AJ29083 Universals in Translation

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2007
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Renata Kamenická, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Timetable
Mon 11:40–13:15 G21
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Are texts created as translations in any way different from original, untranslated texts (in the same language)? If so, how can these differences be described? It is these questions that a branch of Translation Studies dealing with the so-called translation universals, i.e. phenomena with a higher distribution in translated texts than non-translated texts, disregarding the source language, is trying to answer. Potential translation universals include on the one hand simplification, conventionalization, lexical phrases untypical of the target language, lower distribution of lexis specific to the target language (all that compared with non-translated texts in the same language) and on the other hand text lengthening, interference, standardization, explicitation, dialect normalization, narrative point of view simplification, use of more conventional collocations, reduction of repetition (compared with source texts). We will identify these phenomena and study them in texts translated from English and learn about the methods and results of research in this branch of Translation Studies. Each student is going to use a specific text in her/his analyses; we are going to use public corpora and corpora developed in the Department of English and American Studies, too. Touching upon the very essence of this process, exploring translation universals represents an exciting point of view for contemplating translation. We will explore translations of both literary and non-literary texts and learn the basics of the methodology used in this type of research, which may lead to formulation of diploma theses projects. From the practical point of view, we will expand our ability of critical reflection in the process of translating.
Syllabus
  • W1 Goals and methods of the course, introduction to the discipline, basic terms; W2 Explicitation as a S and T universal; What, how and why is explicitated in translation?; explicitation of cohesion; student presentation (Blum-Kulka); W3 Explicitation with respect to the speaker; presentation (Klaudy); W4 Explicitation with respect to reference; student presentation (Overas); W5 Simplification; student presentation (Laviosa); W6 Normalization / conventionalization; student presentation (Laviosa-Braithwaite); W7 Shifts to more conventional collocations; student presentation (Kenny); W8 reduction of repetition; student presentation (Toury); W9 Lower distribution of lexis specific to the TL; W10 Simplification of narrative modes; student presentation (Bosseaux); W11 Text length and interference; student presentation (Mauranen); W12 Final project presentation and review I; W13 Final project presentation and review II; conclusions from the course, course evaluation.
Literature
  • BAKER, Mona and Maeve OLOHAN. Reporting that in Translated English: Evidence for Subconscious Processes of Explicitation? 2002, 141-158. Across Languages and Cultures 1(2). info
  • BLUM-KULKA, Shoshana. Shifts of Cohesion and Coherence in Translation. Tübingen: Gűnter Narr, 1996, 17-35. Interlingual and Intercultural Communication. info
  • KENNY, Dorothy. Lexical Hide-and-Seek: looking for creativity in a parallel corpus. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing, 2000, 93-104. Intercultural Faultliness. info
  • KENNY, Dorothy. Lexis and Creativity in Translation. A Corpus-based Study. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing, 2001, 260 pp. ISBN 190065038X. info
  • LAVIOSA-BRAITHWAITE, Sara. Investigating Simplification in English Comparable Corpus of Newspaper Articles. Szombathely: Daniel Berzsenyi College Printing Press, 1996, 531-540. info
  • LAVIOSA, Sara. Corpus-based Translation Studies. Theory, findings, applications. Amsterdam & New York: Rodopi, 2002, 138 pp. ISBN 9042014873. info
  • MAURANEN, Anna and Pekka KUJAMÄKI. Translation universals: do they exist? Amsterdam, Philadelphia: J. Benjamins Publishing Company, 2004, 224 pp. info
  • OVERAS, Linn. In Search of the Third Code. 1988, 571-588. Meta, XLIII, 4. info
  • Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies. Edited by Kirsten Malmkjaer - Mona Baker. London: Routledge, 1998, xviii, 654. ISBN 0-415-09380-5. info
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Semináře budou zahrnovat vymezení a rozbor pojmů, analýzu textů s ohledem na studované jevy, diskuzi problematiky, studentské prezentace publikovaných výzkumů a prezentaci vlastních zjištění studentů. Hodnocení zohlední docházku a práci v semináři, prezentace, návrh a zpracování závěrečného projektu.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Předmět si nemohou zapsat studenti Bc. studia AJ
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2006, Autumn 2006, Spring 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2007, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2007/AJ29083