Examines theories of translation from various periods (Dryden, Schopenhauer, Schleiermacher, Benjamin, de Man, among others). Also looks closely at specific translated texts (e.g., various English translations of The Thousand and One Nights), and considers such topics as the notion of unequal languages, the problem of cultural translation, translation post-9/11, and the possibility of untranslatability. Final project involves an original translation and commentary.

Great art constantly morphs: novels become films, statues become poems, music becomes dance. This introduction class looks at how masterpieces from around the world transform as they move across languages, art forms, and renditions. In addition to written assignments, we do creative projects to explore each of those modal shifts. We also learn about the structure of a range of languages, and think about how those languages shape their literatures. This is a great class to take if you’re thinking about learning a new language in the future. It’s also a good entryway to other literature and language classes for first- and second-year students, as well as students concentrating in fields outside the humanities. This course also counts toward the Secondary Field in Translation Studies. Taught in English; no other languages required (just curiosity).

This course has several interrelated but distinct missions. First, we read selected major works from the history of attempts to theorize translation. Second, we read an array of contemporary examples of research on translation. Third, students have an option of drafting a research article or undertaking a major translation project. Graduate students from any discipline are welcome! Interested undergraduates need to have taken other prior coursework on translation, and should receive instructor approval to enroll. This seminar is the capstone requirement for the Graduate Secondary Field in Comparative Literature.

This seminar will introduce students to the art of literary translation through a wide variety of approaches. Over the course of the semester, we will read various tracts, articles, and books on the theory and craft of translation from a wide range of Euro-American and South Asian stances and viewpoints. We will analyze editions of various classics from India that have been translated into English repeatedly, paying particular attention to the political nature of the act and art of translation in its colonial and post-colonial contexts. This seminar will also have a practical component, and one session each week will allow students to present translations-in-progress to their peers for comment and critique.