Linguistic and extralinguistic factors in translation - MA Seminar 4 3301-JSS4PIS
The seminar will provide an opportunity for students to expand their interests in and knowledge on translation studies. Classes will cover a variety of translation problems, ranging from those related to technical texts to those related to literary texts. In this way it is possible for every participant to choose the subject of their MA thesis that is most suitable for them. The topics discussed in the class include:
- Introducing the history of translation studies. Translation practice and attitudes towards translation formulated before the 20th century - 'word for word' vs. 'sense for sense'
- The 'word for word' vs. 'sense for sense' opposition revisited. E. Nida's formal and dynamic equivalence. How to measure dynamic equivalence in translated advertisements and humour?
- Translation strategies according to Vinay and Darbelnet: how to decide which strategy is right?
- What is the difference between necessary and unnecessary additions and omissions? Is it bad to add the translator's interpretation to the text? Various views on explicit and implicit communication (Grice, Relevance Theory, Translation Studies)
- What are the possible reasons for translating a Christmas pudding recipe and how does it affect translation strategies - a functional view on translation.
- Text parameters: coherence, cohesion, loose vs. dense texture, intertextuality. How to translate the film title 'Spy hard' into Polish?
- How to translate a badly written text - covert vs. overt translation. Source vs. target language conventions in non-literary texts (manuals, scientific articles, legal contracts, etc.)
- How should translation norms be established? Is it a contradiction in terms to speak about translation norms in a non-prescriptive approach to translation? Polysystem theory and Descriptive Translation Studies.
- The role of ideology, patronage, censorship: what gets and what does not get translated.
- What are the limits of the translator's freedom (if any)? What are the accepted standards of film translation and literary translation?
- Does 'domestication' mean that you replace British Rail with PKP (and foreignization that you do not)? On the deeper sense of Venuti's concepts and how they affect translator's invisibility.
- Translation errors, their possible reasons and consequences.
- What makes for real or apparent untranslatability - differences between languages or differences between how people interpret information in various communities? Language meaning vs. pragmatic meaning. Translating texts whose interpretation is non-literal (metaphor, irony, sarcasm).
- Cognitive foundations of translation studies: American cognitivism and Relevance Theory.
The list of topics given above may be altered or extended according to students' needs. Students are assessed on the basis of their class participation, presentations, and progress in writing their MA theses.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
In terms of knowledge, students enhance their familiarity with translation theories and with translation studies methodology.
In terms of skills, students practise analysing written and audiovisual texts for the sake of finding potential translation challenges and factors affecting the translator's decisions. They also develop a skill to find a suitable explanation for the problem encountered in texts as well as to assess translational strategies/techniques critically using theoretical approaches.
In terms of social competences, student develop their ability to conduct discussions on translational problems. They also learn to look at a translated text as an act of communication, expressing a set of implications to a recipient, with both the original author and the translator acting as sources of these implications.
EFL at the level B2+.
Knowledge:
The student has advanced knowledge of:
- terminology used in theoretical and applied linguistics;
- research methods applied in English linguistics;
- translation theories; the student is aware that translation is a complex process;
- designing research in linguistics, especially with research methods and tools promoting original and innovative studies;
- legal issues concerning intellectual property and copyright;
Skills:
The student is able to
- use advanced linguistics terminology;
- apply linguistics research methods;
- present research results in a spoken and written form;
- use analytical skills to design and conduct their own research, which involves formulating a research problem and finding an adequate method;
Social competences
The student is aware that his/her knowledge is socially useful and can be applied for building group bonds.
Bibliography
The list below includes only selected general materials on translation studies. Other sources will be recommended to students in accordance with MA topics chosen.
Baker, M. (ed.). 1998. Routlege encyclopedia of translation studies.
Hatim, B. 2001. Teaching and researching translation. Longman.
Hatim, B. & J. Munday. 2005. Translation: An Advanced Resource Book, Routlege.
Munday, J. 2001. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. Routledge.
Venuti, L. (ed.). 2000. The translation studies reader. Routledge.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: