Overview
You will select arecently publishedpeer-reviewedscholarly sourcefrom the research you did in
the Inquiry-Based Research Project (IBRP) that offers a compelling/topical contribution to a current conversation in your discipline, a public audience who would be interested in the article’s findings, and a popular periodical/site that reaches that audience. Then, you will analyze your public audience to determine what information to convey (and how), will analyze samples of article translations from their periodical/site to determine expectations regarding structure, language, and reference (SLR), and will then compose a rhetorically-aware public article translation of the scholarly article. Finally, you will compose a brief reflection and include a references page. There is no minimum or maximum word count for the article translation. The length should be consistent with the genre and publication that you choose. You will need to turn in your assignment as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF file. For the rough draft and final draft, you will need to turn in the following: 1. A PDF copy of the scholarly source you have chosen to translate (see Step 1) 2. Article Translation (see Step 2) 3. Reflection + References Page (see Step 3) STEP 1: SELECT A SCHOLARLY SOURCE FROM THE IBRP First, you’ll choose one (1) peer-reviewed scholarly source that you have already found for the IBRP (Synthesis Matrix and/or the Literature Review) that meets the following criteria: 1. The findings in the source are relevant/topical and important for the public to know 2. It was published within the last five (5) years 3. It does not belong to anything listed under “Inappropriate Sources” This source will be the basis for the article translation that you will compose. You will need to submit your peer-reviewed scholarly source as a PDF along with the rough and final drafts. If you do not choose a source from the IBRP and find another source without first consulting your instructor, you will automatically fail the assignment. If you do not have a source from the IBRP that meets the above parameters, you will need to meet with your instructor to discuss alternatives. You may have already read the source for the IBRP, but you should review and actively read your source again with the current assignment in mind. Actively re-read and annotate your selected current and topical source to thoroughly familiarize yourself with its primary claim, discussion, conclusion, etc. Ensure that you have identified its rhetorical context (exigence,
This adapted assignment, developed by the George Mason Composition Program, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International. purpose, and audience) to understand why and to whom it was written, and identify its genre conventions (structure, language, and reference, or SLR moves) to understand how it was written. You should annotate sections of the text that are particular topical or interesting for a non-expert audience. Inappropriate Sources: Some genres of scholarly sources that do not work well for this project, specifically review and theoretical articles. The article you choose should be substantial (i.e., not a very brief case study or letters), and the PDF of the original article should be more than 3 pages in length. You may not use front matter, introductions, book reviews, news briefs, or other brief reports that lack substance or references for this project. Any scholarly source that is inappropriate for the project will automatically earn a failing grade on the assignment. STEP 2: COMPOSE A DISCIPLINE ARTICLE TRANSLATION Once you have chosen an appropriate scholarly source, you will need to locate an appropriate genre/publication with an audience that will be interested in the topic of the scholarly source you located in Step 1. Then, you’ll begin to write your article translation. First, you’ll identify a public periodical/site—which may include publicly available genres such as digital/print magazines, newspapers, etc.—for your translation. It needs to meet the following criteria: 1. It reports on scholarly research, specifically insights from peer-reviewed scholarly articles (i.e., not grey literature like reports/surveys/white papers) a. Specifically, they must publish article translations, i.e., articles that focus on translating the content of one peer-reviewed scholarly article 2. The readership of this periodical/site must consist of non-experts and not scholars/professionals in the discipline 3. It does not belong to anything listed under “Inappropriate Periodicals/Sites” Please be aware that some sites have paywalls. You need to choose a site that you can access, which may include access through the Mason Library. Either way, you should create PDFs of all articles used as models. Locating Appropriate Periodicals/Sites and Researching the Genre/Audience: To ensure that it reports on research, search its archives (using “study says” or “study finds” as your search terms in their search bar) to find at least three (3) samples of article translations it has published within the last ten (10) years. To determine if they are article translations, you should read through to ensure that the articles are translating peer-reviewed scholarly articles and primarily focus on one article as the basis for the translation—your samples shouldn’t just use peer-reviewed articles as support for other ideas.
This adapted assignment, developed by the George Mason Composition Program, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International. Please note that you will be required to include these samples in your reflection, and if all three are not representative samples of article translations, it will be assumed that this periodical/site is inappropriate for the project and the translation portion will be graded accordingly. To make sure that you have an appropriate non-expert audience, search online for information about its readership by using search terms that include the periodical/site’s title and “readership” or “audience.” Once you have determined that the periodical/site is appropriate, you will research your audience’s demographics (gender, age, ethnicity, location, education, occupation, etc.) and psychographics (their knowledge of, stake in, and opinion on the topic; their associated values, needs, and beliefs; and their associated biases, concerns, or resistances). Then, use the three samples of article translations you collected to determine what structure, language, and reference (SLR) moves seem obligatory, common, and rare. Inappropriate Periodicals/Sites: There are some public periodicals/sites that are not appropriate for this project, even if they report on scholarly research. This includes any platforms that are targeted towards scholars/experts/professionals in the discipline (i.e., trade publications or professional organizations) or associated with journals in any way, such as Nature News, IEEE, Science, etc., or anything similar. You should also not use press release websites like Science Daily. You should not use think tank websites, either. Additionally, databases or aggregate news sources are not appropriate platforms. A project that translates the project to a platform that does not publish article translations or uses one of the aforementioned inappropriate periodicals/sites will automatically earn a failing grade on the final draft of the assignment. Writing the Translation with Rhetorical and Genre Awareness: After you’ve thoroughly researched your periodical/site and the genre/audience, you will compose the article translation that you will submit for the rough and final drafts of the project. The article translation you produce should be tailored for your selected periodical/site and its readership. You will need to meet the structural, linguistic, and referential genre expectations (SLR moves), which means that you will need to pay careful attention to your project design and approach. You will not just summarize or paraphrase the entirety of your scholarly article—you’ll need to consider what the target audience needs or wants to know from the original article (the content and how you convey it). It should be appropriately tailored to the readership in a way that demonstrates understanding of the demographics/psychographics. You do not need to use secondary sources in the translation, but it may be appropriate to bring in some, depending on the needs of your genre/audience. It is important that any secondary sources do not overshadow the content from your original scholarly article. If you choose to bring in additional sources, you should use provide genre-appropriate references to them in the translation. You must also include these on the references page after the reflection (see below).
This adapted assignment, developed by the George Mason Composition Program, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International. STEP 3: REFLECTION AND REFERENCES PAGE Reflection: After your translation, respond to the following three reflection questions on a separate and clearly-labeled page: 1. Discuss why you chose this particular scholarly source to translate and be specific. What set this source apart from other sources you included in your IBRP? In what ways is this topical and relevant to a non-expert audience? What current issues in the world does this connect with? 2. Discuss how the original scholarly source and your own public article translation (the one you have written, not your samples) are similar and different in their writerly approaches. Your response must reference and quote specific aspects of each. 3. Discuss what you learned about the genre conventions of your selected periodical/site and include links to the three (3) examples of article translations from this periodical/site that you used to determine how the genre is composed. Additionally, discuss what obligatory genre conventions (SLR moves) you adhered to and what specific choices you made regarding common or rare genre conventions (SLR moves). You should refer back to your genre analysis matrix to answer this question. As mentioned above, all three must be representative samples of article translations, or it will be assumed that this periodical/site is inappropriate for the translation portion of the project. 4. Discuss what you learned about the public audience of your selected periodical/site and include hyperlinks to where you found this information about your public audience. Be specific about who they, including the demographics/psychographics. Then, discuss what specific choices you made to clearly convey the findings of your peer-reviewed article to your audience and effectively maintain their interest. 5. This question should be included only on the final draft. What revisions did you make between the rough draft and final draft? What feedback did you receive, and how did you implement it in your final draft? Be very specific, noting exactly what feedback you received (and who gave it to you), what part of the draft this was on, and what changed between the rough and final draft. Please note that “I didn’t submit or do a rough draft” is not considered a sufficient response—revision is always expected. For this portion of the project, you should use 12 pt. double-spaced Times New Roman font and organize your writing so that it is clear what questions you are answering. You must number your responses 1-5. There is no minimum or maximum word count for the reflection, but your answers should thoughtfully and thoroughly address each question, and most will need to be a paragraph or longer in length to accomplish this. References Page: Additionally, include a separate, clearly-labeled references page at the end of the reflection that includes a full reference citation for your original article and any secondary source(s) used in
This adapted assignment, developed by the George Mason Composition Program, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International. your translation. It must be very clear what the original article is, though. You are encouraged to use the citation style that is most commonly used in your discipline. ACADEMIC STANDARDS As with any major assignment, you are required to follow the Academic Standards Code and adhere to the academic integrity policies outlined in the syllabus—as noted, all work must be your own. Please be aware that AI text generators cannot produce an accurate or passable article translation for this project, and if you are caught using it, you will face the consequences outlined in the syllabus. If you need help on the assignment, please talk to me or visit the Writing Center rather than use unauthorized technology that can jeopardize your grade or status at the university. LEARNING OBJECTIVES The Discipline Article Translation project has been designed to serve the following English 302 course learning objectives: • Students will be able to analyze rhetorical situations–audience, purpose, and context–in order to recognize the expectations of readers and understand the main purposes of composing across multiple contexts relevant to their fields of study. • Students will understand the conventions of academic and non-academic genres, to include usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and attribution/citation systems. • Students will be able to apply critical reading strategies that are appropriate to advanced academic and non-academic texts of relevance to their fields of study. • Students will engage in a recursive process of inventing, investigating, shaping, drafting, revising, and editing to produce a range of academic and non-academic texts of relevance to their fields of study