Communicative competence in English at C1 level or above.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify and discuss key theoretical perspectives in the field of literary translation;
• Critically review literary translations and case-studies pertaining to women’s writing and popular detective fiction;
• Apply established theories and strategies to their own translations of literary texts;
• Reflect on the translation process and common translation problems, and give peer-feedback on translations.

Debates in Literary Translation: Translating Women’s Writing from Ireland and Popular Crime Fiction

The course introduces students to critical debates in literary translation on aspects that include gender, feminist translation, self-translation, and the translation of popular literature such as crime fiction. The course furnishes students with both theoretical and practical tools to undertake literary translation projects. During the seminars, we will analyse theories of translation by scholars such as Gideon Toury, André Lefevere, Pascale Casanova, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Louise Von Flotow, and others. We will also review published translations, learn about approaches to translating genres such as women’s short stories and popular detective fiction, and practice translation of literary texts by British and Irish authors writing in those genres.

A): Literary extracts by British and Irish authors to translate: Mary Lavin, Elizabeth Bowen, Jan Carson, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Arthur Conan Doyle, L. T. Meade and Robert Eustance, Tana French. [AVAILABLE ON TEAMS]

(A); Chapters in: Venuti, Lawrence, ed. The Translation Studies Reader. Fourth Edition. Abingdon: Routledge, 2021. [AVAILABLE ON TEAMS & UNIMC Library]

• Chapter 19: Gideon Toury. “The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation”. 197-210.
• Chapter 21: André Lefevere. “Mother Courage’s Cucumbers: Text, System and Refraction in a Theory of Literature. 231-246.
• Chapter 22: Antoine Berman. “Translation and the Trials of the Foreign”. 247-260.
• Chapter 25: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. “The Politics of Translation.” 320-338.
• Chapter 29: Pascale Casanova. “Consecration and Accumulation of Literary Capital: Translation as Unequal Exchange”. 408-423.

(A): Chapters in Lahiri, Jhumpa. Translating Myself and Others. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2022. [AVAILABLE ON TEAMS]

• Chapter 4. “In Praise of Echo”. 44–59.
• Chapter 6. “Where I Find Myself: On Self-Translation”. 70–85.

(A): Chapter 1 and 2 in Von Flotow, Luise. Translation and Gender: Translating in the 'Era of Feminism'. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing, 1997. [AVAILABLE ON TEAMS]

(A): Chapters in Washbourne and Ben van Wyke, eds. The Routledge Handbook of Literary Translation. London: Routledge: 2019. [AVAILABLE ON TEAMS & UNIMC Library]

• Chapter 14. Amanda Hopkins and Karen Seago. “Crime Fiction”. 220–239.
• Chapter 23. Anthony Cordingley. “Self-translation”. 352–368.
• Chapter 24. Judith Woodsworth. “Writers as Translators”. 369–381.
• Chapter 30. Pilar Godayol. “Feminist Translation.” 468–481.

The course is taught entirely in English. Italian will be used as the target language for the translation exercises. Samples of literary texts to translate and any additional readings will be uploaded on the Teams channel for this course. A weekly schedule for the topics and readings will be illustrated at the beginning of the course and available on Teams. Students are kindly invited to regularly check Teams for materials and updates.

• Classes are partly lecture- and workshop-based and students will also be working in smaller groups on discussion and translation assignments. On a weekly basis, students are required to read an assigned text or complete a short translation exercise. Students are expected to come to class prepared to actively engage in a respectful academic discussion with their peers and their teacher. Attending regularly and preparing for class will allow students to get a head start for the final examinations.

  
  

• Assessment

  • Lettorato (Language Exam): 40%

  The language exam (lettorato) is worth 40% of the overall grade and will take place in Semester 2. These written tests are scheduled in the official examination sessions (usually May, September, and January).

  
  

  
  

  • Semi-structured Translation and Analysis Test: 30% (Prova scritta semi-strutturata di traduzione e analisi).

  In this two-hour written exam, students will translate a short literary extract (English to Italian) and will write a short commentary to their translation. This written test is scheduled in the official examination sessions (3 examinations during the year: May, September, and January).

   

  
  

  • Oral Exam: 30%

  The Oral Exam will consist of questions on selected mandatory readings.

   

  ***Further information on the structure and contents of the exams will be provided in due course and uploaded on the Teams channel for this course.*** 

The course is taught entirely in English. Italian will be used as the target language for the translation exercises.

English