Английский язык. Устный последовательный перевод. Учебное пособие

or writing a piece that was seen as damaging to their company’s financial interests.”

The news that is reported in the West comes from an increasingly concentrated group of corporateand individually-owned conglomerates. Currently, the majority of all media outlets in the United States and a large share of those internationally are owned by a handful of corporations: Vivendi/Universal, AOL/Time Warner (CNN), The Walt Disney Co. (ABC), News Corporation (FOX),Viacom (CBS), General Electric (NBC), and Bertelsmann. These companies’ holdings include international news outlets, magazines, television, books, music, and movies. Many of these companies are the result of recent mergers and acquisitions.

In addition to the control exercised by owners, there are also government controls and self-censorship. The United States, governed by a constitution where the First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, has one of the most free presses in the world, and is one of the few countries where the right to free speech is expressly written into the constitution. Yet even the U.S. government exerts control over the media, particularly during times of war or crisis. In many other countries around the world, especially emerging nations and dictatorships, governments impose tight restrictions on journalists, including penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment and execution.

Positives

Without the media, most people would know little of events beyond their immediate neighborhood. The further one goes outside of one’s circle of friends and family, the more time-consum- ing and expensive it becomes to get information. Very few, if any, individuals have the resources to stay independently informed of world events. With the news, however, all one has to do is turn on a television or turn to the Internet. Even when it is biased or limited, it is a picture of what is happening around the world.

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The more sources one compares, the more accurate the picture that can be put together. In addition to the media conglomerates, there are also a range of independent news outlets, though they have a much smaller audience. Some of these provide an alternative view of events and often strive to publish stories that cannot be found in the mainstream media.Technological advances in many industrialized (primarily Western) countries make it possible to read papers and watch broadcasts from around the globe. While language skills can be a barrier, it is possible to live in the United States and watchArab-language broadcasts from the Middle East, or to get on the Internet and read scores of Chinese newspapers. Having access to these alternative voices limits the power of monopolies over information.

Another important benefit of a functioning mass news media is that information can be relayed quickly in times of crisis. Tornado and hurricane announcement can give large populations advance warning and allow them to take precautions and move out of harm’s way. In a country suffering war, a radio broadcast outlining where the latest fighting is can alert people to areas to avoid. In quieter times, the media can publish other useful announcements, from traffic reports to how to avoid getting HIV. It is a stabilizing and civilizing force.

Along the same lines, the news media allow elected and other officials to communicate with their constituents. Frequently, the delegates at a negotiation will find they understand each other much better over the course of their discussions, but that understanding will not reach the larger populations they represent without communications effort.

Theories of Journalism

Any discussion of media and conflict eventually leads to the purpose and responsibilities of journalists.AWestern audience ex-

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pects objectivity of its news reporters. While most citizens take this for granted, objective reporting has not been the historical norm. The concept of objectivity itself has often been the focus of debate.

In response to the drawbacks of ‘objective’journalism, some journalists have begun advocating for alternative models, such as “peace journalism” and “public journalism.” Peace journalism advocates the belief that journalists should use the power of the media to help resolve conflict rather than report it from a distance.

Public journalism seeks to explore issues affecting a community and stay with those issues long enough to give the community enough information to understand the conflict and get involved. This, however, often requires a long-term commitment by the journalist and news media to follow a story over the course of the conflict. If the story is of continuing high importance to the readers — such as a war that involves local troops, such coverage is common. If the story is not deemed continuously “newsworthy,” however, it takes a committed journalist to continue to write about it.

Task 2. Consecutive interpreting skills

Discuss the following:

Describe the types of media you know. Speak about each type’s audience.

Speak on the connection between the commercial media and advertising.

Translate the following words and word combinations: incompatible; participatory media; favourable coverage;

threatening reprisals; pervasive; fostering insecurity; free market; state control; censorship; vital; bias; coverup; misleading perspectives; give eye-opening accounts.

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Поэтому надо исходить не из экономических показателей нашего бизнеса, а его социальной роли и гражданской ответственности перед обществом.

Совершенно очевидно, что рынок современной российской прессы сталкивается с целым рядом проблем. В настоящее время в России существует недостаточное количество розничных точек по продаже прессы. Даже в Москве отставание от европейских норм является весьма ощутимым. Если

вПольше, лидирующей по этому показателю, одна розничная точка приходится на 500 жителей, в Германии – на 650-700,

всреднем по Европе – это одна точка на 1000 жителей, то

вМоскве – одна точка уже почти на 3000 человек, а в среднем по России этот показатель еще ниже.

Однако необходимо отметить большую положительную роль правительства Москвы и федеральных органов, регулирующих отношения в сфере СМИ, которые на начальном этапе зарождения рынка прессы в России сумели обеспечить возможность построения цивилизованного рынка на принципах свободной конкуренции.

UNIT 4. Political System of the UK

Task 1. Background reading

Read the text and give Russian equivalents to the underlined

expressions

The UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been the official title of the British state ever since 1922.

The UK is а constitutional monarchy. This means that the officialheadofstateisthemonarch,buthisorherpowersarelimited

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by the constitution. The British constitution is not written in any single document. Only some of these rules are written down in the form of ordinary laws passed by Parliament at various times.

Parliament is the supreme law-making body in the country. It consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. British parliamentary system is one of the oldest in the world, it developed slowly during the 13th century after King John’s signature of Magna Charta in 1215.

The Commons has 650 elected and paid Members of Parliament. The Lords is made up of hereditary and life peers, two archbishops and 24 bishops of the Church of England.

The House of Lords is also the final court of appeal for civil cases in the United Kingdom and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Only the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) - of whom there are 12 employed full-time - take part in judicial proceedings.

The major part of Parliament’s work is revising the Government’swork.FromMondaytoThursdayallministersmustanswer MPґs questionsfor onehour,thePrimeMinistermustanswer their questions two days a week.

Another important parliamentary task is law-making. A bill (a proposal of a new law) must pass through the Houses and then is sent to the Queen for RoyalAssent.

General elections to choose MPґs are held every five years. Voting is not compulsory and is from the age of 18. In 1997 won the Labour Party headed by Tony Blair.

The Government is formed by the party which has the majority in the Parliament and the Queen appoints its leader as the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister appoints a team of main ministers as the Cabinet (about 20 people).

The second largest party form the official opposition with its own leader and “shadow cabinet”. At present it is the Conserva-

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tive Party headed by John Major. The third party represented in the Parliament are the Liberals.

British national flag is called “Union Jack”. It symbolises the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland and dates back from 1801. The flag is made up of the crosses of the patron saints of England (St George’s red cross on a white field), Ireland (St Patrick’s red diagonals on a white field) and Scotland (St Andrew’s white diagonals on a blue field). Wales is not represented because when the flag first appeared it was already united with England. The design and colours have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories.

National anthem is “God Save The Queen”. Each part of the UK has its own symbol:

•England - red rose

•Ireland - shamrock

•Wales - leek, daffodil

•Scotland - thistle

Task 2. Consecutive interpreting skills

Answer the questions:

What is the form of government in the UK? Who is the head of state?

What are the monarch’s powers nowadays?

Who represents the executive branch of power in the UK? the legislative branch the judicial branch?

Who is the current Prime Minister of the UK? What is the Cabinet? Who are its members?

Translate and explane the following words and word combinations: the principle of Parliamentary sovereignty; to dis-

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solve Parliament; the ‘unwritten constitution’; to give a bill Royal Assent; to exercise powers; patronage to appoint ministers; role restricted by convention; to declare war; the Crown in Parliament; to downplay; discretion; free from the eddies of the party policies; to swear an oath of allegiance to smb; to make up the Government; the government is drawn from and answerable to Parliament; a successful vote of no confidence; whips; to detain suspects; the Shop Hours Bill; Governments with a small majority; coalition government; to resort to extreme measures; “to wheel in” sick MPs; to be swept into power; dissent within the party; factions within the party; backbench MPs; Secretary of State; civil service; senior civil servants; Permanent Secretary; Whitehall; Parliamentary constituency; the Boundary commission; the Marquess of Salisbury; the First Past the Post electoral system; to be conducive to doing sth; a commission from the monarch; to indicate confidence in the new government; the Speech from the Throne; a hereditary chamber; Lords Spiritual; descendants; to review legislation formed by the House of Commons; to propose amendments; to delay legislation; to overturn the use of veto; the final court of appeal; a small subset of the House of Lords; Law Lords; to hear judicial cases; the Lord Chancellor; magistrate; on behalf of the Sovereign; to fall into all the three arms of state.

Interpret the recorded abstract (task number four on the disc).

Task 3. Sight translation skills

Give a sight translation of the text

Больше ста лет назад королева Виктория провозгласила, что монархия не переживет ее больше, чем на 20 лет. Сейчас этот прогноз кажется слишком пессимистичным. Похороны

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королевы-матери в апреле 2002 года показали, что монархия еще очень популярна среди простых британцев. Как бы то ни было, смерть королевы-матери послужила своего рода водоразделом в истории современной британской монархии.

Хотя сторонники республиканского строя находятся в Британии в явном меньшинстве, даже многие консервативные монархисты считают, что давно настало время перемен.

Что же необходимо изменить в королевской власти Британии? Каждый по-своему видит ответ на этот вопрос. Некоторые говорят, что пора отделить англиканскую церковь, главой которой является королева, от государства. Предлагается и отменить закон о престолонаследии 1701 года, согласно которому наследник престола не может жениться на католичке,анаследницапрестола,соответственно,бытьзамужем за католиком. Есть люди, которые возмущаются тем, что королева не платит налогов. Они требуют, чтобы Елизавета II, как обычный гражданин страны, заплатила налог на наследство, причитающееся ей после смерти матери. В повестке дня, вероятно, стоит и сокращение публичной роли членов королевской семьи — многим надоели постоянные скандалы, которые сопровождают некоторых членов августейшей фамилии. Поговаривают, что в какой-то момент Елизавету II, которая стала королевой в 1952 году после смерти отца Георга VI, могут убедить отречься от престола, чтобы правление сына было не слишком коротким. Республиканское меньшинство британцев убеждено, что этого недостаточно, поэтому требуют полной отмены монархии. Возможно, однако, что разговоры о кардинальных реформах, которые ведутся уже давно, ни к чему не приведут, и все перемены

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сведутся к тому, что наследник престола, принц Уэльский Чарльз, наконец, женится на своей давней любовнице Камилле Паркер-Боулз.

50 лет Елизавете II удавалось сохранять любовь и уважение подданных, какая бы партия ни находилась у власти, и какой бы премьер ни правил — консерватор-империалист Уинстон Черчилль или умеренный лейборист Гарольд Уилсон. Британская монархия, по мнению многих, выжила потому, что подстраивалась под привычки и настроения времени. Скорее всего, семья Виндзоров и в будущем сохранит за собой место на британском троне, которое ее представители занимают с 1714 года.

UNIT 5. Political System of the US

Task 1. Background reading

Read the text and give Russian equivalents to the underlined

expressions

The Political System of The United States

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights

The United States ofAmerica firstoperated under an agreement called the Articles of Confederation (1781). This loose agreement was not working well. The central, federal government was too weak. In 1787 delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles, but they did more than that.

They wrote the Constitution , which was finally adopted by the thirteen states by 1790. The Constitution is still in force. It sets the basic form of government: three separate branches, each one having powers (’checks and balances’) over the other.The three parts:

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