Translation of texts of literature (C language) - French 3200-M2-1TLICF
The aim of the workshops is to study the specificity of literary translation and to develop the techniques and skills in the domain. Students analyse existing translations, broaden their knowledge of literary genres, conventions and devices, improve their skills by translating and proofreading their own texts, and discussing the applied solutions.
Student workload:
In class: 30 hours
Individual work for each class: ca 1 hour per week (total: 15 hours)
Preparation for the final test: 5 hours
Total: ca 50 hours.
TEACHING CONTENT:
- broadening the knowledge of translation strategies and techniques on the basis of existing translations;
- analysis of texts of different genres;
- the specificity of literary translation (e.g. problems of literalness, synonymy, idioms, intertextuality, cultural and historical references) and its impact on the appropriate choice of translation strategies and techniques;
- the limits of translatability;
- the question of free translation, compensation and paraphrase;
- the question of style (e.g. wordplay, metaphors, author’s individual style) and of pragmatics, as well as artistic devices specific for different types of literary texts, irony, humour, dialects, etc.;
- the notion of translation errors;
- choosing appropriate dictionaries, sources, and parallel and analogous texts;
- developing a professional attitude towards a mock commission and client.
TOPICS OF TRANSLATED TEXTS: short and longer literary and paraliterary texts: prose (novels, short stories, poetic prose, fables etc.), poetry, drama, as well as jokes or essays on different topics.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Exercises
- source text analysis (e.g. from the point of view of its aim, recipient, author intention, style, epoch, literary convention);
- translating literary and paraliterary texts and debating them in order to establish an optimal translation solution in relation to their specificity, function, and recipients;
- self-correction exercises.
If classroom learning is impossible, the workshop will be conducted with the help of distance communication tools, most probably Google Meet and others recommended by the University.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Term 2024Z: | Term 2023Z: |
Learning outcomes
After completing the course the student:
KNOWLEDGE:
- knows the appropriate translation strategies and techniques suitable for particular literary and paraliterary texts;
- recognises idioms and knows how to translate them;
- knows the principles of self-correction.
SKILLS:
- correctly qualifies text types;
- is more sensitive to specific stylistic devices;
- can analyse the pragmatic aspects of a text and choose his or her strategies or techniques accordingly;
- can select appropriate dictionaries, source texts and knows how to use them;
- skilfully translates literary and paraliterary texts;
- can justify his or her choices of strategies and techniques;
- knows how to prepare the correct graphical form of translated texts.
SOCIAL COMPETENCES:
- recognises the import of literary translation in contemporary culture;
- applies the principles of professional translator ethics
Assessment criteria
Ongoing evaluation based on:
- participation, attendence, and preparedness in class;
- timeliness;
- own work (e.g. preparing a set number of translations in a term, correcting them in accordance with the teacher’s remarks);
- satisfactory execution of other tasks set by the teacher;
- positive grades for all component tasks;
- final test.
Grading scale:
99%-100% - 5!
98%-91% - 5
90%-86% - 4,5
85%-76% - 4
75%-71% - 3,5
70%-60% - 3
less than 60% - 2 (fail)
Two absences allowed (if the number is exceeded, the student should ask the teacher for extra assignments; if the number of absences exceeds 50%, the student fails the course in accordance with the Rules of Study).
The rules of the re-sit test are the same as the end-of-term test.
Practical placement
-
Bibliography
There is no set reading for the workshop.
The publications used during the workshop are: mono- and bilingual dictionaries, lexicons and encyclopaedias, parallel and analogous texts, corpora.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: