Irish - Translation - Dioplóma Iarchéime san Aistriúchán

The Dioplóma Iarchéime san Aistriúchán programme is aimed at those who already have a good standard of Irish but who wish to learn translation skills or to enhance the skills they already have. It is also ideal for those who work through Irish on a daily basis – teachers and journalists, for example – who wish to improve their standard of writing in the language.

OUR TEACHING APPROACH
Gaelchultúr has developed comprehensive syllabuses and every class at every level follows these syllabuses.

The communicative approach to language teaching is used by Gaelchultúr's teachers, giving learners the opportunity to play an active part in each class.

A strong emphasis is placed on group and pair work and learners therefore have a chance to practise what they've been taught. The main focus is on speaking and listening in all classes (with the exception of Cruinneas sa Ghaeilge), but reading and writing activities also feature.

Course work
Students have access to interactive courses on Gaelchultúr's e-learning website, ranganna.com, and they can use this material to prepare for the classroom sessions and the live online classes. It is also useful to them as they revise the course work.

Students are given written tasks to do on a regular basis and they are asked to submit these lessons by email to their tutor. Comprehensive feedback is provided by email.

There is a limited number of live online classes each semester; these classes are held at night. Students are given more information regarding the live online classes and all other aspects of the course in a handbook that is provided at the beginning of the first semester. This handbook also contains information about the projects students are required to submit.

Accuracy in Irish (1, 2 and 3)
(30 ECTS)
This module will focus on the core aspects of Irish language grammar. The aim is to help participants improve their ability in Irish by giving them a range of grammar exercises to do in which the focus will be on common points of difficulty with the language. There will be a particular emphasis on useful idiomatic expressions and on the importance of avoiding direct translation from English to Irish. Punctuation and editing will also be addressed, and students will be given information about the technological resources available to those who write in Irish.

Translation Skills (1, 2 and 3)
(15 ECTS)
This module aims to help students develop and improve their translation skills. They will be taught to deal critically and analytically with the problems that often arise in English–Irish translation, e.g. jargon, register, semantic gaps and syntactic differences between the two languages. There will be an emphasis on Anglicism and how to avoid it, and the module will also look at the challenges of translating new terminology and the difficulty of translating concepts from English to Irish. There will be a particular focus on intelligibility and the importance of taking the target audience into consideration when a text is being translated.

The module will deal primarily with the types of texts most frequently translated to Irish in a professional context – annual reports and television scripts, for example – but students will also have an opportunity to translate a range of other texts, including literary texts.

Translation Theory (1 and 2)
(10 ECTS)
In the first part of this module, the main aspects of contemporary translation theory will be explored and the various types of translation that suit different genres of texts will be discussed. There will also be a focus on translation criticism in order to give students a better understanding of what constitutes a 'good translation' or 'bad translation'.

This module will build on the Translation Theory / A Career in Translation module and students will have a further opportunity to study translation criticism and theories of translation. They will be required to critically analyse various types of translated texts in light of those theories to assess their merit as translations and target language texts

Students will use the material from the two modules to undertake a research project: a critical essay on a text translated from English to Irish.

Legal Translation (1 agus 2)
(5 ECTS)
This module will look at legal translation in Ireland and in the EU institutions. The difficulty of translating texts of this type will be explored and there will also be a focus on register and style, constitutional questions, precedents, and decisions regarding terminology and intelligibility.

Translation Technology
(without ECTS credits - optional module)
This module aims to make students aware of the most important technological resources available to those who work through Irish and in the translation sector.

The module will aim to enable students to find information regarding Irish language grammar and terminology online so that they can write at a much higher level in the language. There will be a particular focus in this module on translation software memoQ.

Applicants for the course must: (1) have a primary degree in Irish, or its equivalent (e.g., B.Ed.), at level 8 of the National Framework of Qualifications. or have a primary degree in another discipline at level 8 of the National Framework of Qualifications. (2) At least grade B (ordinary level) or grade D (higher level) in English at Leaving Certificate level or equivalent. Note: Successful applicants for this course are required to provide a transcript of their primary degree results. In addition, all applicants are required to sit an entrance examination to demonstrate their suitability for the program.

I don't have a primary degree in Irish - is that a disadvantage?
It's not. Many people who do not have a primary degree in Irish complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Translation. As long as you have a qualification that is at level 8 of the National Framework of Qualifications in any discipline and a high standard of written Irish, you will be able to apply for the DISA. However, all candidates are required to pass the entrance examination to demonstrate their standard of Irish.

Deadline for applications:
Thursday, 25 June 2020 (Round 1)
or
Friday, 21 August 2020

Entry examination:
2.00–4.00pm, Saturday, 4 July 2020 (Round 1)
or
Saturday, 29 August 2020 (Round 2)

Venue: Coláiste na hÉireann/Gaelchultúr, 11 Clare Street, Dublin 2

Offers to be sent to applicants by email:
Tuesday, 7 July 2020 (Round 1)
Tuesday, 1 September 2020 (Round 2)

3 semesters, 16 months.

One weekend a month (Friday 7pm - 9pm and Saturday 10am - 3pm).

Tuition fees

The tuition fee per semester is €1,495. Tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners (www.revenue.ie) in relation to such fees.

The course commences: 10.00am, Saturday, 19 September 2020

Venue: Coláiste na hÉireann/Gaelchultúr, 11 Clare Street, Dublin 2

Information sessions regarding the Dioplóma Iarchéime san Aistriúchán course*:

12.00–1.00pm, Saturday, 16 May 2020
6.00–7.00pm, Tuesday, 18 August 2020
12.00–1.00pm, Saturday, 22 August 2020

Venue: Coláiste na hÉireann/Gaelchultúr, 11 Clare Street, Dublin 2