BA Translation At University Of Ghana
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The admission requirements are as follows:
Students should have obtained a minimum of B+ in the following language courses:
i. Students whose Language B is Arabic:
ARAB 231 Intermediate Arabic I and ARAB 232 Intermediate Arabic II.
ii. Students whose Language B is Chinese:
CHIN 231 Intermediate Chinese I and CHIN 232 Intermediate Chinese II.
iii. Students whose Language B is French:
FREN 231 Reading Skills and FREN 232 Oral Expression.
iv. Students whose Language B is Russian:
RUSS 231 Intermediate Russian Studies I and RUSS 232 Intermediate Russian
Studies II.
v. Students whose Language B is Spanish:
SPAN 231 Intermediate Spanish I: Grammar and Oral & SPAN 232 Intermediate
Spanish II: Grammar and Oral.
vi. Students whose Language B is Swahili:
SWAH 231 Intermediate Swahili Language Skills I & SWAH 232 Intermediate
Swahili Language Skills II.
N.B: In all cases, candidates on the Translation programme will also be required to pass a Written
Grammar and Essay Writing test in English to be conducted by the Department of Modern
Languages in conjunction with the English Department or the Language Centre.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students are required to obtain a minimum of 130 credits and a maximum of 138 credits by the
end of the fourth year in order to graduate. A year-long study abroad programme carries 10
credits. Each Language Immersion programme carries 5 credits. Students who do not undertake
either the year-long study abroad programme or the immersion programme are encouraged to take
extra elective courses, provided the total number of credits does not exceed 130.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
TRAN 361 Introduction to the Theory of Translation
This course is intended to equip students with the necessary competencies to analyze extralinguistic
issues such as the cultural setting of a source text, the author’s intention and
intentionality, the purpose of the translation, the target audience, etc, as well as to apply translation
strategies such as borrowing, calque, transposition, modulation, recasting, recategorisation,
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equivalence, adaptation, rationalisation, expansion, reduction, explicitation, implicitation,
ennoblement, qualitative impoverishment, quantitative impoverishment, compensation,
domestication, foreignisation and exoticisation in their translations.
TRAN 362 Advanced Writing Skills for Translators
This course is designed to improve translator’s writing skills at an advanced level, including
advanced work on grammar, stylistics and written text creation. Emphasis is on the planning,
development and revision of multi-paragraph compositions. Students will focus on particular
problems with their writing and also practice editing.
TRAN 363 Readings in Specialized Texts
This course aims at introducing students to specialized texts in different fields with varying
degrees of difficulty. It focuses on terminologies in areas such as business, law, medicine, ICT and
sports.
TRAN 364 Advanced Readings in Specialized Texts
This course is a continuation of TRAN 363. At this level, the course will focus on consolidating
and enhancing the terminology and register acquisition strategies. Students will be guided to
research and use parallel and authentic texts in various domains, such as Medicine, Law,
Technology, ICT, Journalism, Entertainment and Sports.
TRAN 365 Translation Practice I (Language B)
This course is a series of translation practice sessions involving the translation of both literary and
non literary texts. The theories studied under TRAN 331 will be applied here.
TRAN 366 Translation Practice II (Language B)
This course is a continuation of TRAN 365. It involves the translation of semi-specialized text
extracted from various sources ranging from newspaper articles to legal documents.
TRAN 367 Contrastive Language Studies
In this course, students will develop analytical skills and explore the linguistic features of English
as compared to Language B. They will draw on their knowledge of English to analyze the lexis,
morphology, syntax and discourse features of Language B. They will also study typical translation
errors in grammar and expression.
TRAN 370 Language Immersion
This course will be taken by students in a university in a Language B country during the long
vacation between Levels 200 and 300. As students are immersed in a Language B milieu and have
the opportunity to use the Language B outside the lecture room in addition to the language,
literature and civilization courses they take, their spoken and written Language B will improve.
Marks scored by students in the foreign University will be recorded under this course. In lieu of a
stay in Language B university, students may take a language immersion course organized by the
Section offering their Language B.
TRAN 371 Introduction to Syntax
This course is intended to enhance students’ understanding of the basic principles of the syntax of
English and Language B with a view to deepening students’ capacity to deal with translation
difficulties emanating from the peculiarities of the two languages in contact with particular focus
on how words (i.e. nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) combine in the phrase, the clause and the
sentence. Texts for analysis will be drawn from English and language B.
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TRAN 373 Comprehension and Summary I
This course seeks to enable the student to understand and use vocabulary and expressions related
to personal, family and professional information. Students will also be taught techniques in
summary and will be required to summarize selected texts.
ENGL 373 English Usage
This course aims at increasing students’ competence in English. It focuses on aspects of English
that appear problematic in Ghanaian usage. The course will dwell on issues such as :SVagreement,
simple past and perfect, stative/dynamic verbs, sequence of tenses, sequence of
pronouns/ pronominal antecedent, phrasal verbs, modal usage, time indicators, comparison and
comparative structures, determiner usage, ‘difficult words’, dangling participles, transitional
expressions, punctuation, writing conventions and idioms.
TRAN 374 Comprehension and Summary II
This course is a continuation of TRAN 373. More complex texts will be selected for
comprehension and summary.
TRAN 375 Written Composition and Oral Communication Skills I
The course is designed to enable the student to refine conversational skills for the purpose of
participating in academic discussions. It will focus on acquiring strategies for effective written
expression and oral communication.
TRAN 376 Written Composition and Oral Communication Skills II
The course seeks to enhance students’ conversational and written skills with emphasis on learning
strategies for effective communication. Students will participate in group discussions and make
written and oral presentations. They will further be engaged in exercises and practices to improve
on their listening skills.
TRAN 470 Attachment and Project Work
In this course each student will select, in consultation with his or her supervisor, a Language B
text of about 4000 words and translate it into Language A. This translated document will be
submitted for marking by the end of the academic year in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the award of a B. A. Translation degree.
TRAN 471 Introduction to Literary and Cultural Translation
The course explores the creativity, techniques and strategies involved in translating literary texts
and their complex and multi-layered stylistic structure. Students will analyze the art of aesthetic
translation and the ways stylistic and symbolic equivalents between the original literary work and
the translation can be achieved.
TRAN 472 Introduction to Commercial and Legal Translation
This course is an introduction to the methods, strategies, techniques, and resources used in the
translation of business/commercial and legal texts. The primary focus of this course will be on
learning how to approach various types of texts, rather than on translating specific documents.
Class meetings will be conducted in a workshop format based on weekly assignments, readings
and translation.
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TRAN 473 Introduction to Medical and Technological Translation
This course is an introduction to the methods, strategies, techniques, and resources used in the
translation of medical and technological and texts. It provides practice in translation and in the
evaluation of translations. Class meetings will be conducted in a workshop format based on
weekly assignments, readings and translation.
TRAN 474 Computers and Translation
This course explores the use of computing for translators, including interactive databases and
multilingual text generation. Translation-related search engines and Internet sites will be explored.
TRAN 475 Introduction to Liaison Interpretation
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of Liaison Interpretation. They
will be trained to speak intelligibly, to gesticulate with moderation, and to be attentive and adapt
themselves to the idiosyncrasies, attitudes, intentions and reactions of the interlocutors.
TRAN 476 Introduction to Consecutive Interpretation
This course is intended to introduce students to the fundamentals of Consecutive Interpretation.
They will be taught note-taking and discourse coordinating techniques. They will also learn to
sharpen their retention faculties through the use of memory-enhancing techniques.
TRAN 478 Discourse Analysis for Translators
The course is designed to help students critically analyze a text in order to capture all the itsy-bitsy
ingredients that contribute to its meaning. Attention will be given to both linguistic and non
linguistic issues such as syntactical structures and meaning, style and meaning, culture, language
and meaning as these apply to languages A and B. The objective is to help students move away
from literal translation to more meaning-based translation.
TRAN 480 Study Abroad / Language Immersion
This is a four-credit course intended to give students an exposure to the culture and usage of
Language B. It is tenable abroad. However, students who are unable to travel will be required to
embark on a special locally organized immersion and/or internship in order to bridge the gap
between them and their colleagues who spend the year in the Language B country.
TRAN 481 Research Methods in Translation and Interpretation
The course is designed to introduce students to techniques and methods of doing research. This
goal will be achieved by students’ independent reading, by a mix of lectures, discussions in
smaller groups and by students designing, carrying out and describing the results of a mini-project.
Students will be assessed on the basis of the quality of the final essay. The main focus of the
course is on teaching students research methods in translation and interpreting by exposing them
to “hands on” team research work. The particular orientation of the course is on active
participation of the students in the research process and the course thus prepares them to design,
implement and evaluate their own research.
TRAN 482 Advanced Translation Workshop
The course provides extensive practice in translating current affairs, economic/finance and legal
texts. Students will work on a number of projects simulating real-life tasks of advanced translators
in areas mentioned, learning to produce a high quality target text and to research for a job.
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TRAN 483 Introduction to Terminology Management
This course aims at guiding students in the creation of subject-field specific terminologies and the
terminographic recording of such information in the form of terminology databases. They will be
encouraged to research all the necessary sources, including internet resources, for that purpose.
This will help save time in the course of translation and also ensure accuracy and consistency of
terminology in the target language.
TRAN 484 Ethics & Business Practice of Translation & Interpretation
In this course the student will be taught the ethics of the translation profession. Translation-related
issues such as project management, client satisfaction and respect for delivery deadlines among
others and interpretation-related issues such as appearance, posture, comportment and microphone
manipulation will be taught in this course