Mediation Solutions

1 Mediation
1.1 Getting started: Characteristics of a mediation task (p.90)
Caution! Mediation is often mixed up with translation. Read the mixed statements about mediation and
translation. Which of them belong to mediation, which to translation?

You … Mediation Translation

should follow the text word-by-word. x

are free to paraphrase. x
have to copy the style and language of the input text. x
should use vocabulary the addressee is used to. x

should leave out information if it is not important at all. x

1.2 Understanding the situation and the task (p.90–91)

a) Read the following three tasks, underline the relevant information and fill in the boxes. The first gap has
been done as an example.

Task A

You take part in an international school project called
„The Future of the EU‟. The project explores issues of
migration and integration in contemporary Europe.
Each participant has been asked to contribute the
example of one public figure from his/her country to the
project‟s website. Write an article based on the essay at
hand by a Turkish-German politician. Present the
politician‟s experiences and conclusions.
Addressee: international readers (students and
teachers) of the website of the project
Target text: article
Register/Style: formal
Purpose/Information needed: the politician‟s
experiences, the politician‟s conclusions

Task B

Your American e-pal thinks about studying in Germany Addressee: American e-pal
after high school. He/She is looking for general Target text: email
information, individual experiences and practical advice. Register/Style: informal
On the internet, you have read the report about German Purpose/Information needed: information about German
universities. Sum up relevant information as part of an universities: general information, individual experiences,
email to your American friend. practical advice

Task C

You are attending an international youth conference on
“Relations and challenges in a globalised world”. As a
German participant you have been asked to give an
opening statement. To start off, you have decided to
refer to the given speech of the German chancellor.
Write the beginning of your script. Outline the
chancellor‟s views on Germany‟s present relationship to
its allies and the impact of migration on Germany.
Addressee: young audience at an international youth
conference
Target text: script for an opening statement
Register/Style: formal
Purpose/Information needed: the president‟s views on
Germany‟s present relationship to its allies, he impact of
migration on Germany

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b) In each of the three tasks A–C, there are verbs which tell you exactly the text type and topics of your
mediation. Find these verbs (Operatoren).

Task Operator Definition

A present give a concise account of the main points or ideas of a text clarifying
culture-related aspects if necessary
B sum up

C outline

A–C write (+ text type) produce a text with specific features

c) Formulate your own mediation task based on this information. Use two Operatoren.

Your task
Your online pen pal‟s English teacher is planning a science fiction film night on visions of future societies.
Having just read the Spiegel Online review of the film “Alles was wir geben mussten”, you would like to suggest
the original film “Never Let Me Go” as an option for this film night. Write an email to your friend‟s teacher in
which you summarise/present/outline the utopian and dystopian features of the society in the film as
presented in the review.

1.3 Skimming and scanning (p.92)

a) Analyse Task D.

Addressee: American partner school

Target text: article
Register/Style: formal
Purpose/Information needed: the meaning of the word „smombie‟, the behaviour of German pedestrians
according to recent studies, the response of the German authorities

b) Then look at the input text and

– state the author, source and date of publication of the text
– skim the text, i.e. read it quickly for its topic and function
Author: not given
Source: dpa
Date: 2016
Topic/function: The article provides information about “smombies”, i.e. people distracted in traffic by the
constant use of their smartphones

c) Read through the text. Scan it for the three aspects of information needed for the purpose of the task.
Mark the relevant parts using three different colours. The first aspect has already been highlighted for you
in green. –

d) Make notes in English next to the relevant passages. Stick to the German text first, but feel free to
generalise or paraphrase to prepare for a concise report. As an example, the notes for the first aspect
have already been given in the margin. –

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Mediation Solutions

e) The first paragraph (“meaning of „smombie‟”) has been written for you with the notes above. Turn your own
notes on the second and third aspects into two more paragraphs for your article. Write on a separate sheet
of paper and leave some space for the headline and introduction.

The German youth word “Smombie” – short for smartphone zombie – highlights the recent trend that people
who are busy on their smartphone in public have become a danger for themselves and others. Various
smartphone activities distract their attention and cause unpredictable and careless behaviour, which increases
the risk of traffic accidents.

According to a study including about 14 000 people, every sixth pedestrian is busy with his smart phone while
walking through the city. Most of them are talking to somebody on the phone or writing text messages. These
activities are followed by listening to music or looking at apps. Above all, young people like to use their mobile
phones continually.

In contrast to car drivers, pedestrians are allowed to use a mobile phone while moving through the city. Even
though pedestrians using mobile phones in the traffic put themselves and others at risk, the police do not
support stricter laws or fines for pedestrians. Instead the police try to educate people and trust in pedestrians to
behave responsibly.

f) Task D asks you to write an article as target text. Therefore you need a headline and a short introduction
for the three paragraphs. Write a suitable headline and the introduction.

Increase of “smombies” on German roads

A survey conducted by the organisation DEKRA found out that the number of people using mobile phones
while walking has been rising steadily in Germany. One result is the new word "Smombie" which describes the
behaviour of many young people.

2 Information in context – popular types of target texts for mediation (p.93–94)

Name the target texts asked for in tasks A-C on page 90–91:

A: article B: email C: script for an opening statement

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Mediation Solutions

2.2 Target text: Email (p.93–94)

a) Analyse the task and fill in the gaps.

Addressee: Your English friend‟s social science teacher Mr Butcher

Target text: email
Register/Style: formal
Purpose/Information needed: the utopian and dystopian features of the society in the film

b) Use the information from the task to write the beginning and ending of the email.

To: j.butcher@btinternet.com
RE: Science fiction film night

Dear Mr Butcher,

My friend David, who is in your social science class, has told me that you are planning a science fiction film
night. While surfing the net, I came across the review of a film titled “Never Let Me Go” on the German website
Spiegel Online. This film might be an option for your film night as it presents a highly interesting vision of a
future society that combines elements of utopia and dystopia.
[…]

Best regards,
[your full signature]

2.3 Target text „script for an opening statement‟ (p.94)

Use the information from Task F to write the introduction and the ending of your opening statement. Address
the audience directly at the beginning and at the end of your speech.

Dear participants,

We have come to this conference to share our fears and hopes on relations and challenges in a globalised
world. The president of Germany has recently made some thoughtful comments on Germany‟s present
relationship to its allies and the impact of migration on Germany.
[paragraph on Germany‟s relationship to its allies]
[paragraph on the impact of migration on Germany]
Thank you for listening/for your attention.

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3 Mediation Practice I (p.95–96)

a) Analyse the following task.
Addressee: your friend from England
Target text: email
Register/Style: informal
Purpose/Information needed: the key findings of the SINUS youth study, the comments of the scientists.

b) Mark relevant information in the text and take notes.

– SINUS study including teenagers aged 14–17 in Germany, published by Stern online
– young people tend to conservative values but love to enjoy themselves too
– researchers are surprised: teenagers are very adaptive and tolerant at the same time
– majority supports diversity
– most important values are security, stability and peace; possible reason according to experts: insecure
world
– other important aspects of teenagers: career and social media

c) Do the mediation task on a separate sheet of paper.

Individual answer.

3.1 Choosing the right register (p.96)

The mediation Task F asks for an informal email. Replace the underlined phrases on the left with the formal
phrases for a different target text, e.g. for a formal report on the findings of the SINUS study.

informal email formal report

I have read a report on the internet by … The report with the title “…”, published on …..,
focuses on …

1. The study tries to find out what German teenagers 1. The study investigates German teenagers‟
think about … attitudes to …
2. The researchers have asked questions about … 2. Researchers have conducted interviews on …
3. The study says that … 3. According to the study, …
4. The scientists describe German teenagers as … 4. The scientists characterise German teenagers
5. They also say that …. as …
6. They see this behaviour as … 5. They add that …
7. They believe that … 6. They interpret this behaviour as …
8. They ask if … 7. They draw the conclusion that …
8. They raise the question whether …

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Mediation Solutions

3.2 Explaining cultural differences (p.96)

a) Tick the box if you think the addressee needs an explanation for these four aspects of German culture.

addressee „Mauerfall‟ „Krankenversicherung‟ „Aufwendungen für ein „Tatort‟

Universitätsstudium‟
your 17-year-old American friend X X X X
who has never left the U.S

your friend‟s American history X X X

teacher

your friend‟s sister, who studied (X) (X)

and worked in Germany for a year

b) Explain the four terms in one or two sentences.

„Mauerfall‟ In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. This historic event paved the way for the unification of Berlin
and Germany after the Cold War.

„Krankenversicherung‟ Almost all employees in Germany are compulsory members of the public health
insurance system. Both the employee and the employer share the insurance contributions.

„Aufwendungen für ein Universitätsstudium‟ In Germany, education is basically free. There are no tuition fees at
public universities but students have to cover their living costs and pay for health insurance and textbooks.

„Tatort‟ “Tatort” is a cult detective series on German TV which is broadcast every Sunday evening. It attracts
millions of viewers.

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Mediation Solutions

4 Mediation Practice II (p.97)

a) Analyse the following task.
Addressee: international listeners of “Deutsche Welle”
Target text: script for a podcast
Register/Style: mainly formal
Purpose/Information needed: why young Spanish people leave their home country, what attracts them to
German

b) Mark relevant information in the text and take notes.

– high unemployment rate in Spain; one in two young people is unemployed

– difficult to be employed long-term
– young generation does not expect quick improvements of the situation
– a lot of German companies look for employees
– German organisations like the Goethe Institut offer language courses in Spain
– associations of German companies recruit graduates in Spain
– German companies offer well-paid jobs
– young Spanish people hope to follow their career successfully in Germany

c) Do the mediation task on a separate sheet of paper.

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