Sumários

Practical 10 Review: Translating a Popular Science Text

10 Dezembro 2025, 14:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

This session involved reviewing students’ translations of an excerpt from Don’t Look, Don’t Touch: The Science Behind Revulsion by Valerie Curtis. The practical emphasized applying Andrew Chesterman’s translation strategies while balancing scientific precision with accessibility for general readers.

Students had conducted pre-translation analyses, examining the text’s communicative intent, target audience, and the author’s approach to making complex scientific concepts engaging and readable. They identified key translation challenges, including specialized terminology from behavioral and psychological sciences, the need to maintain a non-academic tone while preserving technical accuracy, and culturally sensitive topics such as disgust thresholds and cannibalism. Students also noted intertextual elements like Diego Rivera’s quotation and references to Géricault’s painting, which required careful contextual interpretation.

During the class review, we examined students’ completed translations and post-translation commentaries, discussing their application of strategies and evaluating how successfully they balanced precision with readability. We analyzed various solutions to the text’s specific challenges, with students sharing their reasoning for particular choices and discussing moments of translation loss or successful compensation. The session emphasized the importance of pre-translation planning and strategic decision-making when working with specialized yet accessible texts for general audiences.

Test Review and Practical 10 Continuation

3 Dezembro 2025, 15:30 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

Students received their corrected tests and reviewed them in one-on-one discussions to address any questions or clarify misunderstandings. This individualized feedback session allowed students to understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

Students were also encouraged to continue working on Practical 10 for review in our next class. They were reminded to pay particular attention to the post-translation commentary, in which they were asked to:

  • Identify specific segments where they applied Chesterman’s strategies and explain their choices.
  • Discuss any translation losses, unavoidable shifts, or compensation strategies they employed.
  • Reflect on the overall effectiveness of their approach and whether their initial strategy planning aligned with the final translation.

Test Review and Practical 10 Continuation

3 Dezembro 2025, 14:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

Students received their corrected tests and reviewed them in one-on-one discussions to address any questions or clarify misunderstandings. This individualized feedback session allowed students to understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

Students were also encouraged to continue working on Practical 10 for review in our next class. They were reminded to pay particular attention to the post-translation commentary, in which they were asked to:

  • Identify specific segments where they applied Chesterman’s strategies and explain their choices.
  • Discuss any translation losses, unavoidable shifts, or compensation strategies they employed.
  • Reflect on the overall effectiveness of their approach and whether their initial strategy planning aligned with the final translation.

Introduction to Practical 10: Translating Popular Science

26 Novembro 2025, 15:30 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

We began by reviewing the assignment from the previous class, which involved translating a painting description into Portuguese using Chesterman’s strategies. Students shared their approaches and discussed the strategies they had employed.

Next, I introduced Practical 10, which featured an excerpt from Don’t Look, Don’t Touch: The Science Behind Revulsion by Valerie Curtis. Students were asked to analyze the text’s purpose and style as a popular science piece and to identify initial translation challenges, such as technical terminology, tone balance, and culturally sensitive content.

Students then began translating the excerpt into Portuguese, focusing on accuracy, clarity, and maintaining an accessible, engaging style appropriate for general readers interested in science.

Introduction to Practical 10: Translating Popular Science

26 Novembro 2025, 14:00 • Rui Vitorino Azevedo

We began by reviewing the assignment from the previous class, which involved translating a painting description into Portuguese using Chesterman’s strategies. Students shared their approaches and discussed the strategies they had employed.

Next, I introduced Practical 10, which featured an excerpt from Don’t Look, Don’t Touch: The Science Behind Revulsion by Valerie Curtis. Students were asked to analyze the text’s purpose and style as a popular science piece and to identify initial translation challenges, such as technical terminology, tone balance, and culturally sensitive content.

Students then began translating the excerpt into Portuguese, focusing on accuracy, clarity, and maintaining an accessible, engaging style appropriate for general readers interested in science.