AJL59013 Topics in Translation C

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
On completing the course, the student will be able
  • to identify selected text types and instances of cultural differences that require special approach in translating, and to choose the adequate translation method
  • to discuss theoretical concepts of "translatability" and relate them to practical translating
  • to translate technical texts and to search for necessary facts and linguistic information effectively, as well as respect the stylistic level of the source text
  • to critically compare and evaluate, especially in the field of literary translation, various Czech versions of the same source texts with regard to the time of their origin; to identify various types of errors in translation and assess their impact on the function of the target text
    • Learning outcomes
    On completing the course, the student will be able
  • to identify selected text types and instances of cultural differences that require special approach in translating, and to choose the adequate translation method
  • to discuss theoretical concepts of "translatability" and relate them to practical translating
  • to translate technical texts and to search for necessary facts and linguistic information effectively, as well as respect the stylistic level of the source text
  • to critically compare and evaluate, especially in the field of literary translation, various Czech versions of the same source texts with regard to the time of their origin; to identify various types of errors in translation and assess their impact on the function of the target text
    • Syllabus
    • The course consists of several relatively independent topics that cover several aspoects of practical translation as well as some questions from translation theory, criticism and history.
    • Non-literary translation:
    • 1. Technical text - assignment: translation of extracts of two different texts
    • In-class: feedback to submitted translations; the importance of deeper understanding of the field; information sources and methods of retrieving information
    • 2. "Translatability" - assignment: attempt at a translation of several borderline instances of texts; search for students' own examples from real texts
    • In-class: Borderline text types and text elements that defy translation; their identification and approaches to their translation
    • Literary translation:
    • 3. Assignment: Comparison of published translations of a literary text (Lewis Carroll's Alice):
    • In-class - focus on translation history: availability of bibliographic information, library resources; textual criticism in establishing representative versions of texts
    • 4. Assignment: Comparison of published translations of two literary works (parallel editions of two text segments from Thomase Hardy's Jude the Obscure and Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis)
    • In-class - focus on translation criticism: limits of diachronic comparison of translations; development of norms, translation resources, and translation methods in time; typical errors and shortcomings found in translated texts
    • 5. Assignment and choice of topic will depend on the needs and requirements of the students.
    Literature
    • HATIM, B. and Jeremy MUNDAY. Translation : an advanced resource book. First published. London: Routledge, 2004, xx, 373. ISBN 9780415283069. info
    • REJTHAROVÁ, Vlasta and Eva SKÁLOVÁ. Příručka anglického odborného stylu. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 1981, 219 s. URL info
    • NEWMARK, Peter. A textbook of translation. New York: Prentice Hall, 1988, 292 s. ISBN 0-13-912593-0. info
    • Bibliografie americké literatury v českých překladech : knihy, neperiodické publikace, periodika s nejvýše dvanácti čísly ročně, samizdatové a exilové časopisy a fanziny do roku 1997. A-G : Bibliography of American literature in Czech translation : books. Edited by Marcel Arbeit - Eva Vacca. Vyd. 1. Olomouc: Votobia, 2000, 602 s. ISBN 80-7198-448-5. info
    Teaching methods
    Combined form: 5 in-class sessions, on-line e-learning support (system Elf (Moodle).
    Assessment methods
    Assignemnts submitted during the course, final translation.
    Language of instruction
    English
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    The course is taught once in two years.
    The course is taught every other week.
    General note: This course is NOT designated for Erasmus students! List of courses offerd by the Department of English and American studies for Erasmsus students is available at http://www.phil.muni.cz/wkaa/ under "Information for Erasmus students".
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