Convenor: Dr David Orrego-CarmonaLink opens in a new window

In this 15 CATS module, you will build on your pre-existing skills in Modern Languages to enhance your professional development as well as your written communication skills in one of the following target languages: French, German, Italian or Spanish. Structured around 6 x 1-hour seminars for the whole cohort, and 6 x one-to-one or small-group tutorials with a specialist language tutor, you will be encouraged to reflect on cultural and stylistic differences in different professional 'genres'. You will study concrete examples and theoretical guidelines for the production of professional texts, such as a book review, academic or professional CV, abstract for a conference paper in the chosen target language. The module will be examined by means of a portfolio of pre-set tasks.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

In this module, you will build on your pre-existing skills in Modern Languages to enhance your professional development as well as your written communication skills in one of the following target languages: French, German, Italian or Spanish. Through a combination of seminars for the whole cohort, and language-specific tutorials, you will be encouraged to reflect on cultural and stylistic differences in different professional 'genres'. You will study concrete examples and theoretical guidelines for the production of professional texts, such as a book review, academic or professional CV, abstract for a conference paper in the chosen target language. An indicative list of topics includes:

Week 1. Reviewing strengths/weaknesses in your target language and how to work on them
Week 2. Developments on IT, machine translation (MT) and AI
Week 3. Stylistic conventions of academic writing in English and in the target language
Week 4. Abstract writing
Week 5. Book reviews
Week 6. Conference papers: structure and responding to questions

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• reflect on the different cultural and stylistic conventions of academic and related professional forms of writing in the chosen target language
• produce an effective sample of academic or related professional writing, in an appropriate style and showing an advanced level of linguistic accuracy

Indicative reading list

MacGlashan, Maureen. "Lies and venom: some thoughts on reviews and reviewers." The Indexer: The International Journal of Indexing (2008).
Bennett, Karen. "English as a lingua franca in academia: Combating epistemicide through translator training."
The interpreter and translator trainer 7 (2), (2013): 169-193.
Bennet, Karen. The semiperiphery of academic writing: Discourses, communities and practices. Springer, 2014.
Bennett, Karen. "Between paradigms: a critical approach to the study of academic translation." In: Rafael Y. Schögler (Ed.), Circulation of academic thought: Rethinking methods in the study of scientific translation (2019): 31-54. Bern: Peter Lang.

Badia, Montserrat Castelló, Anna Teberosky Coronado, Mercedes Zanotto, Anna Iñesta Codina, Mariana Miras Mestres, and Isabel Solé Gallart. Escribir y comunicarse en contextos científicos y académicos: Conocimientos y estrategias. Vol. 15. Graó, 2007.

Filippi, Davide. "Il curriculum accademico e la professione del ricercatore: pratiche di adattamento strategico all'interno del CV." Il curriculum accademico e la professione del ricercatore: pratiche di adattamento strategico all'interno del CV. (2021): 157-177.

Cherchi, Paolo. "Dobbiamo continuare a scrivere recensioni?." Italica 83, no. 2 (2006): 262-274.

Research element

You will be asked to research and analyse models and examples of academic and/or professional communication in the target languages. Using skills for bibliographical research developed in LN906, you will be expected to identify also any relevant secondary literature (studies) on academic and related professional writing to underpin any assignments of a reflective/analytical nature.

Assessment

You will submit a portfolio consisting of:

• a book review of a monograph, a multi-authored collection of papers (edited volume) or a substantial critical edition, destined for publication in a relevant academic journal (800 words, in the target language);
• an academic or professional CV of 2 pages (c. 700 words, drawn up in the target language);
• an abstract for an imagined conference paper (300 words, in the target language);
• a reflective piece on the stylistic conventions of academic writing (an article, thesis, or monograph) in either the target language or English. If written in English, this piece should be comparative in nature and drawing on concrete illustrations in the target language (1200 words)