WRITING AS TRANSLATION
Every act of communication is an act of translation. – Gregory Rabassa
WRIT015: Writing and Culture Seminar, Section 6
F14, T/Th 11-12:15
ICC224
Course website: https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/writing-as-and-translation
Dr. Sherry Linkon
415 New North
687-7654
sll5@georgetown.edu
Office hours:
T/TH 1-2 pm and by appointment
Course Description
All communication aims to bridge a gap between speaker and listener, writer and reader.
We translate our ideas into written texts, conversations, videos, presentations, and other
forms of communication. In the process, we make choices about what to include and what
to leave out as well as about how to present our ideas in ways that will make sense to
others. Effective communication also requires attention to culture. We read better when
we understand the writer’s perspective, including his or her cultural context. We also write
better when we consider how our perspectives and our readers’ perspectives are similar
and different. This is especially true when we communicate across cultures.
Through reading and discussing examples of translation and critical discussions of
translation, and through multiple types of practice, you will strengthen your ability to
develop and translate your ideas for varied audiences and situations.
This course includes an unusual opportunity for practice: an eight-week series of two-hour
online discussions with college students from the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Soliya
Connect provides the software, some readings, and facilitators for these discussions, which
will take place outside of class. Soliya Connect discussions are conducted online, usually
with your own computer. Because the conversations bring together students from across
the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East – and thus across many time zones -- most will take
place in the morning, in two-hour slots sometime between 6 and 11 am. These dialogues
will give you direct experience with cross-cultural communication. We’ll discuss your
experiences in class, and you’ll draw on them for the final project.
Through our study of writing as translation, you’ll develop your abilities around the four
goals shared by all sections of the Writing and Culture Seminar:
 read critically, paying attention to language, context, and form
 adapt your writing for different rhetorical situations, with awareness of genre,
context, and technology
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deploy language’s many resources, including its figurative power as well as
conventions of grammar, punctuation, syntax, and semantics, to shape and
communicate meaning with clarity and fluency
research, evaluate, and synthesize appropriate evidence in order to build and
support effective analyses and arguments
Required Texts
Understanding Style, Joe Glaser
This Will Make You Smarter, edited by John Brockman
Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities,
Adam Kahane
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
This Will Make You a Better Communicator, online anthology by Writing as Translation
students
Assignments and Grading
You’ll complete three “cases,” projects with multiple parts that address big questions or
topics. You’ll also develop a portfolio of short exercises focused on expanding your
personal writer’s “toolkit.” These four projects account for all of your course grade. Your
grade depends on the quality of your work on these projects.
Case #1: Translation Analysis, 200 points
We’ll begin the course by looking at translations of scientific concepts, written by experts
for non-specialist readers. You will write a detailed analysis of how one of those
translations works, noting the choices the writer made about structure, style, and the use of
evidence. Along with developing your ability to analyze texts, this first project will provide
you with opportunities to explore the stages of the writing process, practice critical
reading, and develop a vocabulary for describing written texts.
Case #2: Deepening the Communication Conversation, 250 points
The second project will ask you to apply ideas about communication to specific examples,
including the novel The Sparrow. It will also ask you to write in three distinct forms: an
analytical essay, a reflective essay, and two short pieces of writing for a website.
Case #3: Soliya Analysis, 350 points
The final case integrates all of the course goals and themes, asking you to apply ideas about
communication as you analyze and evaluate your experience with Soliya Connect. You’ll
write a report to the Soliya staff discussing whether and how their program helped you
learn about writing and communication and suggesting strategies for making the program
work better.
Style Portfolio, 200 points
While you’ll work on honing your writing style in every assignment, the Style Portfolio
provides a sort of practice space where you can try out different styles and editing
strategies. Every Sunday, I’ll post instructions on the course website for a style exercise,
most based on chapters from Understanding Style. These will challenge you to try different
ways of framing sentences, using language, editing your own writing, and practice ways of
varying your writing voice. You’ll complete these on your own and bring hard copies to
class every Thursday. At the end of the semester, you’ll submit a portfolio of selected style
exercises with a cover memo evaluating your work.
Final grades will be determined as follows:
A = 930 or more
A- = 900-929
B+ = 870 – 899
B = 830 – 869
B- = 800 – 829
C+ = 770 – 799
C = 730 – 769
C- = 800 – 729
D+ = 670 – 699
D = 630 – 696
D- + 600 – 629
F = 599 or less
How to Succeed in WRIT015
 If you’re unsure, ask. I always try to be clear, but sometimes what’s clear to me won’t be
to you. If you’re ever in doubt about something, ask. You will almost never be the only
one who’s confused, so asking for clarification will not only help you but also help the
rest of us.
 Be fully present and prepared. Come to class ready to participate fully. That means
bring along copies of assigned readings and your own work-in-progress, and come
prepared to write and/or discuss every day. You’ll find each day’s reading and writing
assignments on the course schedule on the website.
 Pay attention to the website. Check the online course schedule frequently, as I may
change it if our pace or needs shift as we move through the semester. I will also use the
front page of the course website to post announcements, follow-up comments, and links
to interested related materials. You may also post to the course blog, so use that space
to add your own comments or share useful links.
 Contribute to the community. In any course, but especially in a small seminar, every
individual’s experience is shaped by the attitudes and behavior of everyone else. You
will determine what this class is like, and I hope you’ll work together in ways that
establish an atmosphere of curiosity, exploration, and collegiality.
 Don’t work alone. I am happy to help you, and I encourage you to help each other. In
addition, the Georgetown Writing Center, in 217A in Lauinger Library, offers one-onone consultation for student writers who need help developing ideas, advice, guidance,
or additional instruction on any aspects of writing. For an appointment or more
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information, visit the Writing Center’s website. You may also seek help at the Academic
Support Center, which offers workshops and tutoring.
Do your own work. Please review and respect the Georgetown Honor System. Pay
particular attention to sections B, C, and D, on Plagiarism, False Citations, and
Submitting Work for Multiple Purposes. If you violate any part of the Honor System, I
am required to report you, and you may be subject to institutional sanctions.
Complete assignments on time. I will handle late papers on an individual basis, but
generally late papers will receive less attention and be held to a higher standard than
work that you turn in on time.
Communicate. If you run into difficulty during the term, or if there’s something going on
that could affect your participation and learning in this course, please let me know.