Course title: Translation Theory
Instructor: Dr. Nataša Pavlović
ECTS credits: 6
Status: Mandatory for translation students, elective for others
Semester: 1st
Enrollment requirements: Students must be enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Zagreb.
Course description: The course deals with the following topics: translation theory/theories, Translation Studies; different conceptualizations of translation and translators through history; types of translation (and interpreting); translators’ tools and resources; terminology and special languages; translation equivalence; translation shifts and strategies; text, co-text, context; register, genre, discourse; the seven standards of textuality; intertextuality; Grice’s maxims; norms and translation; functionalist approaches (skopos theory); the “cultural turn” in TS (cultural studies, gender studies, post-colonial studies, deconstruction); translation ethics; literary translation; translation for the audiovisual media.
The course combines lectures and seminar work (3+1). Students also do assignments (e.g. forum discussions) in the virtual environment, on http://omega.ffzg.hr/ (Moodle).
Objectives: By the end of the course the students should be familiar with contemporary translation theories and current trends in Translation Studies. They should master the metalanguage and acquire the conceptual repertoire needed to discuss a wide range of issues associated with the phenomenon of translation. They should be able to apply the theoretical insights gained from the course to examples from everyday translation practice.
Course requirements: Regular course attendance, participation in the online forums as requested, final written exam.
Week-by-week schedule:
| Session | Topics |
| 1 | Introduction. Translation theories and Translation Studies. |
| 2 | What is translation? Who are translators? |
| 3 | Types of translation (and interpreting) |
| 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8 | Translators’ tools and resources |
| 9, 10 | Terminology and specialized languages |
| 11, 12 | Non-correspondences between languages (contrastive analysis) |
| 13, 14 | Equivalence |
| 15, 16 | Translation procedures and strategies |
| 17, 18, 19 | From words to text: How can text linguistics, pragmatics and discourse analysis help translators? (Text, co-text, context; register, genre, discourse; seven standards of textuality; Grice’s maxims) |
| 20, 21 | Functionalist approaches to translation: skopos theory. |
| 22, 23 | Norms and translation. Polysystem theory. |
| 24, 25 | The “cultural turn” in Translation Studies (Lefevere, gender studies, post-colonial studies, Venuti) |
| 26 | Translation ethics |
| 27 | Literary translation (guest translator). |
| 28 | AVT. Main issues in subtitling (guest subtitler). |
| 29 | Interpreting (guest interpreter) |
| 30 | Revision; student feedback; suggestions for future work |
Reading:
Pavlović, Nataša. 2015. Uvod u teorije prevođenja. Zagreb: Leykam international
Baker, Mona. 1998/2001. Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London i New York: Routledge.
Bowker, Lynne et al. (eds.). 1998. Unity and Diversity. Current Trends in Translation Studies. St. Jerome Publishing Ltd.
Ivir, Vladimir. 1984. Teorija i tehnika prevođenja. Novi Sad: Centar “Karlovačka gimnazija” Sremski Karlovci, Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika u Novom Sadu.
Munday, Jeremy. 2001. Introducing Translation Studies. Theories and Applications. London i New York: Routledge.
Qvale, Per. 2003. From St. Jerome to Hypertext. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.
Venuti, Lawrence (ur.). 2000. The Translation Studies Reader. London i New York: Routledge.
Articles and presentations available on http://omega.ffzg.hr/