Elective course:Literature in translation, translators in culture 3200-L2-PF-LWPA
The aim of the course is to help the students’ develop an awareness of the ways in which literary translation functions in the cultural and social contexts. Among other things, we will ponder whether it is important in the act of reading that a given text is a translation and we will look at stereotypes about translation. It will be shown that translation traditions differ across cultures and that this is a factor influencing a translator’s work and choices. Another issue tackled will be that of translations gaining a canonical status on the one hand, and ageing on the other – with the entailed questions of who is/should be considered an eminent translator and whether a new rendition is better than the earlier one(s). The topic of retranslations is connected to that of internal literary factors and the translator’s creative liberty, but also to external circumstances that influence the emergence of new renditions or of translations in general (e.g. publishing policies or the place of translations within educational programmes). The basic principles of translation criticism will also be presented, providing background for comparing some original texts with their translation(s). The discussion of these issues will be based on set text but will also be complemented by the students’ presentations of their own findings concerning the history and functioning of literary translation in Poland.
The course content encompasses:
1. Ontology of translation (the stability of the division into originals and translations; the status and recognizability of both; metaphors describing translation) – a discussion.
2. Translation traditions across various cultures.
3. Poetry translation as a specific type of translation activity.
4. Seriality as a mode of being characteristic of translation. Diachronic and synchronic translation series.
5. Eminent translators and classic translations.
6. Translation criticism, its principles and possible models.
7. Translation as creation.
8. Publishing policies and translation.
9. Translations in the school canon.
10. Workshops: comparing originals with their translation(s).
11. Students' presentations: discussing selected comparative material or reporting research.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
On completing the subject, the student
- is aware of the mechanisms governing the functioning of translation in the social and cultural sphere;
- is aware of the fact that translation traditions are not uniform in all countries and cultures;
- understands specific requirements and restraints connected with poetry translation;
- understands the purposes and principles of translation criticism;
- understands the influence of publishers (and of patronage) on the shape and distribution of translations;
- appreciates the role of translators in constructing cultures;
- discerns the craft and the art in translation work;
- is able to point out translational achievements and to substantiate his or her appreciation thereof;
- formulates individual reflection on translational issues and is able to draw on the literature of the subject for support or to refute an established view;
- is able to make research concerning the history and functioning of translation and to share the findings.
Assessment criteria
Credit is given on basis of: regular attendance, participation in in-class discussions; presentations; usually: a final short interview (may not be necessary: it depends on the number of course participants and their contributions to regular classes; a presentation does not automatically exempt a student from the interview).
Should the circumstances prevent conducting face-to-face classes, the course will be taught in a distance mode, with the use of Zoom or other distance communication tools recommended by the University of Warsaw.
Practical placement
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Bibliography
Balcerzan E., Literatura z literatury (strategie tłumaczy), „Śląsk”, Katowice 1998.
Bassnett S., Translation Studies, Routledge, London – New York, 2002, 3rd ed.
Dedecius K., Notatnik tłumacza, trans. J. Prokop, WL, Kraków 1974.
Jędrzejko P., Paszkowski, Barańczak and the Question of Vanguard Translation of “Hamlet”, in: Klasyczność i awangardowość w przekładzie, ed. P. Fast, “Śląsk”, Katowice 1995, 69-90.
Kaźmierczak M., Translated literature: In and Out of the School Canon”, in: La voix du traducteur à l'école / The Translator's Voice at School 1 – Canons, ed. E. Skibińska, M. Heydel, N. Paprocka. «Vita Traductiva» 5.: Éditions québécoises de l’œuvre, Montréal 2015, 77–108.
Legeżyńska A., Tłumacz i jego kompetencje autorskie, PWN, Warszawa 1999, 2nd ed.
Mała encyklopedia przekładoznawstwa, ed. U. Dąmbska-Prokop, Wyd. Wyższej Szkoły Języków Obcych i Ekonomii, Częstochowa 2000.
Munday J., Introducing Translation Studies. Theories and Applications, Routledge, London – New York 2001.
Pisarska A., Tomaszkiewicz T., Współczesne tendencje przekładoznawcze, Wyd. Naukowe UAM, Poznań 1996.
Między oryginałem a przekładem, XVI: Strategie wydawców, strategie tłumaczy, ed. M. Filipowicz-Rudek, J. Brzozowski, Kraków 2010.
Siemek A., Dumając nad Boyem: przekład jako wizja obowiązkowa, Literatura na Świecie 1999 no. 12, 237-244.
Specialised journals: Przekładaniec, Literatura na Świecie; Babel, Meta, Target.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: