ENG 162
Short Story Translation
Course Title:
Course Title:
Type:
Credits:
ENG 162
Short Story Translation
Department
Required or
Elective
3 credits per
term,
Level:
1I
1 term
Time:
Lecturer:
Room:
Thurs. p.
Adrianna Mak
Aims
The aims of this course are
- to improve reading comprehension skill
- to strengthen students’ writing techniques in English and Chinese
through interpretation of world-famous short stories
Objectives
By the end of this course, students will have:
- learned about the 4 main elements of story writing: plot, character,
setting and theme
- practiced writing and translating short stories
Keyword
Syllabus
Idiomatic expression, grammar, syntax,
Contents
English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English translation., with the special
teaching focus on:
 translation of idiomatic expressions/idioms, localised slang and proverbs
 interpretation and recreation of long and complex sentences
 translation of figurative language and poetic devices
 recreation of wordplay
 cultural barriers in translating
Textbooks
Essential Reading:
 No set text book.
Suggested
Gwynn, R.S., (ed.), Fiction : a pocket anthology, New York : Longman, 2002.
References
Kennedy, X.J. & Goia, D., An introduction to fiction, Longman Pub Group.
Munday, Jeremy. Introducing Translation Studies. London: Routledge, 2001.
Newmark, Peter. A Textbook of Translation. London: Prentice Hall, 1988.
Robinson, Douglas. Becoming a translator: an Accelerated Course. London
& New York: Routledge, 1997.
曹明倫，<<英漢翻譯實踐與評析>>，成都：四川人民出版社，2007 年。
黃邦傑，<<譯藝譚>>，香港：三聯，1995 年．
李亞丹，<<英譯漢名篇賞析>>，武漢市：湖北教育出版社，2000 年．
柯平，<<英漢與漢英翻譯教程>>，北京：北京大學出版社，1993 年．
Teaching
Methods
 Introduction to various source texts of Chinese and English short stories
and respective pieces of translation.
 Group discussions and presentations on the interpretation of source texts
and/or the comparison of translated texts.
 Translation practices in class.
Assessment
Methods
Continuous Assessment 50% (15% each for the 1st and 2nd assignments, 20%
for class quiz, class participation and presentation)
Final examination 50%
Prerequisite
 Nil
Lecture
Schedule:
Students are expected to read provided notes and references before
attending the class.
1. Introduction to the course; Talking about the emergence, development
and plot of short stories and the basic concept of translation.
2. Elaboration of the idiomatic usage in English and Chinese; introduction to
the plot (cont.) and characterization of fiction (reference: “Reunion” by
John Cheever and “Godfather Death by the Brothers Grimm); translation
practice of idiomatic expressions (phrasal verbs); cloze exercises for
practice of tenses (an extract of “German Harry” by W. Somerset
Maugham).
3. Discussion on the translation of proper names; introduction of the point of
view of fiction; translation practice of an extract from “A&P” by John
Updike.
4. Introduction of setting, theme, style and symbol of fiction; further
exercises for the translation of proper names and review of the
translation practice of “A&P”.
5. Review of the structure of fiction; introduction to the atmosphere of fiction
(reference: “The fall of the house of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe);
introduction to figurative language (e.g. onomatopoeic expressions,
personification, metaphor, etc.) and poetic devices (e.g. alliteration,
rhymes, assonance, consonance, repetition etc.); exercises for practice
of onomatopoeic words.
6. Continued introduction to figurative language and poetic devices;
introduction to and discussion on the poetic devices employed in John
Ruskin’s “The Two Roads” and James Joyce’s “The Dead”.
7. Translation of figurative language (cont.): studies of Lu Xun’s “The
Comedy of the Ducks” and Mark Twain’s “The Notorious Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County” and discussion on the relative translated texts.
Deadline of the 1st assignment.
8. Translation of poetic devices (cont.): studies of selected texts from Pai
Hsien Yung’s <<臺北人>>(Taipei People) (including “孤戀花”) and the
relative translated texts; brief elaboration and discussion on the first
translation assignment.
9. Further introduction to the translation of figurative language and poetic
devices in other Chinese and English references (including Virginia
Woolf’s “A Haunted House”); pair translation practices about figurative
language and poetic devices.
10. Class quiz and review of the 1st assignment.
11. Translating wordplay: introduction to selected short stories written by O.
Henry; discussion on the translation of wordplays in O. Henry’s works.
12. Translating wordplay (cont.): introduction to selected texts from James
Joyce’s Dubliners; discussion on the translation of wordplays in Joyce’s
works and that in selected Chinese source texts.
13. Cultural barriers in translating: introduction to selected short stories
written by Mark Twain; discussion on the American characteristics in
Mark Twain’s works and the difficulties of recreating them in the
translation.
14. Cultural barriers in translating (cont.): introduction to selected texts from
Lu Xun’s <<吶喊>>(Call to Arms); discussion on the vernacular language
and tone and the traditional Chinese references employed in Lu Xun’s
works and the relevant translation difficulties; commenting on the relative
translated texts.
15. Cultural barriers in translating (cont.): introduction to other short stories
consisting of regional characteristics (e.g. Pai Hsien-yung’s <<玉卿嫂>>
and << 花 橋 榮 記 >>with a lot of dialectic expressions of Guangxi
Province).
16. Class practice on the translation of localised slang and proverbs. Brief
elaboration of the source text of the second translation assignment.
17. Individual presentation: elaboration of one’s translated text.
Pre-examination revision practices. Deadline of the 2nd assignment.
18. Final examination