Introduction to Translation Studies

This course will introduce students to the principal ways in which translation has been practiced and theorized in the Western tradition. We will consider, cultural, literary and philosophical theories of translation, as well as the role of translation and translators in today's globalized world. Topics covered will include: translation in the context of postcolonialism, globalization and immigration; the translation of children’s literature; subbing and dubbing in film and television, including fansubbing; translation and ecology; translation and justice; machine translation; linguistic rights; debates about mono- versus plurilingualism. We will also consider, less extensively, the place of interpreting (i.e. oral translation primarily in legal and medical settings). Specialists from the New York area will come to speak about current needs and challenges in the field of community interpreting. On the literary level, we will examine the role played by foreign languages (and translation) in the creative process of contemporary writers. We will read a number of “language memoirs,” narratives that recount the authors’ complex and sometimes agonized relation to acquiring a second language (Eva Hoffman, Xiaolu Guo, Alice Kaplan et al). For one of the assignments you will write the beginning of your own language history. We will also read and study in depth Brian Friel’s play Translations. This play is about the replacement of Irish (Gaelic) place names with English names as a result of an ordnance survey in the early 18th century. The course aims to help students improve their translation skills by translating (mostly literature) from your second language (your L2, as the linguists call it) into English, by critically assessing published translations, and by evaluating each other’s' translations-in-progress (including one of the professor's). There will be a number of guest lecturers (translators, editors, writers, interpreters, etc). 

Prerequisite for the course: Intermediate or advanced level proficiency in any language other than English. This course is a foundational and required course for students wishing to complete a Translation Studies Minor.