Business Translation-EN 301 Orientation Lecture PDF (2024-2025)

Faculty of Languages and Translation Business Translation- EN 301 Orientation Lecture WEEK 1 Course Code: EN 301 Course Title: Business Translation Academic Year/ Level: 2024-2025/ sophomore (3) Specialization: English Lan...

Faculty of Languages and Translation Business Translation- EN 301 Orientation Lecture WEEK 1 Course Code: EN 301 Course Title: Business Translation Academic Year/ Level: 2024-2025/ sophomore (3) Specialization: English Language Program Lecture: 3 credit hours Course Lecturer: Dr. Wagdy Ghaly Lectures: Wednesday 8.30:11.20 - D 312 (G A) 12.30:3.20 – F 320 (G B) Office Hours: Tuesday 11.00: 12.30 - D 336 (G B) / (G A) Student Assessment: -Mid- term Exam 20% -Coursework 20% (Quizzes 10% - Assignment & - Participation 10%) -Final Exam 60% Teaching & Learning Methods: - Problem-based learning - Cooperative learning - Discussions - Team work Course Schedule: -Week 5: Quiz 1 - Week 11: Quiz 2 -Week 8: Mid-Term Exam -Week 10: Assignment -Week 15: Final Exam Text Book: - Compiled material References: - 1- Altarabin, M. (2022). The Routledge Course in Arabic Business Translation. Arabic-English-Arabic. London: Routedge. 2- Dickens, J. et al. (2002). Thinking Arabic Translation. London: Routedge. 3- Munday, J. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. London: Routeldge. ‫ الجزء‬-2007 -‫ مكتب صبرة للتأليف والترجمة‬-‫ القاهرة‬-‫ ترجمة العقود‬-‫ محمود محمد علي صبرة‬-4 ‫األول‬ 5- www.ekb.eg Course Content: Week Content 1 Orientation Lecture + Intro. To Business Translation 2 Business Translation Strategies + Into Arabic: The Isle of Man 3 Into English: ‫تعويم الجنيه المرصي‬ 4 Into Arabic: Sample of Tender Form 5 Into English: ‫بيان الشحنة‬ 6 Into Arabic: Sample of Tender Form 7 Into English: ‫نموذج خطاب ضمان مرصف‬ 8 Mid-Term Exam 9 Into Arabic: Commercial Document 10 Into English: ‫نموذج عقد‬ 11 Into Arabic: Extraordinary OPEC Conference 12 Into English: ‫شكوى عميل إىل المرصف والرد عليها‬ 13 General Revision  Features of Business Texts Business texts are a subcategory of technical texts and therefore share common features with these texts. The term technical includes scientific disciplines such as medicine, physics, and so on, applied technology, and less obviously “scientific” subjects such as economics. Common business texts include business and market reports, financial statements, business letters, production, management, etc.. Business texts have a number of key features which set them apart from other texts having no technical nature. The features are mainly confined to lexical units and syntactic structures. The following are some of the key defining features of business texts. 1. Lexical features Sharing common features with technical language, business language is different from ordinary language used in general textbooks. Technical language is specialized, that it is economic in terms of linguistic means, and that it defines terms accurately. The components which affect the readability of business texts are writer, text, and readers.  Informative language The language used in business texts is an informative language featuring impersonal style. This type of informative language which features the use of declarative sentences can be seen in various types of business documents. Use of metaphors One feature of literary texts which can be noticed in business language is the use of metaphors (figure of speech) to explain a certain idea. Examples of business metaphors include low hanging fruit (easy and quick wins), lots of moving parts (a project or a program with numerous components), and boil the ocean (a lot of work with a small return). Terminology Business texts feature domain-specific terms which set them apart from other technical texts. In addition, business terms belong to a number of business domains such as management, finance, and marketing. In addition to the domain-specific terms, business texts can include words which have different meanings when used in a general sense. Depression in everyday language refers to feelings. When used in a business domain, the word refers to a severe recession in an economy or market. Example of business vocabulary: project life cycle ‫دورة حياة المشروع‬ contingency plan ‫خطة الطوارئ‬ cash flow ‫التدفق النقدي‬ income statement ‫اإلیرادات‬/ ‫بيان الدخل‬ fixed assets ‫أصول ثابتة‬ balance sheet ‫كشف الميزانية‬/‫بيان‬ cost-based pricing ‫التسعير القائم على التكلفة‬ E-commerce ‫تجارة إلكترونية‬ Facts The presentation of facts is one of the main features of business texts. Consider the following example: “The price of U.S. crude fell as much as 34% to $27.34 a barrel.”.”‫ دوالرا أمریكيا‬27.34 ‫ حيث أصبح سعر البرميل‬% 34 ‫“هبط سعر النفط األمریكي بنسبة‬  2. Syntactic features Business writing is practically listed under technical writing and both, therefore, share some significant syntactic structures. Use of simple declarative sentences, nominalization, and passive structures are major syntactic features in business discourse. Abstract nouns and gerunds It is believed that technical texts feature the use of abstract subjects. Notice the use of abstract nouns and gerunds in the following texts and the absence of nouns referring to concrete entities. Management comprises the interlocking functions of formulating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing the resources to achieve the policy’s objectives. Passive structures Business writing features the use of passive structures. Consider the following examples: The reports must be presented to the management to be reviewed and updated annually. A final report will be sent to the National Food Administration.  Simple sentences Simplicity is a significant feature of technical texts. Its significance lies in reducing the work readers need to do to understand the text, and therefore the risk of misunderstanding is reduced. Technical texts which include business texts use simple and declarative sentences to ensure simplicity. The following is an example of simple declarative sentences: Marketing is exciting, important, and profitable. There was strong central planning and a good deal of informal support and direction of industrial development. Nominalization Nominalization refers to “forming nouns from other parts of speech, most commonly from a verb or an adjective. We can then use the noun phrase instead of the verb or adjective to create a more formal style. We call this nominalization”. Nominalization is a common feature of technical texts. In addition, nominalization style is easier to write.” Nominalization distinguishes the grammar of technical texts from the grammar of the spoken language. e.g. “The poor often have a lower life expectancy than the rich.” ***************************** Best of Luck ☺