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GEA2: Introduction to the German Language 2 - Translation from and into German

This paper is available for the academic year 2023-24.

GEA2 comprises two elements which are taught and assessed separately, but the marks for which are combined to create one mark at the end of the year: Translation from German to English and from English to German (worth 66.6%) and Oral exam (worth 33.3%).

The two elements are taught and examined separately: this page concerns the Translation element of GEA2. For information on the Oral please see the Oral A page.

Paper GEA2 consists of two texts for translation into and out of German of ca 250 words each in length. The texts are authentic but adapted, and are interrelated by topic and vocabulary. The translation into German counts for 60% and the translation into English for 40%.

Aims and objectives: 

The aims and objectives of this paper are to help ab initio students of German develop core skills of language learning through the practice of translating into and out of the language in Faculty classes. Through using texts which are related by topic and vocabulary for the translation exercise the focus shifts from comprehension to achieving accurate translation.

Course materials: 

Teaching for this paper starts in the second term. Materials are based on texts in the ab initio course book, ‘DaF Kompakt NEU' (Klett 2016), by Ilse Sander et al. In the third term, they consist mainly of past papers.

Teaching and learning: 

Teaching is done by two teachers in alternating weeks in four classes per week. Teaching for GEA2 starts in the second term and is incorporated into the weekly schedule. Students are guided towards training their awareness of language structures and vocabulary in one text and adapting them for use in the translation of the other, in a two-way process.

Learning resources:

Learning resources can be found on the ab initio German Moodle.

Assessment: 

Assessment is through regular homework assignments throughout the year. Two-hour examination at the end of the first year, consisting of two texts for translation into and out of German, each of about 250 words in length.

For details about the Oral A exam, please see the Oral A page. Please click here for the marking criteria for Oral A.

For all German past papers, see here. Examiners’ Reports can be found here.

Course Contacts: 
Prof Silke Mentchen
Maren de Vincent-Humphreys (on maternity leave)
Mathew Hines (maternity leave cover)