JNST 000M: Lost In Translation?
The Theory and Practice of Translation
Facilitators: Shiloh Drake and Julie Townsend
Meetings: Wednesday 6-9 PM, Larson 230
Office Hours: TBA
“Indeed, as much as anyone else, [the translator] has the duty to observe at least the same scrupulous attention to the purity and perfection of language, to strive for the same grace and naturalness of style, for which his writer is praised in the original language.”
Friedrich Schleiermacher, On the Different Methods of Translating
“Dr. Blip Korterly, my best friend, says El Niño is Spanish for 'global warming.' He's joking. El Niño means 'the child' (or more precisely, 'the boy'), and indeed, the candy-brat climate was pegged on sugar and unable to simmer down.”
Dr. Flake Fountain, Tony Vigorito's Just a Couple of Days
Translation is a curious subject, being partway between and some combination of language comprehension and artful, skilled writing. Its effect on world literature, literary canon, politics, and culture is immense, yet pinning down a definitive difference between a good translation and a bad one is extraordinarily difficult. Which is better, a literal translation or one that captures the spirit of the text? Word-for-word, or is some improvisation all right? Does a good translation incorporate some of the culture from the original text, or does it give the reader of the translation a similar experience to the readers of the original?
The aim of this course is to consider and answer these questions and others that will come up—whether as a group or personally—to develop a working theory of translation that will lead to good translations on our part. This will be taken for a test run during the final part of the class, which will culminate in a project in translation, the analysis of multiple translations of the same work, or another contracted project having to do with a similar theme.
In addition, this course ought to highlight the fact that translation is truly multi- and interdisciplinary. Language use contributes to all facets of life; using language well helps immensely in every field. Texts may be translated a certain way due to the translator's experience (or lack thereof) in other cultures. Putting it simply, those who know multiple languages have brains that are wired differently due to the different concepts that they're exposed to in their languages. And for that matter, do bilinguals make the best translators in the first place?
Fluency in another language is not required and easily addressed, but enthusiasm about language is strongly recommended.
Several readings will take the form of handouts and those will be located on Blackboard. Except for Clockwork Orange, the books are more easily found and ordered online. Both Shiloh and Julie have multiple resources to be translated for those who would like to take on a translation project.
The Business End
This is a Johnston seminar, and as such, students will be required to write a course contract with their goals and plans for the course; one copy will be turned in to the registrar and another to the facilitators. At the end of the course, they will be writing a self-evaluation and faculty evaluations for both facilitators to be turned in on the final meeting day along with the final project. Student evaluations will be given; letter grades will not.
As this course meets only once per week, it is extremely important to attend each class with the reading completed, printed out, and annotated as necessary. Poor attendance will be reflected in the evaluations, as will poor preparation. Discussion is critical for this course—the majority, if not the entirety, of the class time will be devoted to it—so all students will be expected to have a voice in the classroom. In addition to reading and discussion, students will also be asked to write both entries and comments on the blog for the course located at http://jnst000mtranslation.blogspot.com to synthesize ideas and generate further discussion. Any questions and problems relating to the course may also be asked there, such as things that arise during the translation project.
Several readings will take the form of handouts and those will be located on Blackboard. Except for Clockwork Orange, the books are more easily found and ordered online. Both Shiloh and Julie have multiple resources to be translated for those who would like to take on a translation project.
Reading Material:
Just a Couple of Days, Tony Vigorito (Required)
Craft of Translation, ed. John Biguenet & Rainer Schulte (Required)
Theories of Translation, ed. Rainer Schulte & John Biguenet (Required)
Selections from A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
