Writing skills for Translators Week 3 - October 8/10, 2013 Instructor: Marissa Kluger (Note: If you me on Saturday or Sunday, I will respond first thing Monday) Office Hours: By appointment only Tuesdays JE504A Thursdays SD105 Week 3 - October 8/10, 2013 Instructor: Marissa Kluger (Note: If you me on Saturday or Sunday, I will respond first thing Monday) Office Hours: By appointment only Tuesdays JE504A Thursdays SD105

Week 3 schedule Call roll Self-assessment essay feedback (Class 3) Accuracy of writing assessment (Class 3 and Interpreting) In-class reading and writing assignment “How to Write Clearly” Odds & Ends

Self-assessment essay feedback Introductions and Conclusions Lack of synonyms (i.e. paper, composition, essay, assignment, writing, response, reflection NOT article) Passive voice Chinglish expressions (i.e. “it seems hard to catch one of them”) A lack of active verbs Sentence construction (i.e. “So” --> “Therefore”/“But” -->“However”) Lengthiness, in terms of phrasing and sentences (i.e. “the variety of” - -> “varying” Articles are missing or misused (a, an, the)

In-class reading and writing assignment After closely reading the article, consider your personal point of view on whether should be short, filled with pleasantries, a means to create intimacy and build relationships or any other purposes either mentioned in the article (or not). Gather examples or reasoning from your own reading, studies, experience, or observations. If this topic is too narrow for you, then contemplate other high- tech devices or forms pervasive in people’s daily lives. Think about the technology utilized in the field of translation. This essay does not need to follow a specific type of writing, however, make sure you have organized, structured, and provided details.

How to Write Clearly Guide Put the reader first Use verbs, not nouns Concrete, not abstract Active, not passive Name the agent Making sense - managing stress KISS: Keep it Short and Simple False friends and other pitfalls

Guide Review For each relevant category, we will review in the following manner: examples beyond the scope of the material False friends in C-E translation/interpreting Chinaspeak This is an independent task. After each category, I will ask for volunteers to provide examples.

Writing exercises

Assessment To be completed on a piece of paper which I will not collect, therefore, I suggest you save yourself the painstaking effort and only write the answers with its corresponding letter (i.e. (a), (b)...) preceding it. This is a self-assessment quiz of your accuracy. Complete it to the best of your ability. In some cases, there will be more than one word that completes the blank, due to the fact that synonyms exist. Instructions: read the text for gist and then complete it by writing one word in each gap.

Assessment Answers a. in b. problem/difficulty/challenge/priority c. the/so d. difficult/problematic/challenging e. However/Next/Then f. or g. improves h. begins/tends/seems i. in/after j. they k. easily/well/effectively l. third/further m. most n. since/because/as o. on p. why q. necessary/better/useful/helpful r. an s. before t. their

Week 3 Assignments Read Part 1: The Writing Process Prepare for writing exercises Post to class blog – TBA via I expect that although I am not giving you formal assignments, you are either a) reading in English every day or b) writing in English every day. Journal writing (not to be confused with keeping a diary) is one way to achieve this. You only need ten minutes of spare time. Reading, on the other hand, should be at least thirty minutes every day. You don’t have to limit yourself to reading a novel or another work of literature; news, magazines, academic journals and the like on a wide array of subjects of interest (or unfamiliarity) are just as effective.

Odds & Ends Please make sure your English name, class number (Translation 1, 2, 3, or interpreting), and student number are visible (and legible) on all your submitted assignments. When contacting me via or the website’s contact form, please follow the previous point as closely as possible. Monitors: I still need some of your personal s and phone numbers in order to be able to reach you just in case. If you are a part-time student, please make sure you come see me to ensure you are on my class rosters.