The course focuses on the translation of EU institutional texts, including economic, legal, and political documents from French to Greek. Students learn about terminology management, translation tools, and specialized translation techniques for EU texts.

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

• Understand that a source text can be translated for many different purposes
• Understand that the translation of economic, legal and political texts is a decision-making process in which, apart from the translator, various extratextual factors participate (initiator, commissioner, user and recipient of the translation, creator of the source text) that contribute to shaping the content and form of the translation
• Translate highly specialized economic, legal and political texts
• Search for and use information and documentation sources related to the thematic field of the source text
• Apply economic terminology documentation methods through the use of all kinds of terminological online resources
• Manage the lexical characteristics of economic texts (internationalisms, abbreviations, compound and derivative words, idioms)
• Manage the semantic characteristics of economic, legal and political texts (metaphors, synonymy, homonymy and polysemy)
• Translate economic, legal and political texts for different purposes and recipients

Week 1: Introduction to EU Institutional Texts.

Introduction to the three types of institutional texts (economic, legal, political) through representative examples from the EUR-Lex database. Detailed explanation of navigation on the europa.eu platform for searching and retrieving institutional texts. Thorough analysis of the basic characteristics of each type of text with emphasis on structural and stylistic particularities. Systematic introduction to EU institutional terminology through the IATE database. LABORATORY: Practical training in navigating and using the IATE and EUR-Lex databases for terminology search and parallel texts.

Week 2: EU Economic Texts - Basic Concepts.

Systematic study of the structure and content of EU economic press releases. Methodical recording and categorization of basic economic terminology from selected texts. Extensive practice in using the IATE database for economic term documentation. Analytical presentation of the typical structure of EU economic reports. LABORATORY: Guided translation of a simple economic text with emphasis on terminological consistency.

Week 3: EU Economic Texts - Special Topics.

In-depth analysis of the structure and content of European Central Bank reports with emphasis on the particularities of economic discourse. Systematic familiarization with monetary policy and financial report terminology through the study of authentic texts. Introduction to the use of translation memory tools for achieving terminological consistency in economic texts. Practical addressing of translation challenges in specialized economic texts of high complexity. LABORATORY: Complete translation of an excerpt from an ECB report using translation tools and terminology databases.

Week 4: EU Legal Texts – Introduction.

Comprehensive study of the structure and characteristics of EU regulations and directives through representative examples. Systematic familiarization with standardized EU legal terminology and established terms through the IATE database. Analytical presentation of techniques for searching and documenting legal terms with emphasis on cross-language correspondence. LABORATORY: Guided translation of selected articles from an EU regulation with emphasis on adhering to legal translation conventions.

Week 5: EU Legal Texts - Special Topics.

Comprehensive analysis of EU directives and decisions with emphasis on legal and linguistic particularities of each type. Methodical approach to managing complex legal terminology and specialized legal concepts. Practical application of search techniques and reference to EU case law. LABORATORY: Complete translation of selected parts of a directive with emphasis on accuracy and consistency of legal terminology.

Week 6: EU Political Texts – Introduction.

Analytical presentation of the structure and characteristics of European Commission announcements. Analysis of the structure of political texts with emphasis on the particular characteristics of diplomatic discourse. Systematic study of EU press releases with emphasis on their stylistic and structural characteristics. Intensive practice in identifying and rendering the official EU political terminology. LABORATORY: Guided translation of a Commission announcement with emphasis on rendering the diplomatic style.

Week 7: In-depth Study of Political Texts.

Extensive analysis of EU policy strategy announcements and their particular translation challenges. Methodical examination of the connection between announcements and press releases to ensure translation cohesion. Systematic study of diplomatic style and techniques for rendering it in the target language. Practical addressing of challenges in translating political discourse with emphasis on cultural differences. LABORATORY: Complete translation of a political decision with emphasis on maintaining the diplomatic style.

Week 8: Council Resolutions and Conclusions.

Detailed analysis of the structure and linguistic conventions of European Council resolutions. Comprehensive study of Council conclusions with emphasis on stylistic characteristics. Intensive practice in managing and rendering subtle political nuances in translation. Development of strategies or the accurate transfer of political intention to the target text. LABORATORY: Guided translation of a resolution with emphasis on faithful rendering of political messages.

Week 9: Political Reports.

Thorough analysis of the structure and objectives of EU political reports with emphasis on the translation approach. Systematic recording and categorization of specialized political terminology from selected texts. Intensive practice in addressing challenges when translating complex political reports. Development of translation techniques for complex political concepts and terms. LABORATORY: Complete translation of a political report excerpt with emphasis on accuracy and coherence.

Week 10: Translation Tools and Post-editing of Institutional Texts.

Introduction to eTranslation for the translation of EU legal, economic and political texts. Introduction to SDL Trados Studio for managing institutional translation projects. Practical application of post-editing techniques for machine-translated text in legal, economic and political texts. LABORATORY: Application of post-editing techniques to machine-translated institutional texts.

Week 11: Terminology Management for Institutional Texts.

Training in creating and managing specialized glossaries for EU institutional texts. Practice in utilizing parallel text corpora for terminology documentation. Practice in terminology management. LABORATORY: Creation of a specialized glossary of legal, economic and political terms.

Week 12: Review and Synthesis.

Overall review of the basic principles of translating EU legal, economic and political texts. Systematic recording and analysis of the most common translation challenges by text type. Practice in addressing complex translation issues through case studies. LABORATORY: Presentation and evaluation of individual assignments with emphasis on the exchange of good practices. Comparative evaluation of translations from the students' portfolio.

Week 13: Final Assessment.

Presentations of selected translation projects by students with emphasis on justifying choices. Collective discussion of best practices in translating EU institutional texts. Overall review of the course and preparation for the final assessment. LABORATORY: Final preparation and evaluation of the translation portfolio.

Required Bibliography

1. Drugan, J., Strandvik, I., & Vuorinen, E. (2018). Translation quality, quality management, and agency: Principles and practice in the European Union institutions.
2. European Union. (2021). Interinstitutional style guide. Publications Office of the European Union.
3. Publications Office of the European Union. (2021). Interinstitutional style guide. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

Recommended Bibliography

1. Kelandrias, Panagiotis (2007). The Translation of Economic Texts. Athens: Diavlos.
2. Felici, A. (2019). The challenge of multilingual plain language in translation-mediated Swiss administrative communication. Translation Spaces.
3. House, J. (2015). Translation Quality Assessment: Past and Present. London: Routledge.
4. Strandvik, I. (2018). EU Translation Quality Guidelines. Publications Office of the European Union.

Additional Resources

EU Online Resources

• EUR-Lex
• IATE
• EU Style Guide
• Interinstitutional Style Guide
• DGT Translation Memory

• Translation memories
• Quality control tools

1. Continuous Assessment (40%)

• Weekly exercises (20%)
• Participation and activity (10%)
•  Evaluation of choices (10%)

2. Final Examination (60%)

• Translation of specialized text (40%)
• Analysis and commentary (20%)