This paper is available for the academic year 2023-24.
PGB3: Translation into Portuguese and Portuguese through the Media
Paper B3 is made up of two distinct components: Translation into Portuguese and Portuguese through the Media (MD). Together, the B3 Translation and MD elements will help you develop your linguistic skills and cultural competence in a range of areas.
The B3 paper is only available to Part IB (i.e., second-year students) who had an A-level or equivalent in the language when they arrived. In addition, if your other language is ab initio, you can choose not to do this paper in Portuguese and instead do an extra literature/linguistics paper from the schedule of IB papers. If, however, both your languages are post A-level, then this paper (both components) is compulsory.
If you attend all classes and carry out all the set work for the B3 Translation paper, by the end of the year you should be able to:
- Understand authentic texts taken from a variety of sources (literary, essay, press)
- Identify translation problems in passages of non-specialised nature
- Draw on a range of strategies to tackle translation problems
- Use a wide range of vocabulary appropriately
- Compensate effectively and resourcefully for vocabulary gaps
- Have a very strong command of Portuguese grammar
- Develop your awareness of register and tone in Portuguese
- Approach translation into Portuguese with increased confidence
If you follow the course (attending classes, supervisions, and lectures, as appropriate) and carry out all the set work for the MD paper, you will meet the following aims and objectives:
- Broaden your understanding of the culture of the Portuguese-speaking world
- Consolidate and further develop your command of Portuguese, with a particular focus on oral skills and aural comprehension
- Engage critically with content discussed in videos and texts
- Enhance your ability to write expository-argumentative texts in Portuguese
- Develop your ability to discuss orally topics of cultural import concisely and effectively
- Improve your research skills using authentic written and audiovisual sources in Portuguese
- Develop your presentation skills
You will find a dedicated Moodle site for each component of this paper (one for B3 Translation into Portuguese and one for MD) with all the material for classroom use and for independent study, as well as numerous resources. You will be given access to the Moodle sites at the beginning of the academic year. The Language Centre Online also provides useful resources for self-study.
There is no set grammar book for this course, but if you would like to continue to do dedicated grammar practice, here are two good books you can use (please note that these books won’t be used in class):
- Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide, John Whitlam, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017
- Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: Workbook, John Whitlam, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017
Literature/Culture/Language and other Portuguese resources.
In the B3 Translation component, you will practise translation into Portuguese in 8 fortnightly supervisions (in lieu of Faculty classes: 4 in Michaelmas and 4 in Lent), and 4 supervisions throughout the year. PGB3 classes and supervisions build on your grammatical and lexical knowledge of the language through systematic practice and feedback, helping you develop the skills and the confidence to translate complex English structures and registers into Portuguese.
The Portuguese Through the Media (MD) component is taught via fortnightly supervisions during Michaelmas and Lent (4 each, in lieu of Faculty classes), and 4 supervisions throughout the year. You will also be advised to attend lectures in the language or view equivalent recorded content. The MD paper offers you the opportunity to engage with authentic material/sources in Portuguese and to explore a number of cultural topics relevant to the Portuguese-speaking world while building up your vocabulary and your command of both spoken and written Portuguese.
The Translation component of the B3 paper is assessed in a two-hour examination. The exam consists of two passages in English (200 words each) which you are asked to translate into Portuguese. No dictionaries or other reference materials are allowed.
The Portuguese Through the Media component will be assessed via a 5-7 minute video recording to be submitted in week 4 of the Easter term. The topic of your video must be related to one of the four course topics. You will also need to submit a 150-word summary of your video. Content and language will be equally weighted.
Mr Felipe Schuery |
