Bachelor’s Degree Lecture:Selected aspects of Translation Studies and their application in a BA thesis

obligatory courses

Interest in translation matters and translation studies.

Competence in Polish – the necessary level is to be able to follow academic discourse of the humanities (C2 stipulated).

Awareness of basic concepts of translation studies will be helpful.

Classroom

The aim of the course is to help students interested in translation – irrespective of their particular working languages – to enhance their knowledge of the field and to undertake writing BA theses in the field of Translation Studies. The material encompasses: demonstrating a range of perspective from which a Translation Studies thesis can be written; indicating examples of research fields and of contexts conditioning translation and its analysis; presenting a number of analytical tools as well as signalising the existence of varied methodological options. The competence and tools needed by a student of translation are discussed. The questions connected with the proper formatting of the thesis and the use of source materials are also raised (inasmuch as the issues are language-independent).

The aim of the course is to help students interested in translation – irrespective of their particular working languages – to enhance their knowledge of the field and to undertake writing BA theses in the field of Translation Studies. The material encompasses: demonstrating a range of perspective from which a Translation Studies thesis can be written; indicating examples of research fields and of contexts conditioning translation and its analysis; presenting a number of analytical tools as well as signalising the existence of varied methodological options. The competence and tools needed by a student of translation are discussed. The questions connected with the proper formatting of the thesis and the use of source materials are also raised (inasmuch as the issues are language-independent).

The course is addressed to students with various language combinations and is based on multilingual material. When possible and relevant, it also extends beyond the written and the verbal-only of translation phenomena.

The course content encompasses:

1. A BA Thesis in the field of translation studies – its object and possible approaches to adopt.

2. Translation studies – fundamental notions (a revision)

3. Equivalence – a key notion for the field. Its criticism.

4. From translation series to comparative series. Research implications of the phenomenon of seriality.

5. Errors in translation – are they worth studying and how to classify them.

6. Translation criticism – selected models.

7. Comparative analyses of the original and translation(s) – examples of how to proceed.

8. Contextualising translation: cultural, biographical, sociological contexts, connections with other (non-verbal) semiotic codes.

9. Literature of the subject; working with sources and resources.

10. Formal aspects of thesis writing –general requirements of the Institute’s stylesheet (language-independent).

11. A polysemiotic text as an object of TS study – exemplified by song translation.

12. Intertextuality and translation.

13. Humour in translation.

14. Final test.

15. Recapitulation.

No reading assignments are part of credit requirements. The list below is a small selection of materials on which the lecture is based and which may serve as further reading.

Bednarczyk A., Kulturowe aspekty przekładu, Śląsk, Katowice 2002.

Biograficzne konteksty przekładu, ed. P. Fast, A. Kozak, „Śląsk”, Katowice 2002.

Hejwowski K., Kognitywno-komunikacyjna teoria przekładu, PWN, Warszawa 2007.

Jettmarová Z., How many functionalisms are there in translation studies?, „AUC Philologica” 3/2015: Translatologica Pragensia” IX, 73-82.

Kaźmierczak M., Przekład meliczny, in: Sensualność w literaturze polskiej. Przedstawienia zmysłów człowieka w języku, piśmiennictwie i sztuce od średniowiecza do współczesności, red. W. Bolecki, Instytut Badań Literackich PAN, Warszawa 2013.

Kaźmierczak M., Przekład w kręgu intertekstualności, ILS, Warszawa 2012.

Kaźmierczak M., Tekst, paratekst, przesunięcia interpretacyjne w polskich wydaniach „Przygód Fandorina”, „Przegląd Rusycystyczny” 2016 nr 1, nr 2.

Legeżyńska A., Tłumacz i jego kompetencje autorskie, PWN, Warszawa 1999, 2nd ed.

Lewicki R., Obcość w odbiorze przekładu, UMCS, Lublin 2000.

Mała encyklopedia przekładoznawstwa, ed. U. Dąmbska-Prokop, Educator, Częstochowa 2000.

Między oryginałem a przekładem, XIII: Poczucie humoru a przekład, ed. J. Konieczna Twardzikowa, M. Filipowicz-Rudek, Kraków 2008.

Munday J., Introducing Translation Studies. Theories and Applications, Routledge, London – New York 2001.

Pisarska A., Tomaszkiewicz T., Współczesne tendencje przekładoznawcze, Wyd. Naukowe UAM, Poznań 1996.

Skibińska E., Kuchnia tłumacza. Studia o polsko-francuskich relacjach przekładowych, Universitas, Kraków 2008.

Skwara M., Polskie serie recepcyjne wierszy Walta Whitmana, Universitas, Kraków 2014.

Socjologiczne aspekty przekładu, ed. P. Fast, „Śląsk”, Katowice 2003.

Tabakowska E., Językoznawstwo kognitywne a poetyka przekładu, trans. A. Pokojska, Universitas, Kraków 2001.

Teodorowicz-Hellman E., „Pan Tadeusz” w szwedzkich przekładach, Izabelin 2001.

Topics in Audiovisual Translation, red. P. Orero, Amsterdam, John Benjamins 2004.

Translation Studies Reader, ed. L. Venuti, Routledge, London – New York 2000.

Übersetzung – Translation – Traduction. An International Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, ed. H. Kittel et al., vol.1, de Gruyter, Berlin 2004.

Wojtasiewicz O., Wstęp do teorii tłumaczenia, TEPIS, Warszawa 1996, wyd.3.

Współczesne teorie przekładu. Antologia, ed. P. Bukowski, M. Heydel, Znak, Kraków 2009.

Z teorii i historii przekładu artystycznego, ed. J. Baluch, UJ, Kraków 1974.

Виноградов В., Перевод. Общие и лексические вопросы, КДУ, Москва 2004, 2nd ed.

Оболенская Ю.Л., Художественный перевод и межкультурная коммуникация, Либроком, Москва 2010, 3rd ed.

Топер П., Перевод в системе сравнительного литературоведения, Наследие, Москва 2001, 2nd ed.

On completing the subject:

The student has an increased knowledge of the basic TS concepts and tools of translation analysis.

The student is aware of the multifaceted character of translation analysis.

The student is familiar with conventions, as well as ethical norms, governing the use of sources and resources in an academic text.

The student is able to apply the concepts and tools presented during the course to describe and analyze empirical material.

The student is able to critically asses his or her knowledge and analytical skills and is capable of enhancing them in the way requires by the material chosen for study in the BA.

The student acknowledges the importance of justifying and supporting with arguments his or her premises as well as assessments of translations.

The student understands that the results of an enquiry are relative to the parameters of study and the research paradigm adopted.

The course ends with a grade.

Credit is given on basis of:

1) regular attendance (two absences allowed, reasons immaterial);

2) final test, checking knowledge and the ability to apply the knowledge to empirical examples / in case of a low number of participants, an interview could possibly replace the test.

Grading thresholds:

100%–98% – 5!

91% – 97% – 5

90% – 86% – 4,5

85% – 76% – 4

75% – 71% – 3,5

70% – 60% – 3

below – 2 (fail).

For those sitting the test at a second date or retaking it the thresholds are higher by 5% throughout the scale.