Contemporary Scottish, Welsh and Irish Prose in Translation

elective courses

The course explores contemporary Scottish, Welsh and Irish prose as material for translation into Polish. We will discuss novels and short stories by prominent Scottish, Welsh and Irish authors that have been rendered in Polish. In the context of translation studies, the course addresses the specificity of Scottish, Welsh and Irish literatures, and the problems with rendering cultural and linguistic diversity in translation into Polish.

The course is designed for MA students.

During the course we will focus on selected novels and short stories by Scottish, Welsh and Irish writers such as Denise Mina, Douglas Stuart, Lucy Cadwell, Kevin Barry, Trezza Azzopardi and Niall Griffiths. The aim is to learn about the complex political and cultural situation in the British Isles, explore the specificity of the discussed works as belonging to and representative of distinct cultures, identify crucial linguistic, cultural and formal aspects of these texts, and investigate how they function (or could function?) in translation into Polish.

We will discuss the following topics:

- the Divided Kingdom, the two Irelands - the matter of national distinctiveness;

- Scottish, Welsh and Irish linguistic pluralism as a crucial element of national identity;

- Scottish, Welsh and Irish cultural realities and historical contexts;

- translating cultural diversity into Polish.

In theoretical terms, the course explores the following concepts:

- the cultural turn in translation studies;

- systems approaches (Itamar Even-Zohar, Gideon Toury, André Lefevere);

- translation in a postcolonial context (Maria Tymoczko);

- foreignization or domestication? (Antoine Berman, Lawrence Venuti);

- the translation of dialects (Leszek Berezowski, Krzysztof Hejwowski).

Critical texts:

Bassnett, Susan (1991) Translation Studies, London: Routledge

Bassnett, Susan and André Lefevere (1998) Constructing Cultures. Essays on Literary Translation, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters

Cronin, Michael (2006) Translation and Identity, New York: Routledge

Kozak, Jolanta (2009) Przekład literacki jako metafora. Miedzy logos a lexis, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN

Simon, Sherry and Paul St-Pierre eds. (2000) Changing the Terms: Translating in the Postcolonial Era, Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press

Venuti, Lawrence (1995) The Translator's Invisibility. A History of Translation, London & New York: Routledge

Venuti, Lawrence ed. (2000) The Translation Studies Reader, London & New York: Routledge

Selected novels and short story collections:

Azzopardi, Trezza (2014) The Hiding Place, London: Picador

Cadwell, Lucy, ed. (2020) Being Various: New Irish Short Stories, London: Faber & Faber

Griffiths, Niall (2002) Sheepshagger, New York: Vintage

Mina, Denise (2005) The Field of Blood, London: Bantam Press

Stuart, Douglas (2020), Shuggie Bain, London: Picador

Polish translations:

Azzopardi, Trezza (2014) Kryjówka, przeł. Konrad Majchrzak, Poznań: Rebis

Cadwell, Lucy, ed. (2022) Niepoprawna mnogość, Warszawa: Pauza

Griffiths, Niall (2009) Owcojeb, przeł. Krzysztof Majer, w: „Literatura na Świecie” 7-8/2009, Kraków: Instytut Książki

Mina, Denise (2005) Pole krwi, przeł. Hanna Pawlikowska-Gannon, Warszawa: W.A.B.

Stuart, Douglas (2021) Shuggie Bain, przeł. Krzysztof Cieślik, Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie.

Knowledge

The graduate will be able to:

K_W01 Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of translation studies within the humanities

K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in translation studies research within English studies

Abilities

The graduate is able to:

K_U01 Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline of translation studies

K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to translation studies

K_U04 Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena related to the translation of contemporary British prose and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level

K_U05 Discern alternative methodological paradigms within literary translation and translation studies

K_U08 Participate in group projects on contemporary British prose in translation, collaborate with others and be a team leader in conducting collaborative research, presentations and other tasks included in the curriculum

K_U09 Present knowledge on the translation of contemporary British fiction in a coherent, precise and linguistically correct manner in English at C2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, ensuring an appropriate register and form

Social competences

The graduate is ready to:

K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills related to literary translation and translation studies obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development

K_K03 Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to literary translation and translation studies

K_K04 Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the analysis of contemporary British prose in translation.

The final grade will be based on: 1) regular attendance and active participation in classes, including short presentations; 2) a term paper on contemporary Scottish/Welsh/Irish prose from a translation studies perspective.

Attendance - min. 80%

Retake - rewriting the term paper, if the student has received an unsatisfactory grade. Completing additional written assignments, if the in-class work has been unsatisfactory.