**This module is not running in 2021-22.**

This module is also open to any MA student with adequate knowledge of a modern or classical language.

Convenor: Dr Chantal Wright.

Term 2. NB: This module begins in Week One.

Please see the Library's Talis Aspire reading list system for the up-to-date reading list.

This is a core workshop module for MALTS students and will normally run in alternate years, subject to instructor availability.

This module is also open to any MA student with adequate knowledge of a modern or classical language; students from MAEL, MAW, MAWL, the MA in Translation and Cultures, the MA in Philosophy and the Arts and others are all welcome. Please contact the convenor if you have any questions about whether this module is appropriate for you.

Overview

This module is a workshop in which students will produce translations of already translated and canonical texts – classical and modern – and experiment with translational norms and forms. The workshop will be framed by discussion prompted by theoretical readings that will aid students in the critical assessment of their own translational practice. The course will focus on literary translation as creative (re-)writing in two respects: we will first consider why we translate and re-translate, exploring why individual translators and cultures as a whole undertake (re-)translations, how (re-)translation can contribute to the “afterlife” of a text, and how translation can be harnessed by the translator for the expression of his or her creative voice. Secondly, we will look at experimentation in translation, examining the boundary between translation and creative writing, and investigating the relationship between constraint and creativity.

By the end of the module, students will have developed practical literary translation skills, including editorial skills; the ability to establish a conceptual and practical framework for the production of literary translations; an appreciation of the purpose and value of re-translation, and of experimentation in translation; and a critical understanding of the relationship between literary translation and creative writing.

Assessment

Students will submit a portfolio of 50% literary translation and 50% essay. In consultation with the convenor, the proportion of translation and essay can be adjusted in cases where poetry forms a substantial part of the portfolio. The total word length of the final portfolio will depend on the student’s "home" MA programme and pathway through it. MALTS students will submit a portfolio of 6,000 words. The preferred referencing style for this module is Harvard, in line with subject norms for Translation Studies. MALTS students will be required to use Harvard style; students from other programmes may choose to use Harvard but are also welcome to use the preferred referencing style for their home programme if this is mandated or if they feel more comfortable doing so. Consistency and accuracy in the application of a referencing system are ultimately more important than whether a student uses Harvard, MLA, MHRA or any other commonly used referencing system.