Sumários

Practical 14

23 Maio 2025, 11:00 Rui Vitorino Azevedo

We began by finishing the correction of the second recipe from Practical 13, which had been assigned as homework. We then moved on to Practical 14, which involves localizing a cover letter written by a recent graduate applying for a job.

Students were asked to adapt the provided source text into Portuguese, not only linguistically but also culturally and contextually. The aim is to ensure the final version aligns with Portuguese cultural and professional norms, resulting in a document that feels natural and appropriate for its intended audience, which in this case is a Human Resources Hiring Manager in Portugal.


Practical 13

20 Maio 2025, 15:30 Rui Vitorino Azevedo

I introduced Practical 13, which consists of translating an instruction manual for a stick blender set. Students were asked to translate the entire manual into Portuguese, using accurate technical terminology and maintaining an instructional tone that is clear and focused on safety. They were also instructed to adapt the wording appropriately for a Portuguese-speaking consumer market.

In terms of translation strategies, I asked students to identify and explain at least one example of each of Chesterman’s strategy types: Syntactic, Semantic, and Pragmatic. For each example, they must state why the strategy was necessary, describe the challenge it addressed, and explain how it improved the final version.

As students began working on the translation in class, we reviewed the first page together. The second page was assigned for homework.


Practical 13

20 Maio 2025, 11:00 Rui Vitorino Azevedo

I introduced Practical 13, which involves translating two English-language recipes for inclusion in a cookbook to be published in Portugal, aimed at home cooks. I emphasized that the translations should prioritize clarity, idiomatic language, and usability, with appropriate adaptations to Portuguese culinary conventions, ingredients, and measurement units.

In addition to selecting an overall translation strategy, students were asked to identify and explain at least three significant translation decisions, drawing on Chesterman’s categories. These may include lexical choices, structural adjustments, cultural adaptations, or the clarification or omission of certain elements.

We reviewed the first recipe translation together in class, and the second was assigned as homework.

 


Practical 12 reviewed

16 Maio 2025, 15:30 Rui Vitorino Azevedo

This class focused on analyzing a popular science excerpt about the evolutionary and behavioral origins of disgust, particularly through the lens of Parasite Avoidance Theory (PAT). The source text aims to inform and educate a general audience about how disgust may have evolved as a protective mechanism against disease, drawing on both biological and cultural perspectives.

Its style blends scientific explanation with a conversational, often playful tone. Technical terms (e.g. trypanosomiasis, encephalitis) appear alongside informal expressions (“the nasty, the foul, and the stinky”), making complex content accessible. This stylistic hybridity is typical of popular science writing, which seeks to bridge academic content and public understanding.

The session highlighted the importance of grasping both the function and stylistic features of the source text, as well as the need for careful cultural and linguistic mediation during translation. These aspects were actively considered as we reviewed students’ translations and discussed strategies for producing an appropriate target text.


Practical 12 reviewed

16 Maio 2025, 11:00 Rui Vitorino Azevedo

This class focused on analyzing a popular science excerpt about the evolutionary and behavioral origins of disgust, particularly through the lens of Parasite Avoidance Theory (PAT). The source text aims to inform and educate a general audience about how disgust may have evolved as a protective mechanism against disease, drawing on both biological and cultural perspectives.

Its style blends scientific explanation with a conversational, often playful tone. Technical terms (e.g. trypanosomiasis, encephalitis) appear alongside informal expressions (“the nasty, the foul, and the stinky”), making complex content accessible. This stylistic hybridity is typical of popular science writing, which seeks to bridge academic content and public understanding.

The session highlighted the importance of grasping both the function and stylistic features of the source text, as well as the need for careful cultural and linguistic mediation during translation. These aspects were actively considered as we reviewed students’ translations and discussed strategies for producing an appropriate target text.