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ABSTRACT
In the fall of 2020, McGill University (Montreal, Canada) launched a graduate diploma that focused on legal translation. The Graduate Diploma in Legal Translation (GDLT) aims to train the next generation of legal translators and jurilinguists in Canada. One of the main pillars of the GDLT is the formal and comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to legal translation competence development (Prieto Ramos 2011, 2015). Based on five core competences (strategic and methodological, communicative and textual, thematic and cultural, instrumental, and interpersonal and professional management), this approach is integrative and process-oriented with the aim of ensuring quality and adequacy in legal translation. McGill University used this approach as a roadmap to create the GDLT structure and plan of study. In this paper, we will offer an overview of McGill University’s initiative, providing critical analysis of the approach proposed by Prieto Ramos and of its interpretation and application for training purposes at McGill University. Our curriculum mapping methodology involves aligning the course-level learning outcomes to the broader programme-level learning outcomes which coincide with the proposed five core competences. Findings on the degree of alignment and an argument for an enriched competence training approach will be discussed in this paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. A graduate diploma is a master-level program. It consists of 30 credits (approximately 1,170 learning hours) and does not involve a master thesis.
2. A periodical review led internally by the Office of Academic Reviews, Teaching and Academic Programs, Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) aimed at ensuring the highest academic quality of McGill University programming.
3. As part of the regular maintenance of online programmes and update process of online course content led by the Digital Learning Unit at McGill University’s School of Continuing Studies.
4. The most common areas of specialisation are technical, medical, financial and legal translation. Newer areas are emerging, such as environment, audiovisual, etc.
5. Typically, a three-credit course is offered over a semester of 13 to 15 weeks and consists of nine hours of learning activities per week (or three hours per credit per week). Learning activities include lecturing and all related activities, such as readings, translations, group activities, revision, presentations, etc. To complete a bachelor in translation, students ordinarily complete a total of 90 credits.
6. For instance, at the University of Montreal (https://ling-trad.umontreal.ca/accueil/, accessed January 19, 2023).
7. For instance, at University Laval (https://www.ulaval.ca/etudes/programmes/baccalaureat-en-traduction, accessed January 19, 2023).
8. https://ottiaq.org/grand-public/formation/ (accessed on January 4, 2023).
9. See Girard (Citation2023) for a discussion on training needs for legal language professionals in Canada.
10. It is worth mentioning that no other area of specialisation is or has been the object of a dedicated translation programme in Canada.
11. The pool of candidates for this master-level program was limited as it was only offered in-person to candidates willing to relocate in Ottawa and to candidates holding a degree in law. A recent study on the legal language professions and professionals in Canada indicates that the target audience of this pioneer programme (jurists only) may have been too limited to sustain the program. Indeed, only 2.1% of the current Canadian legal language workforce are jurists who have chosen to reorient their career in a legal language profession. On the other side, 46.8% of the workforce are language specialists who acquired many years of experience in translation before specialising in legal translation (Girard Citation2023).
12. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2019/08/government-of-canada-announces-funding-for-the-universite-de-saint-boniface-to-train-students-in-legal-translation.html (accessed January 3, 2023).
13. https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/fr/channels/news/le-gouvernement-du-canada-annonce-un-financement-pour-la-formation-visant-ameliorer-lacces-la-296458 (accessed January 3, 2023).
14. https://www.mcgill.ca/continuingstudies/program/graduate-diploma-legal-translation (accessed January 3, 2023).
15. The programme takes place synchronously in a virtual learning environment, where all learners meet together using a video conferencing software such as Zoom or MS Teams. Synchronous delivery is not to be confused with asynchronous delivery where all activities also take place in a virtual learning environment but are completed in one’s own time, rather than over a video conferencing software. In the GDLT, courses are offered over regular semester calendars, with fixed dates and time for live sessions and fixed deadlines for activities and assignments. For more information on differences between synchronous and asynchronous online learning formats, see Fabriz, Mendzheritskaya and Stehle (Citation2021).
16. After reviewing additional supporting documentation (i.e. resume, motivation letter and recommendation letters), the Admissions Committee may admit candidates holding degrees in a related discipline. For instance, the Committee has admitted candidates with a background in communication or political science and candidates with many years of experience as professional translators.
17. https://www.mcgill.ca/continuingstudies/program/graduate-diploma-legal-translation (accessed January 3, 2023).
18. In the context of the GDLT, most SMEs are also trainers (also known as teachers, course lecturers, professors, etc.).
19. Such as the PACTE group model (for a comprehensive review of the PACTE Group research, see e.g. Hurtado Albir Citation2017). Prieto Ramos also conducted a detailed review of evaluation components and criteria of various approaches to translation quality evaluation as part of his holistic approach to quality assurance in the field (2015, 16).
20. ‘Declarative knowledge’ is defined as the underlying conceptual knowledge of a process, while ‘operative knowledge’ (or, procedural knowledge) is defined as the ability to produce something (Nababan Citation2015, 101).
21. Academic use of ILOs varies widely in the literature as reviewed in Loughlin et al. (Citation2021), 125–126.
22. It is important to note that in Canada, legal translation from French into English is mainly performed in the province of Quebec (with a civil law tradition) and legal translation from English into French, in Québec as well as in other provinces and territories (with common law tradition), and that at the federal level, we follow bijural principles.
23. For both groups of students: students with a legal background focus on improving their basic writing skills and those with a language background focus on improving their writing skills in the context of the law.