UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT FOR TIE3010: DISCOURSE AND TRANSLATION

SEM 2: 2019-20

May 29th, 2020 Time: 1 hour

Student Full Name:

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:
1.This question paper contains SIX (6) questions:
Question 1: 4.5 marks
Question 2: 1 mark
Question 3 (a &b) : 2 marks
Question 4: 2.5 marks
Question 5(a &b) : 4 marks
Question 6(a &b) : 6 marks

2. Answer all the questions

3. Type all the answers in this word file in the space provided below each question . Then,
upload the file onto SPeCTRUM webpage via the ‘Submit Your Quiz”.
OR
Write your answers on a paper stating the questions you are answering. Then, scan your
answers and upload them onto SPeCTRUM webpage via the ‘Submit Your Quiz”.

4. Email the file to your course instructor via jalalian@um.edu.my

Question 1. List the 3 text types introduced by Reiss and provide an example for each text
type. (4.5 marks)

Question 1 Answer:

a) Informative – Articles
b) Expressive – poems
c) Operative – Advertisements

Question 2: what is the suitable translation method of an operative/appellative text with the
same skopos as the source text? Choose the correct answer. (1 mark)
A. →“identifying method”, trying to transmit the aesthetic and artistic form of the ST
 B. →“adaptive method”, the TT should produce the desired response in the TT receiver
C. →“plain prose”, without redundancy and with the use of explicitation

Question 2 Answer: State the letter that represents the correct answer
B

Question 3. Fill in the gap with a word to complete the following statements made by Nord
with regard to her distinction between two basic types of translation products. (2 mark)
3.a. …………………………… serves an independent message transmitting instrument in a
new communicative action in the target culture”. The recipient is not aware of reading a
translation e.g. a computer manual
3.b. …………………………...serves as a document of a source culture communication
between the author and the source text recipient. Such is the case, for example, where the
target text allows the receiver access to the idea of the source text, but the reader is well
aware that it is a translation because the local color of the source text is preserved in the
target text.

Question 3Answers
3.a. Translation

3.b. Source text

Question 4.The steps below are the major phases in applying Juliane House’s Translation
Quality Assessment which are presented in a scrambled order. Put the sentences in the right
order. (2.5 marks)

1.The TT profile is compared with the ST profile and a statement of “ mismatches ” is

produced
2.Together, they allow a statement of function to be made for the ST
3.A profile is produced of the ST Register
4.A statement of quality is made of the translation highlighting the errors if any
5.The same descriptive process is carried out for the TT
6.Finally, the translation can be categorized into one of two types: OVERT or COVERT
7.To this is added a description of the ST genre realized by the Register

Q4 answer: Sate only the numbers in the right order

3
7
2
5
1
4
6

Question 5. Compare the two sentences (ST & TT) below in view of marked thematic
structures and answer the following questions. ( Total 4 marks)
ST: Her eyes were beautiful
 BT: Beautiful were her eyes
5.a. Name and explain the marked theme in the target text as opposed to the source text ? (2
marks)
5.b. How does the marked theme affect the target text ? (2 marks )
Question 5Answer:

5.a. Fronted theme because the item was moved into initial position which is very unusual

5.b. Marked themes foregrounds the particular element [beautiful eyes] and emphasize it

Question 6. The text below is part of what Obama said in his victory speech in 2008. Obama
is assumed to be seeking legitimization by referring to Martin Luther King’s vision, an
American leader who died in 1968 (‘The dream of our founders’) when he states “If there is
anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who
still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power
of our democracy, tonight is your answer” (Obama: Victory Speech 2008). By way of
assimilation, Obama is legitimizing himself to the people for whom Martin Luther King is a
hero in America. Martin Luther King’s visons (dream) was human innate equality.
The source texts below are parts of Obama’s speech in English and their back translation of it
into Persian. Compare the two texts below and answer the following questions:

a) Explain Grice’s maxim of quantity as taken into account by Barak Obama in using
the bolded expressions. (2 marks)

b Explain Grice’s maxim of relation as well as the strategy of explicitation as applied by

the translator in translating the source text with reference to the bolded expressions in the
target text. (4 marks)

Source text: If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible;
who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our
democracy, tonight is your answer.
Back translation of the target text (Persian): [Today’s victory is the realization of that ‘day’ when this
nation [America] will rise up and live according to its aspirations and will see human innate equality and
this is the realization of Martin Luther King’s “dream” – one of the activists against racism in America. ]
If there is anyone here who still doubts the point that America is a place where everything is possible, if there is
anyone who still doubts that the dream of our founders is still alive in our time, if there is anyone who still
questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
Q6 Answer:

Barack Obomas ued maxim of quality where one he tries to be as informative as one
possibly can, and gives as much information as is needed, and no more
1. 6.b. The maxim of relation, is where one tries to be relevant, and says things that
are pertinent to the discussion thus the translator. It can be said that the strategies
employed by the translators will affect elicitation of the translated text. But in the
target text it did not affect the cohesion or coherence