Admission Requirements
None.
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 ewe 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
At the end of the course, you should be familiar with a number of the most important translation theories and areas of applied translation studies. You should be able to critically reflect on different translation theories and apply the methods and strategies discussed in some of these theories.
Timetable
The timetable will be available from July 1 onwards on the Department website. Timetable
Mode of Instruction
One two-hour seminar per week.
Assessment
Class paper; class participation
Blackboard
This course is supported by Blackboard.
Reading list
An Introduction to Translation Studies. Blackboard
Munday, Jeremy. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. London/New York: Routledge, latest edition.
Registration
Students can register through uSis.
Contact information
English Department, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103c. Phone: 071 527 2144, or mail: english@hum.leidenuniv.nl