Translating Czech Castles
What: Putting language skills into practice by translating expository material for a Czech national monument
Where: Sheffield, UK and Hrubý Rohozec, Czech Republic
Who: Intermediate and advanced students of Czech
When: Starting in Autumn 2012, with a trip to the Czech Republic in Spring 2013.
How: Students learn about the mechanics of technical translation here in Sheffield, and then travel to the Czech Republic to translate realia found on site, such as signage, brochures, scripts for tour guides, etc. and will work on the largely untranslated websites.
With whom: Students work and negotiate with the 'end users': the heritage site’s administrative staff, tour guides, technical staff, and visitors, to find out where translated materials are needed most and what the end users' capabilities are. They also undertake a geographical audit of language spaces and signage on the castle grounds, yielding critical information on multilingual spaces in the Czech Republic.
Why: To develop the transferable skills students already acquire in their courses, and give them insight as to how they can develop from language speakers to translators.
What next: Following the site visit, students will document their activity through photos and short videos on a specially designed website, creating a portfolio for prospective employers.
Who pays: A HEIF (Higher Education Innovation Funding) grant from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities cover much of the travel expenses for the students, as well as for creating preparatory workshops that give students the tools to do their audits and translations.
Project investigators:
Neil Bermel
Luděk Knittl
