TOPIC STATEMENT

By Rafael Ferrer M.

When you face a Identifying a reseach topic

research or a thesis,
the first step you need
Charateristics of your reseach topic
to do is to write your
topic statement. Here
you’ll find some hints
Your research topic statement
to do such task.

Examples of research topic statement

Hints to write your topic statement

Evaluate your own topic statement

Links for further help

 You can get your
research topic
Teaching translation
from:
Translation working field
Conference interpretation
An area of your interest Trasnlation in cultural interchange

An area related to
your
specialisation Computing
Material design

Your favourite
An actual problem you
subject at school
have in your
development •Bibliographical English IV 9
references (from
your school
Linguistics 7
books, papers, Semantics 7
serials, lectures, Fashion topics in Introduction to translation 10
etc.) lectures, leaflets, etc.
Consecutive interpretation 9
Questions from your
Newmark, P. (2003). A textbook
of translation. Essex, England:
school material, classes,
Pearson Education Limited. (1a.
publicación 1988)
etc.
Newmark, P. (1988). Approaches
The first step is that the student to translation. Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshie: Prentice Hall
asks himself what is the topic on International (UK). (1a.
which his research will be base publicación 1982)
on. In the case that he has already
chosen a topic, or at least he has a
grasp of it, then it must be Sánchez Calderaro, D. (1998).
‘Considerations on teaching
evaluated if this topic is feasible translation’. Translation Journal
to carry on in a research, taking Vol. 2. No. 3. [On line]. Disponible Go back to
into account its importance, en línea en
magnitude, feasibility, http://accurapid.com/journal/05ed the first slide
congruence and viability, as well uc.htm. (fecha de acceso 08 de
abril de 2005)
as the required knowledge to do
the research.
 Interesting Researchable

Be sure your
research topic
Narrowed
has these
caracteristics:
Specific

Information available

Accurate Manegeable

Challenging Debatable

Originality
One point Go back to
the first slide
 Express your
research topic in a
statement
+ v+ c

It has a conjugated verb

It has a unit of analisis(subjects,

documentes, institutions, etc.), two
variables (aspects you can and
cannot manipulate).

Go back to
the first slide
 Improving Too
Reading general
Comprhension

Improving
Reading Not a
Comprehension statement
through the Use of
Reading Skills

The use of literal Good...

translation
improves students’
learning
vocabulary

The limitations of the MT Good...

(Machina Translation)
affects the naturalness of
a technical text Go back to
translation output the first slide
Write an aspect of your area translation of simple sentences
of interest which you could
manipulate, control, etc. For
example: translation of
simple sentences

Write an aspect of your area

of interest which you could translation competence
not manipulate, control, etc.
For example: translation
competence

Write an element in which

you could apply, observe, etc, First semester students
the above aspects. For
example: first semester
students

The translation of simple sentences

as a didactic strategy develops first
Organise the above written semester students’ tranlation
elements in a coherent competence at the cohesive level
statement

Go back to
the first slide
 Interesting
Write your topic statement
Researchable
and tick each aspect it
fulfills. If your topic lacks Narrowed
more than 3 then think
Specific
deeper and rearrange it.
Information available

Accurate

Manegeable
If you are not sure about
Challenging
what a statement is, first
check in a grammar book Debatable

One point

A conjugated verb

a unit of analisis(subjects,
documentes, institutions, etc.),
two variables (aspects you can
and cannot manipulate).
Go back to A coherent statement
the first slide
For further help check these links...
Turner (2007) Writing a topic sentence.
http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/p
artopic.html
Anson (2007) Thesis statements
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.htm
l
Wells (2008) How to write a thesis statement
http://www.indiana.edu/~
wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml
University of Ottawa-Canada’s University
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergr
ammar/thstatment.html#thesis%2ostatement
Writing tutorial services
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statem
ent.shtml #unassigned
Handouts and links
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.htm
l
Go back to
the first slide