Lang 5250 / Hnrs 4900: Practice & Theory of Literary Translation, Spring 2008, Dr. Jeffrey Angles, Western Michigan University

Foreign Languages 5250 (CRN 15325)
Honors 4900 (CRN 16384)

The Practice & Theory of Literary Translation

Dr. Jeffrey Angles (jeffrey.angles@wmich.edu)

Spring 2008 / W 4:00-6:20 pm / 2209 Dunbar Hall

Office Hours: TR 12:00-1:00 pm or by appointment

Office: 518 Sprau Tower / Tel. No.: 269-387-3044

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~jangles/courses/2008spring/lang5250

Spatial Poem No. 1 (1965)
By SHIOMI Mieko

Image from Alexandra Munroe, Japanese Art After 1945:
Scream Against the Sky (NY: Harry N. Abrams, 1994) 235.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

· Introduction

· Goals of the Class

· Grading

· On Individual Project Presentations

· On Internet Participation

· Required Texts

· Additional Notes

· Course Readings & Schedule

· Make-Ups / Late Work

· Academic Integrity

· Other Recommended Reading

INTRODUCTION

Translation has played a critical role in the development of literature throughout history. These influences are rarely one-sided, however. One could point to the tremendous influence of translations of French and Belgian symbolist poetry on Japanese poets such as Kitahara Hakushū (1885-1942) as well as the profound impact of translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry on Western imagists such as Ezra Pound (1885-1972) to show that translations have played a critical role in spurring new literary movements all over the world.

Theories of translation and the role of the translator, however, have changed significantly over time. At times, translators have been seen as little more than middlemen pouring words from the vessel of one language to the vessel of another; however, this view neglects the enormous role that the translator plays in shaping the text. The translator is typically faced with the question of whether to modify the world of the text in order to make it accessible to the target culture or whether to attempt to bring the readers toward the culture that produced the text. How different translators respond to these issues has a large bearing on the ways that the target audience sees the world of the text and culture that produced it.

This seminar brings together students of multiple languages to talk about translation in both its theoretical and practical aspects. The course divides time evenly between discussion of theoretical writings on translation and discussion of the practical side of translation. During the theoretical discussion, class discussion will focus on articles about the kinds of bias that translators might bring to their text, the various possible modes for translating different sorts of texts, some of the ways that translation has shaped literary history, and the relationship between translation, nationalism, international representation, literary fame, gender, and representivity.

For the hours dedicated to the practical side of translation, students will be required to translate one brief text of their own choosing from another language into English. Each week, we will examine the progress of one or two students, discuss the problems of translating from his or her particular language, the textual issues raised by the act of translation, and practical approaches to address these issues. In this way, the seminar couples discussion of the issues inherently raised by translation with a concrete exploration of the nuts and bolts of the act of translation itself. Living in our postmodern world of rapid globalization, these issues have significant implications for our daily lives.

GOALS OF THE CLASS:

· To examine the implications of translation, as both as art and as an act of writing, especially in relation to issues of authority, power, canonization, gender, and globalization.

· To provide a survey of the burgeoning field of translation studies.

· To create a forum in which students can work on an individual translation project of their own choosing.

· To create a cross-linguistic environment in which students from different linguistic backgrounds can discuss the challenges of translating from their particular language.

GRADING:

· 30% Two short take-home essay questions (5-7 pp. each)

· 20% Presentations on status and problems of individual research project

· 20% Final status of translation project

· 20% Final exam

· 10% Participation in internet discussion

The instructor promises to have graded essays and other materials to students within two weeks after students submitted their work.

ON PRESENTATIONS REGARDING INDIVIDUAL PROJECT:

· Beginning in the late part of the second week, approximately half of the class time of each class period will be dedicated to student presentations on status and problems of their individual translation project.

· Each student should expect to report to the class on their project twice or three times per semester, depending on the size of the class.

· When presenting, students should bring copies of the following for all students.

· (1) a copy of one original passage from the text being translated

· (2) a translation that is as literal as possible

· (3) a more polished, "finished" translation

· (4) a list of problems, difficulties, and issues encountered in translating the passage.

· The class will work through the passage with the presenter, discussing the problems encountered, the readability of the translation, and other various issues as they arise.

ON INTERNET PARTICIPATION:

In order to facilitate discussion about the reading assignments, all students should post a reaction and/or question regarding the reading assignments each week, starting in the second week. The questions should be submitted to the course discussion list by 1:00 pm the day of the day of class. Students can submit questions regarding the content of the essays, the historical context, the biases of the writer(s), problems of the argument, points that the writer(s) do not cover sufficiently, and so on.

How to post a question to the discussion boards of WebCT Vista:

· Go to http://gowmu.wmich.edu & enter your user name & password.

· Click on "My E-Learning Through Vista."

· Click on "HNRS 4900."

· Click on "Discussions" on the left side of the page. (This may appear as an icon of a push pin.)

· Click on week for which you want to write a comment.

· Click on “Create message.”

· Write your comments or questions for the week.

· When finished, click "post."

TEXTBOOKS:

Required:

· Lawrence VENUTI, ed., The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed (NY: Routledge, 2004).

· Douglas H. ROBINSON, Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2003).

Recommended:

· David MACEY, Dictionary of Critical Theory (NY: Penguin, 2000).

· Also, we will be reading some essays from Jeremy MUNDAY, Introducing Translation Studies (London: Routledge, 2001), from Susan BASSNETT and Harish TRIVEDI (eds.), Post-colonial Translation: Theory and Practice, (London: Routledge, 1999), and from Lawrence VENUTI, The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference (NY: Routledge, 1998). These are available free of charge over the internet through WestCat (WMU Library System). To access the books electronically, go to www.wmich.edu/library and search for the name of the book. Click on “An electronic book accessible through the WWW.” If you are off-campus, you will need to put in your user name and password (the same ones you use to access GoWMU and your e-mail). Use the tools in the middle of the page and the top of the page to navigate to the correct section.

· We will read other assorted other essays that will be made available via WebCT Vista. Those essays are included in the schedule below in blue text. To sign onto WebCT Vista, following the following steps.

· Go to gowmu.wmich.edu and sign on with your user name and password.

· Click on “My E-Learning WebCT Vista.”

· Click on the entry for “HNRS 4900.”

· Click on “Course readings.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

· All students should have completed or be currently enrolled in a 3000-level foreign language course or have prior permission of the instructor.

· The instructor has designed this course on the assumption that students do not necessarily read the languages of all the other students in the course. The goal is to gain experience with the historical status of the idea of translation, the social meaning of translation, and the nuts and bolts of embarking upon a translation in your area of expertise.

COURSE READINGS & SCHEDULE (Subject to change):

Please complete the readings BEFORE coming to class.

Readings listed below in blue are available on the internet.

WEEK 1 (Jan 9)

· Introduction to the course

· General discussion of translation

· Determine dates for individual presentations

WEEK 2 (Jan 16)

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 1: External Knowledge: The User’s View,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 6-20.

· JEROME, “Letter to Pammachius,” trans. Kathleen Davis, The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed., ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 21-30.

· John DRYDEN, "On Translation," Theories of Translation: An Anthology of Essays from Dryden to Derrida, ed. Rainer Schulte and John Biguenet (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992) 17-31.

· Nobuyuki YUASA, "Translating 'The Sound of Water' Different Versions of a Hokku by Basho," The Translator's Art: Essays in Honour of Betty Radice, ed. William Radice and Barabara Reynolds (London: Penguin, 1987) 231-240.

· Hiroaki SATO, "Chapter 7: One Hundred Frogs," One Hundred Frogs (NY: Weatherhill, 1983) 147-75.

WEEK 3 (Jan 23)

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 2: Internal Knowledge: The Translator’s View,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 22-45.

· Friedrich SCHLEIERMACHER, "On the Different Methods of Translating," trans. Susan Bernofsky, The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed., ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 43-63.

· Johann Wolfgang von GOETHE, "Translations," trans. Sharon Sloan, The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed., ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 64-66.

· Presentations by Jake Tardani & Abdullah Shehabat

WEEK 4 (Jan 30)

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 4: The Process of Translation,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 84-95.

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 5: Experience,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 98-110.

· Presentations by Ingie Zakaria & Lauren Carney

WEEK 5 (Feb 6)

· Walter BENJAMIN, "The Task of the Translator," trans. Harry Zohn, The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed., ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 75-85.

· Roman JAKOBSON, "On Linguistic Aspects of Translation," The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed., ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 138-43.

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 8: Languages,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 141-58.

· RECOMMENDED READING: Entries on “signs” and “Benjamin, Walter” in Dictionary of Critical Theory.

· Presentation by Paul Roehsner

WEEK 6 (Feb 13):

Prof. Angles will be in Washington DC, so there will be no class, but please read the following.

· Jose Ortega Y GASSET, "The Misery and Splendor of Translation," Theories of Translation: An Anthology of Essays from Dryden to Derrida, ed. Rainer SCHULTE and John BIGUENET (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992) 93-112.

· Vladimir NABOKOV, "Problems of Translation: Onegin in English," The Translation Studies Reader, 2nd ed., ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 115-27.

WEEK 7 (Feb 20)

· Essay No. 1 due in class.

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 10: Cultures,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 185-206.

· George STEINER, "The Hermeneutic Motion," The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti (London: Routledge, 2004) 193-99.

· Antoine BERMAN, “Translation and the Trials of the Foreign,” trans. Lawrence Venuti, The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti (London: Routledge, 2004) 276-89.

· RECOMMENDED READING: Entry on “Steiner, George” in Dictionary of Critical Theory.

· Presentation by Spencer Lenfield

WEEK 8 (Feb 27)

· Leslie BARY, "Oswald de Andrade's 'Cannibalist Manifesto,'" Latin American Literary Review 19: 38 (July-December 1991): pp. 35-47. —> This reading will be made available on WebCT as a PDF.

· Susan BASSNETT and Harish TRIVEDI, "Introduction: Of Colonies, Cannibals, and Vernaculars," Post-colonial Translation: Theory and Practice, ed. Susan BASSNETT and Harish TRIVEDI (London: Routledge, 1999) , pp. 1-19. —> This reading will be made available on WebCT as a PDF.

· Else Ribeiro Pires VIEIRA, “Liberating Calibans: Readings of Antropofagia and Haroldo de Campos’ Poetics of Transcreation,” Post-colonial Translation: Theory and Practice, ed. Susan BASSNETT and Harish TRIVEDI (London: Routledge, 1999) , pp. 95-113. —> This reading will be made available on WebCT as a PDF.

· Gayatri Chakravorty SPIVAK, “The Politics of Translation,” The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004), pp. 369-388.

· RECOMMENDED READING: Entries on “postcolonialism” and “Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty” in Dictionary of Critical Theory.

· Presentations by Kurumi Hotchi & Jordan Hochstetler

WEEK 9 (Mar 5) SPRING BREAK

WEEK 10 (Mar 12)

· Douglas ROBINSON, “Chapter 11: When Habit Fails,” Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation (NY: Routledge, 2002) 207-22.

· Annie BRISSET, "The Search for a Native Language: Translation and Cultural Identity," trans. Rosalind Gill and Roger Gannon, The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 337-368.

· Sherry SIMON, “Translating and Interlingual Creation in the Contact Zone: Borderwriting in Quebec,” Post-colonial Translation: Theory and Practice, ed. Susan BASSNETT and Harish TRIVEDI (London: Routledge, 1999) , pp. 58-74. —> This reading is available free-of-charge online. See instructions above in textbooks section.

· Presentations by Abdullah Shehabat

WEEK 11 (Mar 19)

· Essay No. 2 due in class. Please include the original language and the translation you discuss.

· Lori CHAMBERLAIN, "Gender and the Metaphorics of Translation," The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 314-330.

· Keith HARVEY, “Translation Camp Talk: Gay Identities and Culture Transfer,” The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti (NY: Routledge, 2004) 402-22.

· RECOMMENDED READING: Entries on “feminism,” “feminist criticism,” and “queer” in Dictionary of Critical Theory.

· Presentations by Spencer Lenfield & Ingie Zakaria

WEEK 12 (Mar 26)

· Lawrence VENUTI, "Introduction" and "Chapter 1: Heterogeny," The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference (NY: Routledge, 1998) 1-30. —> This reading is available free-of-charge online. See instructions above in textbooks section.

· Presentation by Jake Tardani

WEEK 13 (Apr 2)

· Lawrence VENUTI, "Chapter 4: The Formation of Cultural Identities" and “Chapter 8: Globalization,” The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference (NY: Routledge, 1998) 47-87 and 158-189.

· Presentations by Kurumi Hotchi & Jordan Hochstetler

WEEK 14 (Apr 9)

· Special class session: Guest speaker Vyacheslav Kupriyanov (Russian poet) and Dasha Nisula (translator) giving talk on the 10th floor of Sprau Tower.

· Lawrence VENUTI, "Chapter 8: Globalization," The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference (NY: Routledge, 1998).

WEEK 15 (Apr 16)

· Lawrence VENUTI, "Chapter 5: The Pedagogy of Literature,” The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference (NY: Routledge, 1998).

· Presentations by Lauren Carney & Paul Roehsner.

WEEK 16: FINAL EXAM WEEK.

· Final project due in Prof. Angles’ mailbox (central office in the 4th floor of Sprau Tower) on Monday, April 21 at 5:00 pm.

· Final exam at Wednesday, April 23 at 5:00 pm in the regular classroom. NOTE THIS IS NOT THE REGULAR TIME FOR THE CLASS, but the time the registrar has scheduled for us.

MAKE-UPS / LATE WORK:

· If you have to miss a test, please contact the professor ahead of time to make other arrangements.

· If you miss a test because of illness, calamities in the family, and so on, you will need to provide documentation. You should try to make up the test within a calendar week.

· Every day that an essay or homework is late, the grade will be drop by 25%, provided that there are no extenuating circumstances. If a paper is four or more days late, then the work will not be accepted.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

· You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate (pp. 274-276) [Graduate (pp. 25-27)] Catalog that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.

· At the end of all essays, include a bibliography citing all sources you have used, including sources on the internet.