Course Description

As one of the modern mass media, magazines are periodical publications containing a variety of articles; it is a mechanism for providing the general public with current information on a broad range of topics. According to the latest Publication Annual (2011) issued by the Government Information Office, there were 7,544 officially registered magazine publishers in the year 2010 and more than five hundred commercially available magazines in Taiwan. Among the popular magazines, many have relied heavily on translation (some of them even wholly composed of translations) to give readers the updates in various fields and to bring changes to the world; in these magazines, translators play an important role in making changes happen. Although the articles in a magazine can come in various text types, be they informative, expressive and/or operative, these texts produced or selected for translation should always conform to the unique style (form) and pursue the mission (content) of the magazine, and aim at a specific readership, be it the general public or those with special interest. When translating, translators are not only guided by the source text alone, but also strive toward catering to the need of readers from the perspective of the magazine. The task of the translator, therefore, is to produce a translation as an integral part of the magazine that serves the above-mentioned function, by having a thorough understanding of the purpose of the translation activity, from the source text to the history, mission, style, and readership of the magazine.

Students learning to translate for popular magazines in this class will form groups and each group chooses a magazine from the six categories on the list provided by the instructor, for a 20-to-30-minute group presentation on the background of the magazine and the text analysis for the article to be translated. Students can also choose the magazine and the article that they feel interesting for translation. All students will need to read at least th