3F Course Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 2|9
English and Chinese Translation: Theory and Practice
!"#$%&'()*
1. Instructor and contact information:
Dr. Jingsong Ma
Email:
Phone% 647-601-4555 (during the office hours only)
2. Consultation Hours:
Thursday 17:00-18:00 MW302
Please email me to book your time slot.
You can also email me for questions. Please use your University of Toronto email
address and put the course code on the subject line. Your email will be answered within
48 hours.
3. Class Hours:
Section Day & Time Delivery Mode & Location
LEC01 Thursday, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM In Person: MW 223
LEC02 Thursday, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM In Person: AC 334
Refer to ACORN for the most up-to-date information about the delivery and location of
the course meetings.
The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights and respect for
diversity. All members of the learning environment in this course should strive to
create an atmosphere of mutual respect where all members of our community can
express themselves, engage with each other, and respect one another’s differences. U
of T does not condone discrimination or harassment against any persons or
communities.
All lecture notes will be posted on Quercus.
ECTB61H3F Course Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 1|9
, 4. Course description and learning outcomes:
An introduction to the major concepts and theories of translation and a survey of
English/Chinese translation in history. It discusses the linguistic, cognitive,
sociopolitical, and cultural aspects of translation. Through analysis and application of
translation theory, students practice the art of translation and develop awareness of
issues that translators face.
Students must already have mastered the principles of grammar and composition in
both English and Chinese.
Learning outcomes:
You will be able to answer questions such as:
a. The definition of translation; what is “literal translation,” “sense for sense
translation”, “free translation” and “equivalent value”? Theories in China and in
the West.
b. What are the criteria to translate a text from the source language to target language?
c. Why is it necessary to change the part of speech of the corresponding word which
is available in both Chinese and English?
d. What are the basic analytical methods of translation, such as derivative method,
methods of adding and omitting words, method of adjusting structure, and method
of translating discourses?
e. Are social values, political attitude, customs and institutions important to aid
personal interpretation and understanding of a translated text?
f. How to use specific methods to translate different types of texts?
Along with the explanation and discussion of key terms and concepts, and
methodology, students will have also learned critical analysis of chosen translations
and textual samples to observe the ART of English and Chinese translation in terms
of Accuracy, Readability, and Tone.
5. Textbook and other study materials:
Textbook:
- Xu, Lina +,-. Linguistic Approaches to English-Chinese Translation.!"#$
/&0. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2014.
(Please ask the students from previous classes for an E-copy or hard copy. It is also
available on amazon.cn. I will also post lecture notes for the students who cannot
obtain the textbook.)
ECTB61H3F Course Syllabus Fall 2023 Page 2|9
