AJ29081 Song Lyrics in Translation

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2005
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Simona Javůrková (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
Mon 16:20–18:15 32
Prerequisites
seminar Introduction to Translation
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Song lyrics are sometimes called the poetry of the modern age as for many young people a good text is as close as they get to a poem. The best authors of lyrics do use language to open up the reality in new and interesting ways - however, in songs the text always lives in relation to music. Translating song lyrics is thus an extremely challenging task - in this seminar we will look at songs of different genres (jazz, R&B, rock, hiphop, folk, musical..) and attempt to re-create them in Czech. If we accept the fact that the "ideal solution" will hardly be reached, we can enjoy the search. Also, we will examine the tradition and current practice of translating song lyrics into Czech.
Syllabus
  • W1 Introduction * the history of singing; tradition of lyrics translation; different approaches and strategies of lyrics translation; basic rules; example: Singing in the Rain (Gene Kelly) /Zpívání v dešti (Jiří Korn) W2 Beatles: Yesterday a warming up song with a straightforward melody; a love song classic * role of tradition, norms and expectations in lyrics translation (Czech versions of Pavel Novák and Jaromír Mayer) W3 U2: Stuck In A Moment You Cant Get Out Of a more complex text opening more interpretations * consistency of interpretation; role of the factual background (how/why was the text written, for whom, in reaction to what) W4 South Park: I Can Change (sang by Saddam Hussein) a political parody * dealing with political issues, parody, humour and hyperbole in lyrics translation; expressive language in song lyrics; a text in interaction with visual representation W5 Dan Bárta: On My Head a teen hit song * motivation for singing in English for Czech audiences; searching for meaning W6 Easter Holiday W7 Nick Cave: Henry Lee a horror ballad duet * a song as an epic story; song lyrics as a dialogue of two singers; balladic features alluding to folk songs tradition W8 Lauryn Hill: Everything Is Everything a hiphop social awareness song * social criticism in song lyrics; cultural context; how to deal with rhythm in English texts (rap, hiphop) W9 Hush Little Baby an English lullaby * translating songs for childern; cross-cultural comparison (the role of tradition and expectations again) W10 Evita: Rainbow High a song from a musical * characteristic features of the genre; names and culture-bound expressions in song lyrics; songs in interaction W11 Friends a notorious TV song * lyrics in service advertising, politics, signature tunes W12 The Smiths: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out a slightly different love song * balance between the serious and the ironic; minority texts W13 Conclusion? finishing students presentations Monty Python: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (a text for final translation)
Assessment methods (in Czech)
credit - translations from the seminars, presentations, class participation; exam - final translation plus analysis.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/course/view.php?id=385
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2005, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2005/AJ29081