Winter semester 2015/16

Vorlesung "Applied Linguistics: Perspectives on a Multifaceted Field of Study"

Applied Linguistics comprises all fields of scholarly research, education and training that focus on the analysis and solution of language- and communication-related problems in all areas of human life and social interaction. As in any other applied science, doing Applied Linguistics means problem solving. For this purpose, applied linguists ideally follow a six-step approach that Knapp (2011) described as follows:

• Identification of a real-world problem related to language and/or communication
• Reformulation of the problem to make it fit into one or more scientific paradigms
• Problem analysis, in some cases by means of basic research that may lead to new theories and methods
• Development and testing of potential problem solutions
• Assessment of ethical and ecological implications as well as cost-benefit analyses
• Presentation of the problem solution to the real world and enabling those who need the solution to make use of it

The extent to which this six-step ideal is adhered to by individual researches differs considerably. This may be due to the problem at hand, which may be tackled with existing linguistic theories and methods or which may require the development of new theories and methodologies, at times borrowed from disciplines other than linguistics. These different approaches mirror Widdowson's (1980) well known distinction between linguistics applied and applied linguistics.

This lecture provides insight into the research questions and methods of selected fields of Applied Linguistics ranging from lexicography and terminography via language planning, writing instruction, technical communication, translation and interpretation to critical discourse analysis and communication optimization.

Hauptseminar "Translation Studies: Looking into the Black Box of the Translator's Mind"

What is going on in a translator's mind while translating? - Hans Peter Krings (1986) was among the first to investigate not only the products of translation but also the cognitive processes in translators' minds while transferring texts from one language into another. In the meantime, translation process research has enjoyed a boom. Numerous methods have been applied to get access to the black box of the translator's mind: think-aloud, dialogue protocols and retrospective interviews, screen recording, keystroke logging and eye-tracking. This seminar provides an overview of the research into cognitive translation processes that has been conducted so far and the models that have been developed. Furthermore, it provides a hands-on introduction to the research methods used and enables its participants to conduct their own little investigations into translation processes. The seminar will be taught as a so-called writing-intensive seminar, in which a portfolio comprising a number of smaller writing assignments which build on each other prepares its participants step by step for conducting their Master Thesis research and the academic writing that goes with it.