This course continues from the one taught in the 5th semester, with students further exploring literary environments and the practice of literary translation. We will examine in more detail literary material by Greek writers, focusing again on the specific challenges each individual case poses for the translator. Beyond weekly translation assignments, students are also working in groups towards a presentation in a chosen area of research. 

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

• have a better understanding of the specific settings in which the literary translator works when dealing with two literary traditions
• have an in-depth knowledge about the specific features of the main forms of literary expression
• critically approach the complex nature and the difficulties of literary translation, as well as the literary translator’s ability of creative text rendering
• produce paratexts that usually accompany literary translations and understand the close relationships between theory and practice, as well as between reception and criticism
• translate from English into Greek literary texts of major difficulty taking into account the special characteristics of the text, the style and the intentions of the author, the publication period as well as the literary movement to which the original text belongs
• critically approach reception issues and investigate literary translations within the context of the history of literature
• effectively deal with the challenges relating to dialects, wordplays and culture-specific elements

Week 1: Translation and re-translation

Week 2: The many languages of Jacob de Zoet

Week 3: Fictional translators, I

Week 4: Workings of intertextuality and influence, I

Week 5: Workings of intertextuality and influence, II

Week 6: Research/Assignments seminar

Week 7: Poetic dialogues: ‘Jorge Luis Borges on University Street’

Week 8: Bilingual editions

Week 9: Some notes on stage translation

Week 10: Some notes on translating comics, I

Week 11: Study group presentations, I

Week 12: Study group presentations, II

Week 13: Study group presentations, III

Arrojo, Rosemary (2017) Fictional Translators. London and New York: Routledge.

Keeley, Edmund (1998) On Translation: Reflections and Conversations. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers.

Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας (ΚΕΓ) (1998) Η Γλώσσα της Λογοτεχνίας και η Γλώσσα της Μετάφρασης. Θεσσαλονίκη: ΚΕΓ.

Nikolaou, Paschalis and Kyritsi, Maria-Venetia (eds) (2008) Translating Selves: Experience and Identity between Languages and Literatures. London and New York: Continuum.

Face-to-face/Guided, collaborative translating in class (students first prepare translations at home), working with texts of increasing difficulty and length, and across several genres. In parallel, we engage with several critical and theoretical texts in translation studies and comparative literature, also investigating thoroughly a range of paratexts produced by the literary translator (introductions, biographical notes, afterwords, etc). Study material and updates are further provided through the Department’s e-class platform.

Use of ICT in teaching

In addition to weekly literary translation tasks, students are asked to submit a semester assignment. They can choose from several options: a translation, or re-translation and a commentary focusing on problems encountered during the process, and further addressing productive relationships between the theory and practice of (literary) translation; an essay comparing two or more existing translations of the same text; or a longer research piece, focusing on a particular area in the study of literary translation which counts towards their obligations for both literary translation 6^th semester courses in this language pair. A presentation during the final weeks originating in group study contributes to 30% of the final mark.