AJ59012 Topics in Translation B

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2008
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Renata Kamenická, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Daniela Sobková Zounková (lecturer)
Ing. Lucie Šnytová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. Tomáš Kačer, Ph.D.
Timetable
Fri 3. 10. 10:00–11:35 G21, Fri 17. 10. 10:00–11:35 G21, Fri 7. 11. 10:00–11:35 G21, Fri 21. 11. 10:00–11:35 G21, Fri 5. 12. 10:00–11:35 G21
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Main objective of the course: the students will become aware of theoretical concepts and trained in practical skills useful in professional work of a translator and in related fields. These aspects include the cultural function of translation, practical editorial issues, differences in language situations etc.
The course offers theoretical background as well as practical experience in translational activites. In addition to practical translating of various types of texts (both fiction and non-fiction), the students will be asked to compare published translations (often in more versions) with their respective originals.
The course focuses on the function of translation in various communicational situations, stressing those aspects that prove the active participation of translation and translators in shaping the public cultural, political, and social space. These include, among others, the very choice of texts (and their particular versions) for translation, cultural and political implications, problems of constituting a history (and even bibliography) of translation, bordedline cases of translatability, reflection of translation by the public, examples of publicly discussed texts/issues etc.
Syllabus
  • Chpaters from the history of translation: its beginnings; its functions at the dawn of Czech literature and later on; reflection of translation; political pressures, banned and "undercover" translators
  • Assignments: at-home translation; review of a selected literary translation.
  • Translation in contemporary world: professional vs. non-professional; literary vs. non-literary; translation as product, translation market; translation from English vs. into English; languages in the EU; text types and their frequence on the market; publishers' policies.
  • Assignments: at-home translation; proof-reading of an assigned translation of non-fiction.
  • Translation and the Internet development of the concept of authorship; collective and community authorship; open source projects, wiki; internet as a source of factual information for translators, text corpora, internet as a source of texts for research in translation.
  • Assignments: at-home translation; comparison of subsequent versions of a selected translated article from Wikipedia.
  • Borderline instances of tranlsation, the "translatability argument": culturally specific literary forms (from limerick to comic strip) and language variants (slang, rhyming slang); very short texts (titles, subtitles, public announcements, slogans, anecdotes); language and play (language games, cryptic crossword puzzles; puns and play on words); the meaning of nonsense.
  • Assignments: at-home translation; 5 cryptic crossword puzzle clues; finding examples in fiction.
Literature
  • MOUNIN, Georges. Teoretické problémy překladu. Translated by Milada Hanáková. Vyd. 1. Praha: Karolinum, 1999, 263 s. ISBN 807184733X. info
  • VENUTI, Lawrence. The scandals of translation : towards an ethics of difference. 1st pub. New York: Routledge, 1998, vii, 210. ISBN 0415169305. info
  • LEVÝ, Jiří. České teorie překladu : vývoj překladatelských teorií a metod v české literatuře. Edited by Jiří Honzík. Vyd. 2. (rozdělené do dvou. Praha: Ivo Železný, 1996, 323 s. ISBN 8023729527. info
  • LECERCLE, Jean-Jacques. Philosophy of nonsense : the intuitions of Victorian nonsence literature. London: Routledge, 1994, viii, 245. ISBN 0-415-07653-6. info
  • Rethinking translation : discourse, subjectivity, ideology. Edited by Lawrence Venuti. London: Routledge, 1992, xi, 235 s. ISBN 0-415-06050-8. info
  • PECHAR, Jiří. Otázky literárního překladu. 1. vyd. Praha: Československý spisovatel, 1986, 87 s. URL info
Assessment methods
Combined studies: scheduled contact hours during the semester, plus individual work based on assignments and literature.
Assessment: final tranlsation with analysis/commentary.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 5x2.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2009.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2008/AJ59012