Introduction to the nature of scientific research article discourse.

1. Scientific and Technical
Translation in English: Week 2
Dr. Ron Martinez

2. This man was US president thelast timethis class was offered.

4. Homework
• Read “Lost without translation: scientific research”
– on the class website. Please also read the
“Reader’s comments.” Be prepared to discuss next
class.
• Choose 2 of the “problematic” translations and “fix”
them.
• Translate “Cocamar” text; bring translation to next
class (hard copy preferred).
• For fun: try to come up with a translation for the text
in this image 

5. Roman Jakobson (1959) (also online)
“These three kinds of translation are to be differently labeled:
“1 Intralingual translation or rewording is an
interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs of the
same language.
“2 Interlingual translation or translation proper is an
interpretation of verbal signs by means of some other
language.
“3 Intersemiotic translation or transmutation is an
interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of
nonverbal sign systems.”

6. Jakobson (cont.)
• There is ordinarily no full equivalence
between code-units.
• Translation involves two equivalent messages
in two different codes.
• Translation activities must be kept under
constant scrutiny.

7. Rudolf Jumpelt (1961)
In STT there is an “absolute priority of
information content over form, and of the
accuracy of its transmission.” (p. vii)

10. Show your translation to a classmate
• Are they similar?
• Any disagreements?
• Copy and paste your translations into the
Google Docs (online).

12. General course outline
• Week 1: Introduction to translation and CAPA
• Week 2: Research article structure, common discourse problems
• Week 3: Hands-on introduction to electronic tools
• Week 4: Translation of research articles (1st assignment on e-folio)
• Week 5: Disciplinary specificity; glossary building (e-folio)
• Week 6: Review of 1st assignment, feedback from Writing V
• Week 7: Midterm assessment (in-class)
• Week 8: New teams, new “live” assignments
• Week 9: Assignments continued
• Week 10: Feedback from Writing V
• Week 11: Completion of final translations
• Week 12: Group presentations
• Week 13: Group presentations
• Week 14: Final exam (in-class)
• Week 15: Final polishing of e-Portfolios

14. Discuss the article
QUOTE FROM ARTICLE QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION
“A misplaced preposition or poor choice
of verb can ruin a convincing narrative,
reducing the probability of publication in
a top international journal and limiting
the impact of the research.”
Do you agree? Is it possible to avoid?
How?
“(M)any foreign scientists spend precious
research funds on private translation
services. But standard translators may not
understand the science, the structure of
scientific papers or the technical
language.”
Does such knowledge of “science” and
the “structure of scientific papers” really
make a difference?
“(W)e suggest that university
departments in non-anglophone
countries could hire professional
translators with a science background…”
What do you think about this solution?

15. Some comments from readers:
But there is a third skill that may well be
overlooked in the rush to find someone who
knows the languages and the subject area in
sufficient depth. While mastery of two or
more languages and an understanding of the
science are two key elements, the act of
translation itself is also a skill that must be
learned and honed over many years of
experience.

16. They often work closely with authors
to ensure the accuracy of their work,
and provide added value
[…].Moreover, ITI’s members must all
adhere to a Code of Professional
Conduct…

20. Rudolf Jumpelt (1961)
In STT there is an “absolute priority of
information content over form, and of the
accuracy of its transmission.” (p. vii)

21. “fidelity of meaning and register...”

25. Any ambiguity here?
“O Uso Racional de Medicamentos compreende a
prescrição apropriada, o acesso, a dispensação em
condições adequadas e o consumo de medicamentos
eficazes e seguros, nas doses, intervalos e período de
tempo indicados. Implica conhecimentos específicos e
atualizados por parte dos profissionais e na
compreensão do paciente sobre a importância da adesão
ao tratamento. Esta linha de pesquisa contempla
projetos que visam oferecer subsídios para o seu uso
apropriado, focados na informação, na pesquisa básica
e clínica e no uso adequado de medicamentos pelo
Sistema Único de Saúde.”

27. Moreover, publishers we work with have
been "looking into translation services"
over the past year or so, recognizing that
language editing just won't cut it for
many non-native, English-speaking
researchers.

28. I'm sure that teams of translators could be
established within individual universities, at
least for the most prominent source
languages. I think this initiative would not
only help many researchers but also increase
the yield of published research papers for an
institution.

29. …it is even worth to speak not about separated
individuals but about the Centres for Academic
Writing and Scientific Translation at universities
that could unite professional translators specialized
in different scientific fields and help academics and
researchers with the papers preparation in
compliance with scientific journals requirements,
including accurate translation. Additionally, such
Centres could accumulate the knowledge in
translation systematically within the single quality
control system and become the platforms for
experience changing.

30. Research Article Structure

32. On our website:
• Download the two articles.
• What sections do they have in common?
• In terms of academic discourse, why do most
research articles follow this pattern? Think
about the specific role each section serves in a
typical research article.

33. Research Articles: A Look Inside
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

34. Research Articles: A Look Inside
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

35. Research Articles: A Look Inside
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

36. Research Articles: IMRaD
Introduction
Method
Results
and
Discussion
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

37. Research Articles: IMRaD
Introduction
Method
Results
and
Discussion
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

38. Research Articles: IMRaD
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

39. Research Articles: IMRaD
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

40. Quick Survey:
According to research, which two IMRaD
sections are usually the most difficult for non-
native speakers of English to write in English?
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

41. Research Articles: IMRaD
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

42. Discuss: Who can an academic writer
be compared to?
• Politician?
• Salesperson?
• Teacher?
• Firefighter?
• Doctor?
• Lecturer?
• Architect?
• Other?
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

43. Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

44. Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

45. John Swales (1980)
• Published IMRaD articles tended to follow a
pattern of foregrounding of novelty.
• This foregrounding usually occurred in the
Introduction.
• There seemed to be a pattern in the way
authors “created a research space” in the
existing literature.
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

46. “C.A.R.S.” (John Swales)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

47. Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

48. ESTABLISHING
TERRITORY
ESTABLISHING
NICHE
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

49. Analyze it again:
Which grammar forms are mostly present?
A) present simple
B) present perfect
C) past simple
D) present continuous
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
ronmartinez@ufpr.br

50. “C.A.R.S.” (John Swales)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR
PRESENT SIMPLE
PRESENT PERFECT
PRESENT SIMPLE
PRESENT
SIMPLE/PERFECT
PRESENT SIMPLE

51. C.A.R.S.- In IMRaD Abstracts
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

52. Abstracts: C.A.R.S. in IMRaD
I
M
R
DProf. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

53. Abstract-Intro Connections (article
online)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

54. Abstract-Intro Connections
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

55. Abstract-Intro Connections
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

56. Cohesion!
TITLE
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
ronmartinez@ufpr.br

57. What about in Portuguese?
• Online: Identify “CARS”

58. ‘Claiming centrality’

61. Always think:
OK, so what’s
the story
here?

62. Typical CARS problems

63. LEVELS OF PUBLICATIONS SUCCESS (or
rejection)
Language (vocabulary, grammar, etc.)
Discourse (cohesion, organization,
clarity)
Research
(relevant theme, appropriate
method, etc.)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

64. DIFFERENT LEVELS OF IMPORTANCE!
Language
(vocabulary,
grammar, etc.)
Discourse (clarity,
organization)
Research
(appropriate method, etc.)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez - UFPR

65. 65Ron Martinez

66. MAIN ISSUE NOT ‘ENGLISH’
66Ron Martinez

67. Anything missing?
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
ronmartinez@ufpr.br

68. Online:
1. Download “Article Requiring Revision”.
2. Identify CARS in the introduction (Section 1).
3. Look at the comments from the Journal
Editor (also online). Specifically, focus on the
comments from “Reviewer 2”. Do you agree?
4. Discuss with a partner.

69. Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
ronmartinez@ufpr.br

70. Homework
• Identify C.A.R.S. in 3 engineering articles (online)
• Read the Eliana Hirano article on Brazilian
introductions (online)
• Are you confident enough to suggest changes to
an article? Read the introduction to the “Corpus
Linguistics” article. Any problems? Make notes
on what you would tell the author; bring the
suggestions to class.
• Read the Doherty article on translation
technologies (online)

72. The science of results sections and
other reporting of Method

73. Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
ronmartinez@ufpr.br

74. Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
ronmartinez@ufpr.br