1. Scientific and Technical
Translation in English: Week 1
Dr. Ron Martinez

3. Objectives for today’s class
• Get to know you
• Get to know the class (structure, syllabus, etc.)
• Introduction to Scientific and Technical
Translation (STT)

6. Introduce yourself to the other group
members
1. What motivated you to take this class?
2. What do you hope to learn in this class?

7. ABOUT THIS CLASS...

8. What do the following mean?
• “resourcefulness”
• “think outside the box”
• “soft skills”

15. What skills will you acquire?
• Resourcefulness (TMs, MT, corpora, web, etc.)
• Translation workflow
• How to work in a team (your own and others)
• Trusting and mistrusting data
• Author/client communication
• Fast decision-making
• Critical and creative problem-solving

17. http://www.drronmartinez.com
/scientific-and-technical-
translation-in-english.html

19. Assessment
• Class participation (20%)
• Midterm (30%)
• Group presentation (15%)
• Final translation (35%)

20. Participation
• Presence in class
• Arriving on time
• Completion of tasks assigned in class and for
homework
• Soft skills!

24. De acordo com a resolução a Resolução 37/97 – CEPE:
“Art. 94 - Ressalvado o que dispõem os artigos 98 e 99 desta Resolução, o aluno será aprovado por
média quando alcançar, no total do período letivo, freqüência mínima de setenta e cinco por cento
(75%) da carga horária inerente à disciplina (conforme elenco de disciplinas do departamento) e
obtiver, no mínimo, grau numérico setenta (70) de média aritmética no conjunto de provas e outras
tarefas realizadas pela disciplina.”
Art. 80: Não haverá abono de faltas, qualquer que tenha sido a razão da ausência.
Art. 81: O coordenador do curso, de comum acordo com o(s) professor(es) ministrante(s) da(s)
disciplina(s) cursada(s) pelo aluno, poderão dispensar esporadicamente das aulas regulares o aluno
participante de cursos intensivos, simpósios, seminários, congressos, aulas extraordinárias, e
outras atividades similares, sempre que houver correlação com o seu curso, devendo, em caso de
deferimento, ser marcadas presenças em todas as aulas e possibilitada a segunda chamada de
avaliações formais que eventualmente ocorrerem no período.
Art 82: São consideradas atividades universitárias regulares as participações de alunos nos Jogos
Universitários Brasileiros ou de seleção nacional, de confederações ou federações estaduais, e
ainda, aquelas de cunho cultural promovidas pela UFPR, nas apresentações oficiais, período em
que serão marcadas presenças em as aulas, devendo ser possibilitada a segunda chamada de
avaliações formais que eventualmente ocorrerem.
Neste caso:
1 e 2) À exceção dos pontos apresentados nos artigos 81 e 82, não existe abono de faltas.”

25. Communication!

26. General course outline
• Week 1: Introduction to the course; Important concepts in translation
• Week 2: Research article structure, common discourse problems
• Week 3: Hands-on introduction to electronic tools; glossaries
• Week 4: Team translation of a research article
• Week 5: Review of team translations
• Week 6: Introduction to midterm
• Week 7: Midterm assessment (in-class)
• Week 8: Midterm review; New teams, new “live” assignments
• Week 9: Assignments continued
• Week 10: Assignments continued
• Week 11: Completion of final translations
• Week 12: Group presentations
• Week 13: Group presentations
• Week 14: Group presentations
• Week 15: Certificates and meet-the-author

28. What’s in it for you?
• During course:
– Practical development of current real-world translation
skills.
– Application of skills on “live” translation tasks.
– Chance to really help others in UFPR academic community.
– Development of professional portfolio.
– CAT certification.
• After course:
– Opportunity to continue on CAT platform as paid freelancer.
– Possibility to work with CAPA as an intern translator.
– Possibility to gain professional experience with CAPA as a
volunteer.

35. Teaching Assistants
Contact:
STT2019.1@GMAIL.COM

36. NOW TO TRANSLATION...

37. What is the translation of
the word meal in
Portuguese?

39. Source: Lionbridge (LSP)

45. Example: films
1. Which films have been nominated for an Oscar
this year?
2. How have those films been translated into
Portuguese? What do you think of those
translations?
3. Can you think of any other movie titles you think
are poor translations? Any good ones?
4. What about popular Brazilian films? How have
they been translated into English? Do you agree
with the translation? Why (not)?

48. You try: How would you translate the headline below?

49. CHALLENGES IN STT...

55. In STT, “good enough” isn’t
Translation
(“good
enough”)
Edit
“Publishable
quality”

57. Rudolf Jumpelt (1961)
In STT there is an “absolute priority of
information content over form, and of the
accuracy of its transmission.” (p. vii)

58. Roman Jakobson (1959) (also online)
• There is ordinarily no full equivalence
between code-units.
• Translation involves two equivalent messages
in two different codes.
• Translation activities must be kept under
constant scrutiny.

61. Homework
• Read “Lost without translation: scientific research”
– on the class website. Please also read the
“Reader’s comments.” Be prepared to discuss next
class.
• Translate “Cocamar” text; bring translation to next
class (hard copy preferred).
• Read (on class website) "Research article
introductions: A comparison between
Brazilian Portuguese and English​" (Hirano,
2009)