Sumários

Review Practical 8 and Start Practical 9

11 Abril 2025, 15:30 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

We began by reviewing the students’ translations for Practical 8, with particular attention to their commentaries and the translation strategies they employed. We discussed which general approach—domestication or foreignization—they chose, along with the reasoning behind their decisions.

I then introduced Practical 9, which involves translating two English-language recipes for publication in a cookbook to be released in Portugal, aimed at home cooks. I explained that their translations should prioritize clarity, idiomatic language, and usability, making appropriate adaptations to Portuguese culinary conventions, ingredients, and measurement units.

In addition to choosing a general strategy, I asked students to identify and explain at least three important translation decisions they made. These could include lexical choices, structural adjustments, cultural adaptations, or the clarification or omission of certain elements.

Students began working on the task in pairs during class and were asked to complete the assignment for homework.

Review Practical 8 and Start Practical 9

11 Abril 2025, 11:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

We began by reviewing the students’ translations for Practical 8, with a particular focus on their commentaries and the translation strategies they employed. We discussed which general approach—domestication or foreignization—they chose and the rationale behind their decisions.

I then introduced Practical 9, which involves translating a menu from Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant, Ramsay’s Kitchen. Students were asked to imagine the restaurant is opening a location in Lisbon, and their task is to translate the menu into Portuguese. While the offer must remain the same, the translation should be culturally and linguistically appropriate for a Portuguese-speaking audience.

Students began working on the Lunch Menu in class and were asked to complete it for homework.

Practical 8: Restaurant Reviews

8 Abril 2025, 15:30 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

I began the class by introducing two key translation concepts popularized by Lawrence Venuti: domestication and foreignization. We then examined how these concepts were originally formulated by Friedrich Schleiermacher in his influential 1813 lecture "On the Different Methods of Translating."

Next, we turned to Practical 8, in which students are asked to translate a set of promotional restaurant reviews for three upscale New York City restaurants. The source text is aimed at a culturally informed audience, even though they may not be familiar with all the culinary references. I also asked students to maintain an evocative, elegant, and slightly playful tone.

Alongside the translation, students must submit a brief commentary reflecting on their translation strategies. This should address challenges related to culturally specific references, metaphorical or playful language, decisions involving domestication versus foreignization (as discussed in class), any potential losses and compensation strategies, and how the translation might be received by a Portuguese-speaking audience unfamiliar with New York’s dining culture.

We were able to translate one of the reviews together in class, and the remaining two were assigned as homework.

Practical 8: Restaurant Reviews

8 Abril 2025, 11:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

I began the class by introducing two key translation concepts popularized by Lawrence Venuti: domestication and foreignization. We then examined how these concepts were originally formulated by Friedrich Schleiermacher in his influential 1813 lecture "On the Different Methods of Translating."

Next, we turned to Practical 8, in which students are asked to translate a set of promotional restaurant reviews for three upscale New York City restaurants. The source text is aimed at a culturally informed audience, even though they may not be familiar with all the culinary references. I also asked students to maintain an evocative, elegant, and slightly playful tone.

Alongside the translation, students must submit a brief commentary reflecting on their translation strategies. This should address challenges related to culturally specific references, metaphorical or playful language, decisions involving domestication versus foreignization (as discussed in class), any potential losses and compensation strategies, and how the translation might be received by a Portuguese-speaking audience unfamiliar with New York’s dining culture.

We were able to translate one of the reviews together in class, and the remaining two were assigned as homework.

Test 1 — Continuous Assessment: Translation, Text Analysis, and Strategy Justification

4 Abril 2025, 15:30 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

Students completed the first test for continuous assessment. This involved translating an excerpt from a short story, conducting a brief text analysis, and writing a commentary on both general and specific translation strategies—justifying their choices in response to the challenges presented by the text.