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Foreign language and translation C1 (Japanese)

Code: 101407
Credits: 9
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Translation and Interpreting OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Ayumi Shimoyoshi
Email :
ayumi.shimoyoshi@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Maria Elena Hernández García

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

It is advisable to have mastered the contents of Second Language and Culture 2 (Japanese) before starting this course.

Objectives

The aim of this course is to consolidate the development of students' basic communication skills in Second Language (japanese) in order to prepare them for direct translation.

At the end of the subject students should be able to:

  1. Understand written texts about everyday topics.
  2. Produce written texts on everyday topics.
  3. Understand information in short, simple oral texts about everyday topics related to their specific, immediate environment.
  4. Produce very short, simple oral texts on everyday topics related to their specific, immediate environment.

Learning outcomes

  1. Implementing strategies in order to produce written texts of different fields and with specific communicative purposes: Implementing strategies in order to produce written texts of different fields and with specific communicative purposes.
  2. Applying lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge: Applying graphic, lexical and morphosyntactic basic knowledge.
  3. Applying lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge: Applying graphic, lexical and morphosyntactic knowledge.
  4. Implementing strategies in order to understand written texts from different fields: Implementing strategies in order to comprehend written texts about general topics.
  5. Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of written texts of several fields: Comprehending the communicative purpose of basic written texts about general topics.
  6. Working effectively in teams: Working effectively in teams.
  7. Implementing strategies in order to produce written texts of different fields and with specific communicative purposes: Implementing strategies in order to produce simple written texts about general topics.
  8. Producing written texts that are appropriate to their context and possess linguistic correctness: Producing simple written texts about general topics with linguistic correctness.

Contents

The contents of the lessons from the first half of the textbook Tobira II Beginning will be studied in depth. By studying those contents, students are expected to develop not only their language skills but also their pragmatic, textual and sociocultural competencies, as well as their ability to work in a groups and autonomously.

Phonetic content:

  • Improving the pronunciation of Japanese sounds.
  • Correcting common pronunciation errors.
  • Consolidating prior knowledge.

Lexical content:

  • Reinforcing vocabulary acquired previously.
  • Use and comprehension of about 380 new words.
  • Reinforcing knowledge of kanji characters, radicals and strokes by learning approximately 185 new kanji.
  • Learning about the formation and etymology of kanji.

Grammatical content:

  • Learning to use new common structures (potentials, conditionals, transitive and intransitive verbs, comparatives and superlatives, give advice, conditional sentences, express possibility, etc.).
  • Learning new conjunctions used to form compound phrases.
  • Consolidating knowledge of grammatical features studied in lectures.

Communicative and sociocultural elements:

  • Lessons about family, hospitals, festivities and tourism.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Preparation of reading comprehension activities 20 0.8 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Solving exercises 10 0.4 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Supervision and review of reading, oral and writing activities 20 0.8 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Lecture 30 1.2 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Preparation of written and oral production activities 40 1.6 2, 3, 4, 7, 8
Supervision and review of exercises 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Study of new characters and new lexical and syntactic structures in each lesson 60 2.4 2, 3, 4, 5
Written and oral production activities 10 0.4 2, 3, 7, 8
Reading and oral comprehension activities 10 0.4 2, 3, 4, 5

Students will conduct different types of activities:

Directed activities:

  • Presentations about cultural aspects, vocabulary and new grammatical structures
  • Oral comprehension and expression exercises
  • Grammar exercises, individually and in groups
  • Practice of new grammatical and lexical elements
  • Role-play exercises
  • Correction of homework
  • Kanji and vocabulary tests
  • Grammar tests

Supervised activities:

  • Grammar and reading exercises
  • Oral comprehension and expression exercises
  • Compositions
  • Preparation of a group presentation

Autonomous activities:

  • Practice of handwriting
  • Preparatory reading and study of new texts and grammatical elements
  • Exercises assigned in class and via the Virtual Campus
  • Practice of oral comprehension
  • Review of content studied previously
  • Review and consolidation of lexical items learnt previously

Some lectures are conducted using a flipped classroom approach. Students must spend at least 20 hours studying each unit, including supervised and autonomous activities. Given the content and structure of the subject, it is important that students attend lectures consistently, and essential that they spend time preparing new materials, doing homework exercises and reviewing materials seen previously. It is assumed that they will do so in order to keep up with the pace of the subject.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written production and comprehension assessment activities 10 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Kanji, vocabulary, and grammar exercises 10 2 0.08 2, 3, 4, 5
Grammar tests 40 6 0.24 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Oral production and comprehension assessment activities 10 2 0.08 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Kanji and vocabulary tests 30 3 0.12 2, 3, 4, 5

Continuous assessment

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. These activities are detailed in the table at the end of this section of the Study Guide.

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

Missed/failed assessment activities

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. In case of retaking, maximum grade will be 5 (Pass).

Classification as \"not assessable\"

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as \"not assessable\" on their transcript.

Misconduct in assessment activities

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in whichirregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.


Single assessment

This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting. Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the teacher responsible for the subject, for the record. Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website. On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).

Single assessment activities

The final grade for the subject will be calculated according to the following percentages:

-Speaking test (15%)

-Essay (15%)

-Grammar test (40%)

-Vocabulary and kanji test (30%)

Grade revision and resit procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this study guide.

Bibliography

1. Textbook

  • Oka, Mayumi et.al. 初級日本語 とびら. Tobira II: Beginning Japanese. Tokyo: Kurosio, 2022.

2. Llibres de referència

  • Takahashi, Masatake (ed.), Diccionario japonés-español, Tokyo: Hakusuisha, 1980.
  • Kuwana, Kazuhiro et al., Diccionario español – japonés, Tokyo: Shogakkan, 1991.
  • Makino, Seichi; Tsutsui, Michio. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. 日本語基本文法辞典. The Japan Times. 2025.
  • Matsuura, Junichi; Porta Fuentes, Lourdes. Nihongo. Japonés para hispanohablantes. Bunpoo. Gramática. Barcelona: Herder, 2002.

3. Recursos virtuals

  • Maynard, Senko K. Learning Japanese for Real: A Guide to Grammar, Use and Genres of the Nihongo World. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2011.
  • http://www.rikai.com
  • http://www.kotoba.ne.jp/
  • http://minato-jf.jp --> Minato (Japan Foundation)
  • https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/japanese/education/resource/index.html --> Sakura Network

Software

Word or a similar software will be used for the written production and comprehension assignments.

PowerPoint or a similar software will be used for the oral production and comprehension assignments.

Microsoft Teams or a similar software will be used if online sessions are scheduled.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Japanese first semester morning-mixed