English 5380-001 (Special Topics in Literary Studies: Translation Theory—A Workshop) with Dr. Curtis Bauer will be a combination seminar/ workshop in which we will read and discuss translation theory and then put it to practice by translating literary texts from a foreign language into English, preferably by living, breathing authors. This course is extremely important for anyone interested in language, literature and an education in the arts because it will heighten your awareness of basic grammatical, syntactical and phonological nuances, as well as a writer’s craft, literary tradition and contemporary literary contexts. Literature in its original language is not a static, fixed entity whereby the translator need only extract its core and carry it over into the new language. Nor is the work as it enters the new language arriving at a fixed destination. It is more like a moving target, constantly subject to change in whichever stage of transformation it may currently occupy. Translations deaden over time, because they are marked by the literary conventions of their translators. It is our job to give literature in another language life in English. It is recommended that students bring some knowledge of a second language to the course. Assignments will include several short papers, the translation of a contemporary literary text and a final essay. You will be encouraged to publish your translations at the end of this course. The course may count toward graduate credit in the Comparative Literature Program.
