| Unit name | Cross-Cultural Communication and Commercial Interpreting |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM0077 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Mr. Paul Golf |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is for students who wish to advance their skills in the enterprise and international business sectors as commercial interpreters, negotiators, and intercultural consultants. All matters of globalized business require communication, diplomacy, and engagement with individuals and groups that fundamentally differ from one another in language, culture, religious, or political values. Understanding how these factors influence motivations and communication styles is essential in facilitating mutually beneficial and successful outcomes. The commercial interpreter sits at the nexus of this cross-cultural interface, being required to not only transfer surface levels of meaning but also to be sensitive to connotation and deeper nuances in the complex art of negotiation. By training both in business liaison interpreting and in theoretical and practical tools for cross-cultural communication, the course equips students with a powerful understanding of how to navigate difference and diversity, and prepares them to begin to serve as high level professionals in multiple fields.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
Commercial liaison interpreting is often viewed as the easier of the interpreting modes, as the bilateral nature of the interaction allows for more opportunity to clarify or correct messaging should there be any misunderstanding. However, knowing how to quickly adapt your communicative approach to different individuals and cultures across languages is arguably an even more challenging and sophisticated mode of interpreting than rendering speeches in a conference environment, many of which have been pre-written and reviewed by the interpreter before the performance. By building on the interpreter’s toolkit developed in the first teaching block, this unit takes the matter of communication to the next level.
An overview of content
The practical interpreter training component of this course focuses on different biliteral engagements across a variety of simulated commercial fields. Students may be dealing with scenarios such as an outsourcing agreement in one week, an intellectual property licensing negotiation the next, or a joint venture for mining contracts in another. By practicing with materials drawn from all kinds of industries, students will build their vocabulary and fluency in different fields whilst gaining an understanding of many different types of commercial opportunities and arrangements in which they may find themselves in the future. In the cross-cultural communication sections of the course, students will be introduced to theories of communication and Jungian-axis psychometric profiling systems such as MBTI or CME Profiling.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will gain a significantly enhanced breadth of understanding regarding the world of international business and the possible roles they might play in it. Their confidence in handling materials which previously may have seemed quite alien (such as financial instruments, international business regulations, or the process of sales and marketing) will have increased, and they will gain a better grasp of the value their transferable and ‘soft’ skills hold. Their ability to operate as interpreters in bilateral mode will have significantly increased, and the most successful students will already be able to undertake their first commercial assignments. The psychometric and communication training has the potential to fundamentally transform perspectives on difference in communication styles and ways of thinking, which has benefits across all of life.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, successful students will be able to:
Learning activities will include simulated interpreting scenarios in which students will take turns preparing and acting as negotiators and interpreters. This links each practice scenario with real industry problems and allows for students to experience what it is like both interpreting and being interpreted in different contexts. Learning to prepare well is key for these exercises, as is learning to balance the use of notes and memorization techniques in the interpreting performance. In addition, attention will be paid to aspects of professionalism around the interpreting performances, such as simulated client interactions (with the tutor or other students playing the part of a client) and analyses of variable communication techniques according to psychometric methods, including non-verbal communication. Performances will typically be videoed to allow for review and transcription. Sometimes a particular problem may be posed by the tutor relating to a real or imagined professional interpreting scenario, and students will be asked to anticipate and map out how different approaches might result in variable outcomes. Behavioural analytic and gaming techniques will also be introduced, asking students to engage in reflection on hidden motivations and concealed meanings. These will activate learning by providing a fun and innovative approach to problem solving.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative feedback will be delivered in individual and group format, both during interpreting workshops and in tutorial sessions. Special attention will be paid to transferable skills and the progress towards attainment across the Bristol Skills Framework. A portfolio drawing together reflections on the psychometric profiling component of the course and the application of cross-cultural communication approaches to a set case study will be used to help activate learning. This will include a simulated interaction with a client in week 23 that leads up to the final exam at the end of the teaching block, in which the simulated scenario will be played out with the student acting as interpreter for two negotiators.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Week 23, Portfolio 2,000 words (40%, ILOs 2-3)
TB2 Assessment period, Business liaison interpreting exam (60%, ILOs 1-3)
When assessment does not go to plan
If a sufficient average grade has been achieved across the two assessments to pass the unit (50%), reassessment is not normally necessary. In the event that the average mark is a fail (<50%), students will be allowed to resit the interpreting examination and/or resubmit the portfolio during the summer reassessment period in the same format, with a different scenario. Ordinarily the grade for reassessments is capped at 50%, but in case of Exceptional Circumstances the examination board may recommend mark penalties are reduced or removed altogether.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODLM0077).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
