ASCL 60.92 Theory and Practice of Translation
Every time we interpret a facial expression, cloud-filled sky, data set, blood test result, or sequence of musical notes, we are, in a sense, “translating.” This course seeks to make us more aware of that process through an engagement with the theory and practice of translation as it has been practiced between English and Japanese, two utterly unrelated languages. We’ll look at Japanese and English textbook translations, manga and young adult “translations” of classics like the Tale of Genji, Murakami Haruki’s translation of Salinger and Rubin’s translations of Murakami. We’ll try our hand at translating poetry, jokes, songs, puns, prose and more, polishing our own translating skills while experimenting with different conceptual approaches and “workshopping” our attempts. Prerequisite: JAPN 31 or equivalent.
Instructor
Dorsey