A study of the issues which arise in the process of translating literary texts. Various genres will be studied, including poetry and drama with their particular problems of cross-language and cross-cultural transfer. Using English as our working language, we shall investigate the linguistic process of translation, and examine and where possible compare renderings into English of well-known works of literature, while trying to establish criteria by which to appraise them. The School of Language Studies with the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies and the Faculty of Asian Studies together offer a wide range of languages, and some staff members who contribute to this course are well known as literary translators. 

There is no exam in this course. Assessment is by means of three major assignments (1500 words, 1200 words, 1200 words) and a number of short items for tutorial (10%) and seminar purposes. The latter may include a short presentation. The major assignments, due in Weeks 5, 8 and 12 will together comprise the bulk of the weighting (30% each).  Assignment work will be informed by reading in the field of Translation Studies.

Hours of private study required will depend on the student's level of skill and command of languages at commencement, but may be expected to be in the range of 6 to 10 hours per week on average throughout the semester.

In 2009 this course is offered in compressed form. The contact hours will all be held in Weeks 1 to 5.

Adequate knowledge of one of the languages taught at ANU, or of a language not taught at ANU, with the approval of the Co-ordinator.

Jeremy Munday, Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications, London and New York, 2001/2008.

Mona Baker (ed.), The Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation, London, 1997: P306.E57 1998

E. Cary, Comment faut-il traduire, 1986: P306.C313 1985

Alexander Fraser Tytler, Essay on the Principles of Translation, New York, 1970: PN241.W6 1978

Basil Hatim and Ian Mason, The Translator as Communicator, London, 1997: P306.H38 1997

Eva Hoffman, Lost in translation: a life in a new language, New York, 1989: E184.J5H63 1989

Douglas R. Hofstadter, Le Ton beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language, New York, 1997:               P306 H63 1997

Meanjin, Vol. 64, No. 4, 2005 (Special translation issue). PR9600.M4

Georges Mounin, Les problèmes théoriques de la traduction, Paris, 1963: P306.M66

Jeremy Munday, Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications, London, 2001/2008:

                P305.M865 2001

Eugene A. Nida, The Theory and Practice of Translation, Leiden, 1969: BS450.N55

Peter Newmark, A Textbook of Translation, New York, 1988: P306.N474 1988

B. Raffel, The Art of Translating Poetry, Philadelphia, 1988: PN1059.T7 R34 1988

George Steiner, After Babel: Aspects of language and translation, 2nd ed., Oxford, 1992: P306.S7

Lawrence Venuti, The Translator's Invisibility: A history of translation, London & New York, 1995:                P306.2.V46 1995

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