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ML-100A
Introduction to Culture and Linguistic Traditions A
A broad knowledge and understanding of culture is an important part of the study of the language. This module aims to introduce students to the cultural background of the different linguistic traditions they study, covering different cultural artefacts and historical periods. It examines important examples of texts against the historical background in which they were produced. We shall study different cultural forms, such as poetry, novels, film, painting, drama and more. Students will be given guidance in doing presentations and writing essays about culture. The module provides students with the analytical skills and basic knowledge which they need to pursue further cultural and historical modules in more detail.
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ML-200A
Introduction to Culture and Linguistic Traditions A
A broad knowledge and understanding of culture is an important part of the study of the language. This module aims to introduce students to the cultural background of the different linguistic traditions they study, covering different cultural artefacts and historical periods. It examines important examples of texts against the historical background in which they were produced. We shall study different cultural forms, such as poetry, novels, film, painting, drama and more. Students will be given guidance in doing presentations and writing essays about culture. The module provides students with the analytical skills and basic knowledge which they need to pursue further cultural and historical modules in more detail.
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ML-321
Modern Languages Dissertation
This module provides students with the opportunity to research one aspect of French, German, Italian or Hispanic culture in detail, and to present the findings of their research in a dissertation of 8000 words.
The module will be taught by means of four practical seminars on research and writing skills, and through three formal supervision sessions with a dissertation supervisor. Your supervisor will help you to find a topic, suggest research strategies, agree a suitable title, discuss the structure of your dissertation, and will read closely and comment on one draft chapter. The topic may relate to a module you are doing at Level 3, provided that this does not involve a duplication of material and is agreed with the module coordinator in advance.
The dissertations may be written in English, in your target language, or in Welsh (where Welsh-medium provision is available).
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MLS311
Narrating Crises: Cultures of Resistance and Resilience
As our current globalised world appears to be one of seemingly pervasive crises ¿ especially since the turn of the 21st Century ¿, this module will examine how these crises are represented to try and understand the link with different perceptions. This module offers students an insight into some key issues relating different current global crises with emphasis on the Hispanic World and the Global North and Global South divide.
The module critically examines the notion of `crisis¿ from a cultural, semiotic and narrative perspective in order to elucidate how cultural processing affects our understanding of catastrophic events and we will discuss whether different representations may trigger different attitudes, behaviours and emotions. In terms of timeline the module will start examining the 2008 financial crisis in Spain and its social and cultural ramifications such as social movements of protest, grassroots initiatives, of organised resistance and alternative forms cultural citizenship challenging pervading narratives of accumulation and uncontrolled growth.
We will also explore different, albeit not completely unrelated crises, such as natural disasters ¿ from the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami ¿, disease outbreaks ¿ from the 90s AIDS epidemic in Africa to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic ¿, the current climate crisis ¿ from the 2019 global wildfires to the 2022 European heat waves ¿ migration crises or the current cost of living crisis, among others. The module will analyse all crises through the lens of their `cultural lives¿; the different ways in which they are imagined, communicated, represented whether in the media, in public discourse, literature, cinema or by means of any other cultural artefact. The main aim of the module is to explore and understand how different forms of mediation influence our understanding and behaviour when facing these crises.
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MLT201
Introduction to the Theory of Translation
The question of how to evaluate a translation has occupied linguists since antiquity. In this module, some of the main issues from the rich history of this discussion will be presented. For example, one of the oldest issues is to what extent equivalence in translation can be achieved. An example of a more modern question is: what is the right unit of translation (why not word-for-word?, what type of larger units?). We will also consider cultural and philosophical aspects of translation, the impact of technology on translation and the question to what extent the translator is (and should be) visible or invisible
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MLTM25
Conference Interpreting
This module will help students develop strategies and techniques to perform Consecutive Conference Interpreting as well as Simultaneous Conference Interpreting. It involves the advanced development of multilingual skills, as
well as interpersonal/intercultural communication skills (active listening, memory retention, time lag, anticipation, reformulation, delivery). Students will typically be exposed to authentic talks, lectures, conference papers, debates and
speeches delivered by United Nations delegates, European Parliamentarians, TED.com Presenters, the UK's Political Speech Archive, BBC World Debate programmes, YouTube The Why Channel, and other countries'
politicians, lecturers and experts in various fields. The contexts are Current Affairs and topics of political, sociocultural, economic, scientific, technological and environmental impact in both cultures and their corresponding terminologies. Students will also be encouraged to research and read parallel texts for confidence building and knowledge expansion. Training will take place in a fully-equipped Interpreting Suite (delegate units and booths).
The assessment will take the form of two recorded oral examinations, as follows: one from Language A to Language B (50%) and the other from Language B to Language A (50%). A wide range of material will be
available on Blackboard for in-class and extra practice. The textbook for the module is Conference Interpreting - A Student¿s Practice Book, by Andrew Gillies (2013 edition). Students will be encouraged to attend lectures and symposia to widen their knowledge and practise their skills. Successful candidates will be well prepared to apply for placement opportunities at the European Commission Directorate-General for Interpretation and/or The Internship Programme at the United Nations Offices either in Geneva or in New York.Students are expected to do extensive guided private study, which should include exercises, e.g. mental agility exercises, bi-directional clozing, numerical contextualization and simplification tasks, reformulation and improvisation exercises, as well as tasks for mnemonic activation (to activate and automatize linguistic reflexes through the use of synonyms, antonyms, definitions, paraphrasing, hypernyms etc.).
