Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2014 - WL 404W D900

Literature and Translation (4)

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 2 – Dec 1, 2014: Wed, Fri, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Prerequisites:

    60 units including two 300 level courses in World Literature, English, or Humanities.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores the translation of texts into new cultural contexts, their reception, and the theory and practice of literary translation. May compare several texts or focus on a single work that has been reconceived in several cultures. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

Translation in the Void: Literature, Performance, and the Voyage of Meaning  

The word translation is carried over from the Latin – its root meaning is “to bear across” – only what happens to language when it is in transit? This course blends literary works with academic explorations of the meaning and theory of translation, and in so doing, interrogates how cultural understandings morph from text to text, and language to language.    

But language is also intrinsic to us: we are used to putting our feelings and imaginings into words, or “feel” that we understand people from the look on their face or their gestures. So, too, we “know” how to respond to music, dance, or images, and can speak meaningfully about them. By thinking about World Literature as a system of potentially competing translations both inside and outside of language, we become better placed to ask questions about textual transferences between the self and other, and the collectivity of cultures making up our world.  

Works to be discussed include Kourouma’s brilliant & biting novel, Allah is not Obliged (itself moving between Malinké, French, and now English), and classic examples of ancient and modern verse. As a way of extending the range of our scholarly encounters with the idea of translation, we will also work with paintings, images, performance pieces, and films, as well as Anosh Irani’s play, Bombay Black.  

NB: This is a writing intensive course. Students are invited to refine their prose while deepening their understanding of the essay form – assignments will be rewritten for higher standing.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Understanding of the role of translation in world literature
  • Comprehension of the theory and concepts of translation studies
  • Proficiency in comparing translations across different aesthetic media
  • Ability to track how texts encode “ecological” or embodied experience

Grading

  • Participation and attendance 15%
  • Group project: translating the image 10%
  • Short paper and rewrite 20%
  • Midterm 20%
  • Term paper (and proposal) and rewrite 35%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Texts provided:
[Essays & Excerpts] Susan Bassnett (from Translation Studies) / MLA handbook
Lawrence Venuti (“Scandals of Translation” & “Invisibility”),
Emily Apter (“Nothing is Translatable” & “Everything is Translatable”),
Wang Ning (“Translating Modernity and (Re) Constructing World Literature”)
Sappho / Catullus / E. Pound / T. S. Eliot / Anna Akhmatova / Zbigniew Herbert

FILMS:
Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alain Resnais) / In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar Wai) / Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambety)

REQUIRED READING:

NB: Students are responsible for acquiring these texts. Course books will NOT be available at SFU Bookstore – Ensure you order the correct editions 3 weeks before first class! The French version of Kouruma’s novel is optional – only if you read French.

Jeremy Munday, Introducing Translation Studies: Theories & Applications, 3rd edition / Routledge (2012) 978-0415584890
Ahmadou Kourouma, Allah is not Obliged, Vintage (2007) 978-0099433927 [and/or Allah n'est pas obligé / Points (Seuil) 978-2020525718]
Anosh Irani, The Bombay Plays, Playwrights Canada Press (2007) 978-0887545603

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS