101234 - ANGLÈS

Tipus d'assignatura: Obligatòria

Coordinador: Joan Triadó Aymerich

Trimestre: Tercer trimestre

Crèdits: 6

• English

This subject is entirely delivered in English

Since most of the specialized technical literature students will come across is in English, this course aims to familiarise them with the typical structures, lexicon, and style of Technical English. Students will learn to interpret and translate technical texts related to their subject matters and to produce basic technical writings. They will also acquire basic writing skills in order to produce formal and informal letters, application letters, electronic mail, and briefs.

A strong focus will also be given to listening and speaking skills so that they may overcome everyday situations facilitating their integration into an English-speaking environment.

Content 1: Grammatical, syntactic, and lexical aspects of technical register in the field of  electronics, mechanical engineering, and industrial organization

1. ‘s phrases and expressions and the possessive case
2. Relative clauses and their shortening in certain situations
3. Present and past participles (-ing and –ed forms)
4. Complex nominal phrases and noun compounds. Hyphenated phrases
5. Specific vocabulary in electronics, mechanical engineering, and/or industrial organization

Related Activities:

• Exercises on 's structures and the possessive case
• Exercises on the shortening of relative clauses  and their eventual conversion into participle clauses and/or complex noun phrases
• Analysis of functions and uses of –ing and –ed participles and their interpretation in the context they are used
• Exercises on noun compounds or complex noun phrases and on hyphenated phrases in complex noun phrases
• Glossary of technical terms

Content 2: Technical register and technical translation. Reading comprehension of technical texts in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and industrial organization

1. Turning the non-technical register into a more technical register using selected texts by the points studied in Content 1
2. Production of technical writings according to the features of the technical register
3. Making direct technical translations into Catalan or Spanish
4. Reading comprehension of technical literature in the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and/or industrial organization. Critical reading of technical articles

Related Activities:

• Exercises to turn non-technical style texts into technical style
• Direct translations into Catalan or Spanish
• Reading technical articles and texts from the field of electronics, mechanical engineering, and/or industrial organization and reading comprehension exercises about them. Critical analysis of the technical articles.

Content 3: Writing skills

1. Production of writings according to formal academic register
2. Writing formal letters to make an order, a claim, to ask for information
3. Writing formal electronic emails
4. Writing a summary
5. Writing a brief on a given topic or project related to the subject matter

Related Activities:

• Exercises to compare informal and formal registers
• Formal letters to make an order, a claim, ask for information
• Writing formal emails
• Writing a summary of an article or a technical brief and expressing a personal opinion
• Writing a brief on a topic related to the subject matter

Content 4: Oral skills

1. Conversations to develop oral skills within professional everyday situations: contrast information, make orders, participate in discussions on specific topics, describe technical materials and technical processes
2. Oral presentation (about 10 minutes) on a technical topic related to the subject matter
3. Fostering group discussions and debates around the topic of the oral presentation

Related Activities: 

• Exercises in listening and conversation on topics and professional everyday situations for electronics, mechanical, and industrial organization engineers. They will be performed in small groups
• Oral presentation (about 10 minutes) on a technical topic related to the subject matter fostering debate and group discussion

Assessment Methodology

Classroom exercises and homework exercises will be collected on all the items of the course and a written test will be done according to the following assessment criteria:

1. 20% of the final mark: exercises on 's structures, relative clauses and shortening of relative clauses, participles in –ing and –ed, complex nominal phrases, and specific vocabulary
2. 20% of the final mark: exercises on writing skills: formal letters, emails, briefs, summaries, …
3. 30% of the final mark: exercises on oral skills: listening comprehension, oral presentation, participation in discussions and debates, class attendance, and active participation. It is mandatory to pass this activity
4. 30% of the final mark: written exam in which there will be exercises and tasks to demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge related to contents 1, 2, and 3 of the syllabus. A minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) will be required for the final exam to be considered for the average final mark. 

If necessary, there will be a RESIT EXAM of points 1, 2, and 4 of the assessment (see above): 70% of the final mark. The remaining 30% corresponds to activity 3 above (Oral Skills). A minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) will be required in the resit exam to pass the subject.

Rules for Doing the Activities

If one of the activities, tests, or exercises is not delivered in due time by the student, it will be considered as not assessed.

The student will not be allowed to use notes, dossier, or dictionaries in the exam(s)

No piece of work, exercise, or assignment that is proved to have been copied from a classmate will be accepted, upon the risk that the author will directly fail the module.

VERY IMPORTANT:

Total or partial PLAGIARISM of any of the assignments will be automatically qualified as FAIL (0). And, if plagiarism is repeated, the module will be given a fail (0).

PLAGIARISM consists of copying text from unacknowledged sources, whether this is part of a sentence or a whole text, which is intended as the student’s own text. It includes cutting and pasting from Internet sources, presented unmodified in the student’s own text.  PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS OFFENCE. Students must respect authors’ intellectual property, always identifying the sources they may use. They must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own texts.

Handouts, J. García. 2021

Polytechnic Dictionary of Spanish and English Languages. F. Beigbeder Atienza. Diaz de Santos, S.A.

Diccionario McGraw-Hill de Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica  

https://www.eenewsautomotive.com/

Technical Writing and Professional Communication for Nonnative Speakers of English, Huckin and Olsen. McGraw-Hill, 1991

Essential Grammar in Use. Murphy, R. Cambridge 2003

www.edn.com

English for Science and Technology, Trimble, L. Cambridge 1985

The Essence of Technical Communication. Herbert L. Hirsch. IEEE Press. 2000

Test Your Professional English: Business : General. Flinders, Steve, and Steve Flinders. Harlow, Essex, Eng: Pearson Education, 2002. Print.

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish  

www.esl-lab.com

Electrical and Computer Engineering Dictionary (English/Spanish-Spanish/English). Steven M. Kaplan, 2000. Wiley Intescience Ed.

www.edn.com 

Bonamy, David. Technical English 4. Coursebook and Workbook, Harlow, UK:
Pearson Education, 1995.

Beer, David and McMurrey, David. A Guide to Writing as an Engineer (4th ed.),
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2014.

Bonamy, David. Technical English 3. Coursebook and Workbook, Harlow, UK:
Pearson Education, 2011.