Translation in Antiquity, Translating Antiquity: methods and practices
The thematic area Traveling Texts. Translation and Transnational Reception at
the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oslo is organising a two-day
workshop on the broad topic of translations of Greek and Latin texts in antiquity
and in modern times. The focus may be on translation as linguistic transfer
and/or as cultural reception, and contributors are encouraged to incorporate
methodological perspectives even when discussing case-studies.
The workshop will take place at the University of Oslo campus (Blindern) on
December 1st-2nd, 2016.
The first part of the workshop will seek to explore translations of Greek and
Latin texts in antiquity. The direction of the translation can be from Greek to
Latin (or vice versa) or from Greek/Latin to other ancient languages (Egyptian,
Syriac, Arabic, Armenian etc.) and vice versa. Ancient theorising on translation,
translation terminology, and practice are interesting in equal measure, while
papers on translation between Egyptian and Greek are especially welcome.
The second part of the workshop is devoted to translations of ancient literature
into modern languages. Who translates Greek and Latin texts, which ones, how
are translations initiated, and why? In the case of retranslation: how do new
translations relate to existing ones, and how are they influenced by them? For
example: when do retranslators keep close to earlier translations and when do
they seek to innovate? Papers on translations of epic and dramatic texts are
especially welcome, as are ones on translations of oratory and rhetorical theory.
Confirmed keynote speakers:
Rachel Mairs, Lecturer in Classics, University of Reading
Siobhan McElduff, Associate Professor of Latin literature and Roman culture,
University of British Columbia
Oliver Taplin, University of Oxford
Papers should be 30 minutes long (20 + 10 min for discussion). A publication is
planned. Abstracts of up 250 words should be sent to Dr Tor Ivar Østmoe
(t.i.ostmoe@ifikk.uio.no) by December 15th, 2015.