Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• translate texts on a range of subjects and of increased complexity from Greek into English;
• identify a text’s genre, purpose and distinctive features, and adapt their translation approach accordingly;
• analyse source texts systematically, taking into account their context, paratext, pragmatic dimension, and linguistic and cultural conventions;
• apply key principles of Translation Studies and assess issues of equivalence at the lexical, grammatical, stylistic and textual levels;
• select, compare and justify appropriate translation solutions to address complex translation problems;
• revise their translations with a view to ensuring accuracy, cohesion and naturalness in English.

Course Content

Week 1 — Introduction to the Course and the Translation Process
Presentation of the course aims, content and requirements. Review of key principles of text analysis and translation preparation. Practical exercise: analysing and translating a short text.

Week 2 — Purpose, Audience and Translation Choices
Exploration of the relationship between a text’s purpose, its intended audience and the translation approach. Practical exercise: translating a text in response to a specific brief and discussing the choices made.

Week 3 — Lexical and Semantic Choices
Examination of how words acquire meaning in context and how subtle differences in meaning can be conveyed in translation. Practical exercise: translating a text and comparing alternative renderings.

Week 4 — Grammatical and Syntactic Choices
Comparison of Greek and English grammatical and syntactic structures. Practical exercise: translating a text, with a focus on clarity and natural phrasing in English.

Week 5 — Context, Paratext and Pragmatics
Examination of how the communicative context, paratext and pragmatic dimension influence the interpretation and translation of a text. Practical exercise: analysing and translating a text.

Week 6 — Textual Cohesion and Information Structure
Cohesion, coherence, cohesive relations and the organisation of information in a text. Practical exercise: translating and revising a text, with a focus on cohesion and the flow of the target text.

Week 7 — Style, Tone and Linguistic Variation
Analysis of stylistic features, tone and linguistic variation, and exploration of how they can be conveyed in the target language. Practical exercise: translating a text and evaluating alternative stylistic choices.

Week 8 — Cultural References and Mediation
Identifying cultural references and exploring ways of rendering them for the target-language audience. Practical exercise: translating a text and justifying the solutions selected.

Week 9 — Figurative and Idiomatic Language
Translation of idiomatic expressions, metaphors, proverbs and other forms of figurative language. Practical exercise: comparing possible renderings and selecting solutions appropriate to the text and its audience.

Week 10 — Translation Strategies and Issues of Equivalence
Applying different translation strategies and examining issues of equivalence at various levels. Practical exercise: translating a text and substantiating the choices made.

Week 11 — Research and the Resolution of Translation Problems
Using dictionaries, online sources and translation tools to research and evaluate possible solutions. Practical exercise: translating a text and presenting the research process.

Week 12 — Translation Revision and Evaluation
Criteria for evaluating a translation, including accuracy, completeness, cohesion, clarity and naturalness. Practical exercise: revising and improving a translation.

Week 13 — Review and Integrated Translation Practice
Bringing together the knowledge and skills developed during the course. Practical exercise: analysing, translating and revising a text, and justifying the main translation choices.

Baker, M., and H. Jones. 2025. In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation. 4th ed. Routledge.

Benjamin, W. 2000 [1923]. “The Task of the Translator: An Introduction to the Translation of Baudelaire’s Tableaux Parisiens.” Translated by H. Zohn. In The Translation Studies Reader, edited by L. Venuti, 15–25. Routledge.

Berman, A. 2000 [1985]. “Translation and the Trials of the Foreign.” Translated by L. Venuti. In The Translation Studies Reader, edited by L. Venuti, 284–297. Routledge.

Grammenidis, S., X. Dimitroulia, E. Kourdis, E. Loupaki, and G. Floros. 2015. Διεπιστημονικές προσεγγίσεις της μετάφρασης. Kallipos, Open Academic Editions. https://doi.org/10.57713/kallipos-623.

Hatim, B., and I. Mason. 1990. Discourse and the Translator. Longman.

Kentrotis, G. 1996. Θεωρία και πράξη της μετάφρασης. Δίαυλος.

Munday, J., S. Ramos Pinto, and J. Blakesley. 2022. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. 5th ed. Routledge.

Newmark, P. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. Prentice-Hall International.

Nord, C. 1997. Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained. St. Jerome Publishing.

Pym, A. 2023. Exploring Translation Theories. 3rd ed. Routledge.

Venuti, L., ed. 2000. The Translation Studies Reader. Routledge.

Venuti, L. 2008. The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation. 2nd ed. Routledge.

Συμπληρωματική βιβλιογραφία

Baker, M. 2010. Critical Readings in Translation Studies. Routledge.

Baker, M., and G. Saldanha, eds. 2009. Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. 2nd ed. Routledge.

Gentzler, E. 2001. Contemporary Translation Theories. 2nd rev. ed. Multilingual Matters.

Face-to-face teaching

Teaching combines short lectures, discussion and practical workshop activities. It is based on authentic texts covering a range of topics and increasing in difficulty, which students analyse and translate from Greek into English. As they work with the texts, students discuss the challenges they encounter, compare alternative translation solutions and explain the rationale behind their choices. Key theoretical approaches and models from Translation Studies are introduced progressively and applied in practice.

Support for the learning process through the e-class online platform.

Uploading course materials (notes, lecture slides, exercises, etc.) to the e-class e-learning platform.

Teaching is supported by the use of online dictionaries, digital encyclopaedias, online sources and translation tools. Students use these resources to research and justify their translation choices and to compare alternative renderings.

Assessment is based on a final written examination and, optionally, a written translation assignment. The examination involves translating a text of approximately 300 words. Students may use general and specialised monolingual, bilingual and multilingual dictionaries. For students who complete the optional assignment, it accounts for 30% of the final grade, while the final examination accounts for 70%. For students who do not choose to complete the assignment, the final grade is based entirely on the examination.