Overview
Aims
-comparing different translations of literary texts,
- discussing translatability, fidelity, the hierarchical division between original texts and their translations, and the charged politics of translation.
- understanding the relation between literary translation and globalisation
Course contents
A seminar on the theory of literary translation, a workshop for sharing, revising and refining our own translations‐in‐progress, and a practicum for beginning graduate students in advanced literary studies. We will read and discuss major theoretical texts that make up the field of translation studies. In our discussions, we will consider questions of translatability, fidelity, the hierarchical division between original texts and their translations, and the charged politics of translation.
We will compare different translations of literary texts, in order to examine how each version works, and will discuss how translators make decisions on language, style, format, and cultural equivalency.
Baker, M. (2018). In other words: A coursebook on translation (3rd ed.). London/New York: Routledge.
Chesterman, A. (1997). Memes of translation: The spread of ideas in translation theory. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Scott, C. (2018). The work of literary translation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, B. (2021). Untranslatability: The rebirth of theory?. Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, 44(4), 16-30.
Tihanov, G. (2019). The birth and death of literary theory: Regimes of relevance in Russia and beyond. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Walkowitz, R.L. (2015). Born translated: The contemporary novel in an age of world literature. New York: Columbia University Press.
Learning outcomes
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Assessment
-EVALUATION: portfiolio and written examinaiton