Admission requirements
Students should be sufficiently proficient in English and Dutch. This course is part of the minor Translation and cannot be taken separately.
Description
‘Beautiful translations are like beautiful women, that is to say, they are not always the most faithful ones.’ Whatever one might think about this tongue in cheek comparison between beautiful women and beautiful translations by the British literary critic and cultural philosopher George Steiner, this quotation may serve as an illustration of the debate on free versus literal translations that has dominated the world of translation for centuries. Translation theorists, critics and, of course, translators themselves have been occupied with the problem of whether a translator should translate literally or freely. But what do we actually understand by literal and free translations? This is just one of the many fascinating questions that we will be discussing throughout the course. The course covers a wide range of issues and debates in translation studies and aims to provide students with an overview of the history of translation studies, different translation theories and various approaches to translating. Some translators claim that they do not need to know anything about translation studies or theories, just as you do not need to know anything about an engine to be able to drive a car. On the other hand, one might argue that if translators are more aware of the different choices they have when making a translation – whether it be a novel, a poem or a legal document – they will be able to produce a better translation. That is why this course does not only focus on translation theory as such; in tutorials, we will also apply various methods and approaches to different texts.
Course objectives
Knowledge of the most important translation theories and areas of applied translation studies
Ability to critically reflect on different translation theories
Ability to apply the methods and strategies discussed in some of these theories
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Assessment method
Assessment
- Written examination with closed questions and short open questions
Weighing
- Written examination with closed questions and short open questions (100%)
Resit
If the final grade is below 6, students have to do a resit. The resit will consist of a written examination with short open questions (100%).
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
- J. Munday (2022). Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. London & New York: Routledge. This course book (5th edition) can be purchased at bookstores or online. It is also available as an ebook.
Additional reading materials will be made available on Brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about MyStudyMap is available on the website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
Not applicable.