Welcome to The English Language and Translation Open

Welcome to The English Language and Translation Open University Program www. ou. cu. edu. eg Faculty of Arts Cairo University edcu. edu. eg 422 Lecture 8 Loubna Youssef Professor and Vice Dean Department of English

Table of Contents In this lecture we will discuss sample theses of essay questions: 1. “When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people. ” Do you admire intelligent or kind people? Why? 2. What is the importance of reading in the world today? 3. Do all the courses you have studied in the Open Education Center (OEC) help you to become a good translator? Provide evidence.

Essay Writing: Sample I “When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people. ” Do you admire intelligent or kind people? Why? You need to make sure you have a thesis that includes three controlling ideas you can develop. These are samples of theses NOT models. Reading them will help in creating an awareness that the possibilities of theses are endless. It is a good idea to try to understand the different ways of thinking that led to writing theses. You will notice that some are composed of single statements. Each of these is called a thesis statement. Some are made up of more than one sentence. Each of these is called a thesis. Both options are correct because what you write depends on the claims and what you want to say. As you read theses and thesis statements, “weigh and consider”, as Francis Bacon said in his excellent paragraph “Of Studies”:

Samples Young people choose to be strong and intelligent and they are impressed by intelligent people because of what they achieve. When they grow older they discover that life is too short and that money and power are not important. What is really of significance is kindness and human relations. What is also important is whether people use their intelligence to help others or to gain something personal I admire intelligent people because they benefit themselves, their society and can be role models for others. Kindness is important between family members and friends in the hospital, on the street and elsewhere. Old people should be kind to the young and the young to the old in order to have love and peace. This is why I think kindness is valuable. Intelligent people are cold, harsh and boast about their cleverness. So I admire kind people because they make me smile, listen to me to try to understand me and make me feel better about myself.

More Samples Egyptians like kind people but they do not admire them. Egyptians admire intelligence together with kindness. An intelligent person who is unkind is not good. Kind people are caring, helpful, reliable and comfortable to deal with. It is difficult to choose between kindness and intelligence, but if I have to, I would choose an intelligent person because it is good to have an intelligent friend who can criticize me to help me develop, give me good advise when I need it, and help me to arrive at the truth. People who are kind but not intelligent will not be able to face and solve problems. I prefer intelligence which has been defined in many different ways in terms of one’s capacity to think logically, to understand abstract ideas, to communicate, learn, and have self awareness and self knowledge, memory and problem solving. In can also be described as the ability to perceive or acquire and apply knowledge and use information creatively.

More Samples When I was young I admired intelligent people, but as I started growing older I started admiring kind people. Although many will disagree with me, but I think that firstly, intelligence can be acquired (through reading, studying and working hard), but not everyone can be kind. Secondly, kind people are more understanding and flexible than intelligent people. Thirdly, kind people are more friendly and likeable. Kindness actually is a gift from God and life is easier and happier around people with such a valuable gift. You need kind people to help and support you and to make you happy not intelligent people.

Sample Paragraph As human beings, we have preferences, but these preferences can change as we grow old. As we grow, we learn and change. We meet people who are kind, nervous, sweet, calm, dynamic or intelligent. Kind people are those who are loving, caring and can accommodate everyone. They use their feelings and emotions rather than their minds. They forgive, do not hurt others and help others to make them happy. Intelligent people are different. They are rational, practical and mostly interested in science and knowledge. They use their minds rather than their hearts. They can seem cruel, but they are doing what they think is best. At times the best choice can hurt. When I was young, I used to prefer kind people. I needed love, care, affection and an atmosphere of sharing. As I became older, I started admiring intelligent people more because I wanted to develop, improve and acquire knowledge. Using the mind in order to make choices and to understand the world proved to be better that using the heart. This does not mean that I hate or even dislike kind people, but at this stage of my life, I need intelligence rather than kindness.

Essay Writing: Sample II What is the importance of reading in the world today? Avoid: Reading is the most important thing. Reading is an activity not a thing. We cannot live without reading. Do not use “we” because it refers to you and the reader. Many people live without reading so do not exaggerate. Reading is very important. Everything in the world can be regarded as important. So this is an empty sentence. Reading is our life. Do not exaggerate. To achiever your ambition, you have to be a good reader. Do not talk to the reader by using “you”. Here is another way of rephrasing this sentence: Ambitious people can achieve what they hope to accomplish through reading. Reading learn us. This is not grammatical or logical. The correct possibilities are: Reading teaches us. Or We learn from reading.

Essay Writing: Sample II What is the importance of reading in the world today? Write an essay on the following topic making sure that you have a thesis that has clear controlling ideas. Sample Introductory Statements: Progress cannot take place unless there is a clear well defined plan with accurate steps that involve developing the system of education. Those in charge of this plan together with the scientific community will easily confirm that reading is definitely one of these steps.

Essay Writing: Sample II What is the importance of reading in the world today? Write an essay on the following topic making sure that you have a thesis that has clear controlling ideas. Sample Introductory Statemens: Progress cannot take place unless there is a clear well defined plan with accurate steps that involve developing the system of education. Those in charge of this plan together with the scientific community will easily confirm that reading is definitely one of these steps.

Outline Thesis Statement By some, reading is regarded as a boring hobby (refutation), but reading can be the power that not only pushes the reader forward, but also changes lives. Topic Sentence I: Some may identify reading as a boring hobby. Watching TV, going to the movies or chatting on Facebook or playing games are more entertaining. Topic Sentence II: Reading positively affect the brain cells and give the reader unlimited mental powers. Knowledge cannot be acquired without systematic reading. Topic Sentence III: Reading is a weapon that can turn the human being into a well-cultured individual and can change the character of the reader who learns from the experiences of others. Conclusion: Reading might not be the hobby that everyone prefers, but everyone must admit that reading gives the reader powers that are unlimited.

Sample Theses Lately, countries are classified by the number of readers they have, and what citizens read. Reading is the activity that leads to evolution and development in all fields of knowledge (science, history, culture, etc. ). Reading is indispensable because it allows us to acquire knowledge, it is entreating and it is one of the requirements of Islam. Because the mind needs to be nourished like the body, human beings have to read. Like the body that needs different kinds of food, the mind needs different forms of readings: serious and fun books and reading different sources on the Internet. Reading is important to the individual (knowledge, self confidence, knowledge), to society (spreads awareness, skills that help others and less crimes in society/readers do not commit crimes) and to the world (better relations between nations, increases knowledge that ends disagreements). Reading is the best way to develop one’s thinking, to bring cultures together and to spread peace.

Sample Theses Countries cannot develop without readers who have studied history to learn from the past in order to improve the present and have a better future. Reading makes the person cultured, and in turn the society develops and the world becomes a better place to live in. Books and written works spread knowledge through time and place and the only way to acquire this knowledge is through reading. Reading has three positive effects on the reader, a physical effect (it nourishes the mind and can stop smoking after reading about the harms of smoking for eg), a psychological effect (reading books about religion or about issues that distract the reader from the sorrows of life) and a social effect (leads to the acquisition of knowledge and skills that help in the job that affects society). In Egypt, educators should train children to believe that reading should be a way of life not only a hobby or a boring activity that must be done for the school homework.

Sample Theses When a scholar or creative writer in any field writes a good book, this book can touch a human being’s life and change it forever. Reading biographies, history book and fiction enriches the reader’s life. Nowadays, reading for the human being is like the gun for the soldier on the battle field because reading allows the person to defend him/herself against mental darkness, poverty and loneliness. Reading helps in acquiring knowledge, in understanding other cultures and the book can be the reader’s best friend. The book is the reader’s best friend and does not want anything in return. When the reader is in a bad mood, the book can change his/her mood to the better. When the reader needs information about a certain field of knowledge, a good book can help. “Reading for All” was the motto for Egyptians as part of a national campaign for many years because a nation without readers is one without intellectuals or wise knowledgeable citizens who can lead the country to progress and development in all fields.

Essay Writing: Sample III Do all the courses you have studied in the Open Education Center (OEC) help you to become a good translator? Provide evidence. Mistakes from the exam papers: Points you need to avoid in the future: You cannot write about the advantages and disadvantages of the Open Education Center. This question is asking you to be critical about the courses you took and whether they all contribute to the goals and objectives of the program/department: How and why? Or why not? The courses at the Open Education Center are easy and helpful. Yes, you can use the word “helpful”, but “easy”? No, this is because if you say an academic course is easy, what you are saying is negative not positive. If it is easy you will not learn anything. An academic course has to be demanding, challenging, enlightening, etc.

More Problems from Exam Papers This is not grammatical: The Open Education Center learns me. Learn is a verb which needs a subject that does the action: I learn: this is the process of and the effort in acquiring knowledge. In the OEC the students learn to translate from English to Arabic and vice versa. She teaches me. The course taught me… The book taught me that… The experience taught us that… The government has to develop the OEC. No, this is not the role of the government to develop OEC. Any mention of the government is inappropriate. If you say this it shows that you do not know what the government should and should not do. You also do not know who should develop the OEC. This is the responsibility of the faculty and administrators of Cairo University.

More Problems from Exam Papers Do not talk to your reader/teacher by using “you”. Instead, you should say: The student acquires good skills. Do not use “things” because it does not mean anything. The word “things” can refer to a table and a car and a paper etc. All the courses I studied are amazing. This is an academic essay and you do not use words like “amazing” or incredible or absurd, etc. in an academic essay. You need to be formal. Do not talk to the reader by using the personal pronoun “you”. The reader is your teacher who will not be a student at the OEC and will not take the courses you are taking, right?

Steps to Write this Essay First: define a good translator Second: list the translation courses at the Open Education Center Third: identify the courses that lead the student to be a good translate. Fourth: Write a thesis that identifies the relevant courses. Point out if any courses are irrelevant. Why? Fifth: develop the ideas of thesis: Sixth: discuss the courses that are not relevant. Explain why they are relevant. Conclusion: a few sentences to comment on what you said in your essay. Do you have any suggestions about new courses that could be relevant and useful?

Sample Theses • Studying at the Department of English Translation at the Open Education Center is a challenge because students go through the 40 step trip: every one of the 40 courses we took helped us in acquiring the skills to being a translator. • Being a good translator has to do not only with the courses, but with the teachers and the learners as well. • Studying in the Department of English translation at the Open Education Center offers courses that not only help the student to be a good translator, but help the human being in his/her practical life and allows the student to have a balanced life by studying while having a job. • The courses of the Department of English translation at the Open Education Center all contribute to educating the students theoretically and practically in order to become good translators of English to Arabic and vice versa. • The reading, writing, culture, literature and linguistics courses at the OEC definitely help the students to be good translators because they help students to be bilingual through studying both the Arabic and English languages and cultures in depth.

Sample Theses • When I joined the OEC, my goal was not to be a good but an excellent translator. The courses I took can only help if I make an effort and understand the value of the content of every course. • The courses at the Open Education Center help us in becoming good translators because these courses improve our skills in using both English and Arabic, develop our knowledge about the Arab and western cultures that use the English language and allow us to practice different kinds of translation. • A good translator must be bilingual and bicultural. The courses at the Open Education Center allow us to be both if we make the effort. Studying each of the following courses: phonetics, semantics, syntax, contrastive linguistics and discourse analysis was useful in a different way that will be discussed later. In the different translation courses like consecutive translation and literary translation, I learned a lot too. Because translation has many branches (political, social, economic, legal, medical, etc. ), I still have a long way in order to really be good. • At the Open Education Center we take courses in Arabic, English and culture and they all help us in becoming good translators. Studying linguistics and Arabic and English grammar and culture help in acquiring translation skills.

Sample Theses • The language, culture, writing and translation courses all help OEC students to be good translators if they make an effort and practice what they study. • Being a good translator requires time and effort on the part of the student, not simply attending courses. The OEC courses teach students the basics, but each student has to practice in order to be good. • In order to be good translators, students in the OEC study the basics of the English and Arabic languages and linguistics (grammar, phonetics, semantics etc. ) theories of translation and translation skills. • Becoming a good translator does not only depend on the cultural, educational and practical courses taught at the OEC, but on the student’s effort and initiative as well.

Evidence and Support The translator should be bicultural. The culture courses help me to The grammar courses help the student to The Arabic courses help thee student to The phonetics courses help me to In a job interview, I make use of … to… The different translation courses like … allow me to … English literature courses are useful because The morphology, syntax and semantics courses lead to … The course that trains the students to use dictionaries is vital because The student is trained to translate different kinds of texts like political, scientific and literary texts.