מדינת ישראל

משרד החינוך

המזכירות הפדגוגית

אשכול שפות

הפיקוח על הוראת האנגלית

ספטמבר 2016

Guidelines for Final Paper ("Avodat Gemer") in Translation

Supervision:

Supervisors should have certification in teaching translation or background in Translation Studies AND have a Master's degree in translationor another language-related subject. Papers must maintain a semi-academic level, and demand the required mentorship to achieve this standard.

Phase I: The supervisor helps students write the proposal and send it to the Ministry according to the Ministry's guidelinesfor submitting the proposal (as they appear on the ministry site).

Phase II: Translation process

Students must keep a work diary to log progress and ensure proper supervision (See below).

Students must translate between 8,000-10,000 words CONSECUTIVELY. If the student chooses to translate pages NOT from the beginning of the book, a rationale for this decision should be provided.

Students will translate a given number of pages before each meeting with his/her supervisor (approximately five pages per session can be properly discussed).

Supervisors should meet at LEAST once a month with each student during the translation phase II of the Final Paper (2-3 months). In this way, students can be properly monitored, while learning about translational terms for specific dilemmas and difficulties they encounter during the translation process.

The student is expected to carry out the last part of the translation on his/her own and the assessment is based mainly on the level of translation in that part.

Phase III:Choosing dilemmas to research and focus on

After the student has completed the translation of about half of the source text, the supervisor will edit and discuss the translation TOGETHER WITH the student and while doing so, help students decide which dilemmas to focus on.

Students should prepare a table including as many translation dilemmas as s/he can find, and when possible, give it its proper translational term. Supervisors will help with this process.

Together with the supervisor, students will decide what to research and how many examples of that dilemma to include in the final paper (See phase IV).

Supervisors will help provide reference material to aid student in his/her research. (See appendix).

Phase IV: Research

During this phase, supervisors can meet with their students once a month to make sure they are on the right track, vis-à-vis writing an academic paper, e.g. using citations, footnotes, proper punctuation, language choice, etc. It is of utmost importance to warn students against plagiarism while writing their essays.

The bibliography should contain at least SIX references.

Students should research at least two dilemmas. For each dilemma, students will read and summarize at least TWO references, each essay comprising at least 300 words. However, if the paper comprises only two dilemmas, then the student will still need to provide a total of at least six references.Sources can include online references, reference books, academic articles, as well as dialogues with the author if possible (the latter should be cited correctly, or provide proof of correspondence). All sources must be cited properly in the bibliography.

Supervisors should REMIND STUDENTS to keep track of their personal bibliography. Students will need to reread the articles and glean relevant information, as well as include all sources in the bibliography.

Phase V: Examples of dilemmas

Supervisors should meet with students once or twice to make sure they are conforming with the following format:

Students should provide AT LEAST 30 examples of at least TWO dilemmas, i.e., three dilemmas with 10 examples each, or 5 dilemmas having 6 examples or any combination of the above, e.g., lexical voids, 4 examples; grammatical voids; 3 examples; faux amis, 6 examples; register and slang, 12 examples, syntax, 5 examples.

Examples should first be presented in the source language (SL), providing the page number from the source text (ST). Next, the student must provide proof that the example conforms to the definition of the dilemma, presented in the preceding essay. Finally, students should present possible translation choices and explain how he/she arrived at their final choice. Each example should comprise approx. 60 words.

Phase VI: Editing

Supervisors should expect to meet with the students twice for preliminary editing, and once more for the final touches.

Final Submission Format:

Final Papers should include:

  • Cover page (In Hebrew and in English) - including the title of the book, the author, student's name and date of submission (without page number.)
  • Next page should include ID #, telephone # and email address, name of supervisor.
  • Acknowledgements (optional)
  • Table of Contents
  • Page numbers begin HERE: Introduction (rationale: why the student has chosen to do a final paper in translation and what the student sought to gain; short biography of the ST's author could be provided to bridge text and context; short presentation of the book/text, providing an insight of the language register.
  • Translation of source text
  • At leasttwo theoretical essaysof at least 300words each, discussing the related translational dilemmas. Examples of each dilemma should follow its preceding essay.
  • Work diary (see below).
  • The conclusions should include: Reflection and insights in translation - what the student has discovered during this process regarding the SL and the TL (target language), discoveries regarding the translation process and additional personal notes and of his/her experience. Some students find it easier to combine the introduction and conclusions into one section. Therefore, CONCLUSIONS CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE INTRODUCTION instead of at the end of the paper.
  • Bibliography – at least six sources, either online or hard copy, according to one of the accepted academic standards.
  • Appendix: Photocopied source text (30-35 pages)
  • Appendix II: Any other material relevant to the paper, e.g. correspondence with author.

Phase VII: Interview with Examiner

  1. Interview can be conducted at the most convenient location for the student and supervisor OTHER than either one's private home.
  2. Assessor should ask about the translation process, e.g. TAPS, supervision process, positive and negative reflections, possible clarifications, and what the student has gained from the paper.[TAPs = Think-Aloud Protocols]
  3. Assessor should in no way "test" the student on any part of the paper.
  4. The assessor must not provide any information regarding student's grade.
  5. Interview should last for no more than one half hour, officially.
  6. The assessor should then return the paper to the student and have him or her sign the form that he has been provided with the Avodat Gemer package.

Recommendations:

Suspected plagiarism MUST be reported.

Assessor should contact student upon receiving his/her paper and schedule a meeting henceforth.

Meeting should be conducted in a convenient location for both assessor and student.

Rubric for assessing the translation paper

Translation of 8000-10000 words

Accuracy (Binary errors)10%
This includes actual WRONG transference of the ST to the TT, e.g. misunderstanding of the ST, voids, proper nouns, etc. / Appropriacy (Non-binary errors)20%
Errors in collocations, register, inappropriate idiomatic structure, cultural discrepancies, poor choice of metaphor, inconsistencies, grammar, etc.
Only a few discernable errors in translation
10% / Only a few non-binary errors
20%
More than a few binary errors
7% / More than a few non-binary errors
15%
The number of binary errors interferes with the understanding of the TT.
4% / The number of non-binary errors interferes with a smooth, relatively seamless translation.
10%

Introduction, Theoretical essay + examples, Bibliography, and Aesthetics

Section / Full credit / Partial credit
Introduction 10% / Includes rationale, process description, and conclusions, / 8% / Is lacking in depth and insight. 6% / 4%
Theoretical Essays+ examples 30% / Essays have been based on at least 6 sources.
Each essay contains at least 300 words
At least two problems have been addressed.
Essays are clear, well-written and in-depth.
It is clear the student has a fullunderstanding of the topic.
Student presents at least 30 examples in the combined essays. / 25% / Lacking one or two sources and/or not reliable.
Essays are shorter than 300 words
Only one problem has been addressed.
Essays are unclear, writing is poor.
It is difficult to discern that the student understands what is written.
There are fewer than 30 examples.
20% / 15%
Bibliography 5% / Bibliography is in alphabetical order, complies with both online-source rules and hard-copy rules / 3% / Bibliography does not comply with standard rules.
1% / 0
Aesthetics 5% / Paper is neatly typed and includes a cover page, table of contents, pagination is correct. / 3% / Paper is sloppy; table of contents is lacking components, and does not concur with actual page numbers.
1% / 0

Personal interview

Interview / 20% / 15% / 10%
Comprehension / Student clearly understands the subject matter and is able to discuss the topic freely. / Student has difficulty relating to a particular topic. / Student has difficulty relating to more than one topic.
Verbal expression / Student uses appropriate language, register and jargon. / Student useslittle work-related jargon. / Student uses no related jargon.

Work Diary

Date / Worked with… / Description of process / Insights

Guidelines prepared by Ruth Almog and Gabi Rebed

April 2016

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