KHAZAR UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
DEPARTMENT
COURSE SYLLABUS
LITERARY TRANSLATION AND EDITING
SPRING 2013
Course Information
 Title: Literary translation and Editing
 Number (code):
 Credit hours: 3
 Semester/term : Spring, 2013
 Prerequisites: Introduction to translation, Survey of British
literature1,2, World Literature
 Meeting time (days and hours):
 Location of classroom:
 Instructor Information
 Full name:Sevindge Gafarova
 Title: MA
 Office location(optional): English Language and Literature
Department
 Office phone number(optional) 99 440 417-91-32
Email address:sevainyaz@rambler.ru
Attendance Policy:
For every two unexcused absences, one (1) point will be deducted from the
grade point average. Thus, if a student has an average of 87/ B + with eight (8)
absences, the resulting grade becomes 83/ B. Free participation is
discouraged.
Tardiness:
Students must arrive at class on time and remain for the entire period unless
they are suddenly ill or have notified the instructor before the class that they
will need to leave early. Frequent tardiness will not be acceptable.
Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism and cheating are crimes and will be severely penalized, including,
the expulsion of a student from the university.
Course description:
This course is imagined as an introduction to literary translation and it starts
from the idea that literary translation is a creative process similar to that of
creative writing. This is perhaps key, and also the most important, difference
between this and other types of translation. While most translation strategies,
techniques and general concepts, such as transfer between languages, cultures
and contexts, fidelity, precision, inventiveness, etc. also apply, literary
translation calls for some specific skills that fall into the domain of stylistic
and poetic creativity and thus presents itself as a very specific kind of
translation work.
Course objectives:
During this course the students will familiarize themselves with the basic
practice of literary translation, the most common problems that appear in
literary translation, as well as techniques and strategies of producing literary
translations that faithfully serve the original and at the same time stand as
works of art in their own right within the linguistic and cultural context of the
translation culture. Moreover, the students will have an opportunity to read
and discuss several different translations of one and the same literary work,
familiarize themselves with the existing model translations of the works of
English , critical comparisons and analyses of existing translations, and in this
way learn about different approaches to literary translation as well as
techniques and strategies literary translators employ in their work, besides
honing translation skills, continue to further develop their writing skills and
competency, learn to adequately use dictionaries and other handbooks, as well
as make use of various sources that will come in handy in their future
translation work, as well as in the process of studying English language, but
also using their native language.
Teaching Methods: lectures, workshop discussions, quizzes, and literary
works.
Materials and handouts: All the lectures, power point presentations and
supplementary materials will be provided.
Expected Learning outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Identify, describe and explain the basic problems of and solutions to
literary translation.
2. Analyze the terminology, idiom and culture-bound language in literary
texts.
3. Apply knowledge of literary styles so as to translate with some ease
and skill simpler texts in literature.
Evaluation of student’s will be on the following basis:
Midterm exam- 30%
Final exam- 30%
Presentations – 20
Participation and attendance – 10%
Activity -10
Total – 100%
Recommended literature and resource materials:
James Nolan: Interpretation
Newmark, Peter. A Textbook of Translation. Library of Congress
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data, 1995.
Robinson, Douglas and Doug Robinson. Becoming a Translator, 2008
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A practical guide, 1998.
Sofer, Morry. The Translator’s Handbook. Schreiber Publications, 2002
Extra reading and interpreting materials; internet materials; audio and
visual aids.
Weekly Schedule
Topics
Resource materials
Why literary translation?
(introduction)
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998,page 3
Etymology of translation. History
of literary translation.
Practice: An Extract from the Novel
“White Evenings” Quiz 1
The uniqueness of literary
translation.
Practice: “The Three Fat Women of
Antibes” S. Maugham Quiz 2
Preparing to translate.
P. Newmark, A Textbook of Translation. 1998
Types of translation; Language
Interpretation; Technical
Translation Literal Translation.
A day in the life of a literary
translator. Stages of translation.
Quiz 3
James Nolan: Interpretation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
10
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998, page 27
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998, page 38-45
Practice: to translate any sample of
literary work( making comparisons
with the originals both in
Azerbaijani and English language)
8
9
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998, page 7
Midterm Exam
Proofreading and Editing. Editing
tips. Quiz 4
Techniques of translation.
Decisions at the outset. Fluency and
transparency.
Robinson, Douglas and Doug Robinson. Becoming a
Translator, 2008
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998, page 49
11
The author- translator - reader
triangle. ‘ Targeteers’ and
‘Sourcerers’ .
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. A Practical Guide for
Translators. Multilingual Matters, 1998, page 50-51
12
Style in translation. Fiction and
footnotes. Quiz 5
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998, page 90-93
13
Context retention. Fidelity and
Transparency Equivalence;
Understanding Jargons
Robinson, Douglas and Doug Robinson. Becoming a
Translator, 2008
14
Editing in Translation; Contextual
Abstraction; Light Editing vs. Full
Editing
James Nolan: Interpretation
Translating poetry. Rhyme or not to
rhyme? Practice: translations of
poems.( G. Byron, W. Wordsworth
S. Vurqun and others).
Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey. Literary translation A
practical guide, 1998, page 97-98
15
16
17
Revision
FINAL Examination