Федеральное агентство по образованию

Государственное образовательное учреждение

высшего профессионального образования

«Челябинский государственный университет»

АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК

Методические рекомендации по реферированию тестов профессиональной тематики

для студентов 5 курса

факультета Евразии и Востока

Челябинск

Издательство Челябинского государственного университета

2010

Одобрено учебно-методической комиссией факультета Евразии и Востока ЧелГУ.

Представленные в данных рекомендациях материалы направлены на формирование, развитие и совершенствование навыков реферирования.

Предназначены как для аудиторной, так и самостоятельной работы студентов 5-го курса факультета Евразии и Востока, изучающих английский язык.

Составитель преподаватель Подолько А.С.

Рецензент

Annotation and rendering.

Annotation and rendering have become important in providing people with an ability to exchange information quicker. They help specialists to reduce time spent on data processing. The essence of annotation and rendering is that they contract the volume of information. The basis for such contraction is the redundancy of language and absence (lack) of univocal correspondence between the content of idea and the form of its representation in speech. Rendering preserves the content essence not taking into account everything that is secondary and illustrative. Annotation and rendering are to provide the reader with the most important and necessary information. If the reader gets interested in annotation or rendering he can be guided by bibliography and find the primary source(s) where he can get information at full length. Thus the function of annotation and rendering is very important: to familiarize the reader with the sources of information needed.

Annotation and rendering are the secondary documentary sources. They are the documents that give information about primary sources.

Though the function of annotation and rendering is the same there is some basic difference between them. Annotation just enumerates the issues discussed in the primary source not explaining the content of issues. Rendering, on the contrary, not only enumerates all the issues but also informs about the essential content of each one. We can say that annotation informs what the primary source is about whereas rendering informs about what is written on every issue discussed.

Annotation shows the way to the primary source(s) of information and it can not substitute it (them) whereas rendering can substitute the primary source as it gives the essential content of the material.

Rendering

Rendering is a process of creating a concise account of an article, book or document in a written form or in the form of a report. Rendering reveals the basic content of an article, book or document concerning all the issues discussed, with renderer’s assessments and conclusions.

As opposed to annotation, rendering not only answers the question what the primary source is about but also which basic information is included in the primary source.

The aim of rendering is to provide the reader with full presentation of all the issues discussed in the primary source and let him not to read the whole article, book or document.

Rendering is done in the following way:

1. Bibliographic data – author, title, type of publication (article, interview, review etc.), year and month of publication.

2. The main topic, problem, points of the rendered material.

3. Confirmation of author’s main points.

4. Author’s conclusions.

5. Your conclusions about the article.

The volume of rendering is 10 – 15 sentences (50 – 100 words). To do the rendering the following phrases may be useful:

1) The article is headlined ....

The headline of the article I have read is ...

The author of the article is ...

The article is written by ...

It is (was) published in ...

It is (was) printed in ...

2) The main idea of the article is ...

The article is about ...

The article is devoted to ...

The article deals with ...

The article touches upon ...

The purpose of the article is to give the reader some information on ...

The aim of the article is to provide the reader with some facts/material/data on ...

3) The author starts by telling (the reader) (about, that ...)

The author writes (states, stresses upon, thinks, points out) that ...

The article describes ...

According to the text ...

Further the author reports (says) that ...

The article goes on to say that ...

4) In conclusion ...

The author comes to the conclusion that ....

5) I find/found the article topical=urgent (interesting, important, dull, of no value, too hard to understand ...) because ....

In my opinion the article is worth reading because ....

To do rendering successfully keep the following rules in mind:

1. Read the text quickly to understand the author’s style and the main idea. Pay attention to the title: usually it reflects the main idea. Avoid reading and contracting sentences throughout the text: it will lead to illogical description.

2. Reread the primary source marking (underlining or brackets) only important ideas. Pay attention only to basic information such as:

• important names, dates and statistical data;

• main conclusions and recommendations.

Take into account the fact that:

• the statement which includes the essence may often appear at the beginning of discussion;

• basic points that support the main statement may appear at the beginning. If the text consists of more than 5 passages then there are at least 2 to 6 basic points, not more.

Exclude less important information such as:

• introduction;

• repetitions (they are often accompanied by such markers as “that is”, “in other words”);

• digressions, rhetorical questions, details;

• most part of examples and definitions.

3. Correct the marked words, phrases and sentences excluding unnecessary words.

4. Using your notes and marks make a draft of your rendering. If it is possible stick to the order of description of the primary source. Try to avoid estimating comments, speak impartially.

5. Read your draft. Is it logical? Does the style of your rendering correspond to that of the primary source?

6. Improve your rendering by excluding unnecessary words and adding patchwords to make the rendering sound logical.

7. Compare the primary source with your rendering and make sure that the meaning, main points and style o the primary source are preserved. The influence of your rendering on the reader should the same as that of primary source.