Spanish Translation BA
Program Purpose
Full program information, including detailed descriptions of measures of student learning and current data generated by those measures is available on the College of Humanities assessment summary
The undergraduate Spanish major is a liberal arts program that aims to develop skills in critical thinking, written expression and oral proficiency in the Spanish language. The major should provide a depth of understanding of and an appreciation for the Spanish language and literary tradition and the multiple cultures that the language represents. In addition to the basics of the program, skills in translation and interpretation are included.
It is designed to serve students who plan to enter the learned professions or pursue other career paths that require perceptive reading, orderly and clear thinking, intellectual maturity, effective writing and acceptable oral communication as well as the ability to interpret speech and translate documents from one language to another.
It is designed to establish habits of broad spiritual thought and appreciation that will provide a source of life-long personal betterment and service to the extended community in a general sense and in a specific sense professional service in translation and interpretation between Spanish and English.
Learning Outcomes
Language Competence
Students will speak, listen, read, and write Spanish at the ACTFL Advanced Low level or better.
Students will identify cultural practices (e.g., customs and traditions) and cultural products (e.g., literatures, arts, institutions, and individuals) from the Spanish-speaking world, place them in their historical, political, and social contexts, and interpret the unique perspectives on human experience that they reveal.
Students will analyze language, literary texts, and other cultural products and practices using sound thinking and clear expression.
Demonstrate professional translation skills by: (1) properly applying translation competence components (including linguistic, extralinguistic, transfer, strategic, instrumental); (2) employing research tools to investigate terminology and textual conventions adequate for different text types; (3) executing the translation process and associated problem solving and decision making processes in accordance with a set of specifications and a statement of purpose for the target text.
Evidence of Learning
Program-level assessments include an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT), a Capstone Portfolio, the Senior Survey, and the Alumni Questionnaire. Please see the alignment table for additional information.
Additional Assessment Tools
In addition to the Spanish Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test taken by all graduating seniors, the department offers several other assessments for Spanish students:
-Spanish Computer-Adaptive Placement Exam (S-CAPE), an exam designed to help place students into the appropriate course level
-Spanish WebCLIPS diagnostic exams to assess mastery of specific grammar topics (WebCLIPS also offers lessons with grammar explanations, practice, and immediate feedback)
-Spanish 16-credit Exam, which provides up to 16 lower-division credits that students may purchase. Students may take this test while enrolled in their first Spanish course at BYU.
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
1. Proposed curriculum changes are submitted by the appropriate section head to the Curriculum and Assessment Committee for discussion, followed by subsequent approval by the Executive Committee and the department.
2. Assessment of program-level objectives is done on department Assessment Days in Fall and Winter semesters, as well as during the college's annual Assessment Retreat in the Spring. Areas for possible improvement are noted and subsequently considered by the Curriculum and Assessment Committee and the department.