Short description: This course focuses on the Greek to German translation of hotel and market commercials which pertain to the textual category of general texts and can be rather lucrative for the professional translator, for they are, amongst others, a frequent translation task. The students learn to deal with the linguistic, cultural and textual issues and problems that emerge from the translation of this particular text type and with this particular translational directionality (Greek to German) and they get familiar with the translational strategies being useful to the translation of commercials, e.g. adaptation and transcreation. The translational approach used in this course is a functional one.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: 

• understand the textual, linguistic and cultural particularities of hotel and market commercials, which include many cultural elements, have clear vocative function and pertain to the textual category of general texts
• identify and deal with the linguistic, cultural and textual problems that arise when translating this particular text type
• have a sufficient command of the basic principles of the functional translation theory
• understand and apply the translational approach to text analysis
• effectively deal with challenges related to the translation of place names, first names, dialects, idioms. In particular, they will be able to choose the most appropriate techniques and justify their translation choices
• have a sufficient command of the translational strategies being useful to the translation of commercials, e.g. adaptation and transcreation
• understand the semantic techniques used in commercials
• understand the cultural differences between German and Greek
• create bilingual term bases on issues that are central to hotel and market commercials.

Week 1: The main textual, linguistic and cultural particularities of this text type are introduced and the central principles for their translation as well as the translational strategies adaptation and transcreation are presented. 

The first source text to be translated by the students is analyzed in class (hotel commercial 1).

Week 2: The translation (of the hotel commercial 1) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number two (hotel commercial 2) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 3: The translation (of the hotel commercial 2) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number three (hotel commercial 3) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 4: The translation (of the hotel commercial 3) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number four (hotel commercial 4) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 5: The translation (of the hotel commercial 4) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number five (hotel commercial 5) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 6: The translation (of the hotel commercial 5) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number six (hotel commercial 6) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 7: The translation (of the hotel commercial 6) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number seven (hotel commercial 7) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 8: The translation (of the hotel commercial 7) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number eight (market commercial 1) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 9: 

The translation (of the market commercial 1) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number nine (market commercial 2) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 10: The translation (of the market commercial 2) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected. Source text number ten (market commercial 3) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 11: The translation (of the market commercial 3) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected. Source text number eleven (market commercial 4) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 12: The translation (of the market commercial 4) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected.

Source text number twelve (market commercial 5) is distributed to the student to be prepared for the next session.

Week 13: The translation (of the market commercial 5) is presented by 1-2 students in class with the help of electronic means (computer, projector). Their translation is then discussed, analyzed and compared, contrasted with the translation of the other course participants and, as far as needed, corrected. Conclusions are drawn with regard to the translation of the general text type of hotel and market commercials and to the translational directionality Greek to German. Furthermore, conclusions are also drawn by the students on the helpfulness of the theoretical tools of functional translation theory with regard to the translation of this particular text type.

Suggested reading:

Bastin, G. L. (2014), “Adaptation, the Paramount Communication Strategy”. Linguaculture1,σελ. 73-87.

Nord, C. (2014), Η μετάφραση ως στοχευμένη δραστηριότητα – Εισαγωγή στις λειτουργικές προσεγγίσεις. [Μετ. Σίμος Π. Γραμμενίδης, Δέσποινα Δ. Λάμπρου]. Αθήνα: Δίαυλος.       

Rike, S. M. (2013), “Bilingual corporate websites – from translation to transcreation?” The Journal of Specialised Translation, 20, σελ. 68-85.

Seel, O. I. (2015), Εισαγωγή στη γενική μετάφραση. Μια λειτουργική προσέγγιση με βάση το ζεύγος γλωσσών ελληνικά/γερμανικά και τα κειμενικά είδη συνταγών μαγειρικής, διαφημιστικών κειμένων και τουριστικών οδηγών. (Ηλεκτρονικό βιβλίο στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος «Κάλλιπος», Προσβάσιμο στο:  (https://repository.kallipos.gr/handle/11419/2568) ή απευθείας στο (https://repository.kallipos.gr/pdfviewer/web/viewer.html?file=/bitstream/11419/2568/7/00_master_document_interractive.pdf). 

Vermeer, H. J. (³1992),Skopos und Translationsauftrag - Aufsätze. Frankfurt am Main: IKO-Verlag für interkulturelle Kommunikation (thw; 2).

Face-to-face delivery/Electronic source texts and bibliography is offered by the instructor of this course through e-class. All work at home and in class is based on this material. The students are asked to produce the translations of the given source text(s) and to present their work in class by using the computer and projector. 

Use of ICT in teaching.

Final written exams.