The course "History and Criticism of Translation in the Ionian Islands" aims to familiarise students with the history of translation activity in the Ionian Islands during the nineteenth century, with particular emphasis on Corfu, and to highlight the contribution of translation to the development of the Modern Greek language, literature, and cultural identity.

Through the historical and critical examination of representative translations from this period, translation is approached as a deliberate linguistic, cultural, and ideological act, situated within the broader intellectual, social, and historical context of the time. Particular emphasis is placed on the programmatic nature of translation activity and its relationship to the linguistic and aesthetic principles advocated by Ionian intellectuals and translators.

Furthermore, through the comparative analysis of source texts and their translations, students are introduced to the fundamental principles of translation criticism and examine the translation strategies and linguistic, stylistic, and cultural choices made by translators. The analysis focuses on how these choices reflect particular conceptions of language and literature and contribute to the development of new forms of literary expression.

Within this framework, the translator's role is explored not merely as a mediator between languages and cultures, but as an active agent in linguistic and cultural production.

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

• describe key features of the historical, linguistic and cultural context of the Ionian Islands, with a particular focus on the nineteenth century;
• explain translation as a historically situated cultural practice and recognise its contribution to the shaping of language and culture;
• identify social, political, ideological and aesthetic factors that influenced translation activity in the Ionian Islands;
• analyse selected translations produced in the Ionian Islands in relation to their source texts, historical context and the translators’ aims;
• identify and critically assess translators’ linguistic, stylistic and cultural choices;
• apply key principles of translation criticism to formulate evidence-based assessments of specific translations;
• use historical and theoretical sources to investigate issues in the history and criticism of translation in the Ionian Islands, and present their findings clearly.

Course Content

Week 1 — Introduction to the History and Criticism of Translation
Presentation of the aims and structure of the course. Key concepts: history of translation, translation criticism, translation strategy and translation choice. First reading and commentary on a short historical translation.

Week 2 — Methodological Approaches to the Study of Translation
Historical and comparative approaches to translations. Use of source texts, translations, prefaces, reviews and other paratexts. Introduction to the concepts of translation norms and the literary polysystem. Practical application to selected examples.

Week 3 — The Historical and Linguistic Context of the Ionian Islands
The historical conditions, cultural interactions and linguistic diversity of the Ionian region. Translation as a form of cultural transfer and intervention. Discussion of translations in relation to the period and context in which they were produced.

Week 4 — Translation, the Literary System and Cultural Mediation
The role of translation in shaping and renewing literary production. Theoretical approaches to the relationship between translation, culture and the literary canon. Comparison of translation choices and examination of the reception of translations.

Week 5 — The Translator: Choices and Constraints
Translator agency and the role of readership, publishing conditions and ideological factors in the translation process. Study of selected translation practices in the Ionian region and discussion of their impact on the text.

Week 6 — Iakovos Polylas as a Translator
Polylas’s translation and critical work in the historical and intellectual context of the Ionian Islands. Study of his translation of Hamlet and J. S. Blackie’s criticism of it. Analysis of the relationship between translation choices, contemporary views on language and the reception of the work.

Week 7 — A Comparative Reading of Translations
Comparison of selected passages from Polylas’s translation and a later Greek translation. Examination of lexical, syntactic, stylistic and formal choices, as well as the rendering of meaning and theatricality. Preparation of a short translation commentary.

Week 8 — Translation, Poetry and Linguistic Creativity in the Ionian Islands
The translation of poetry and the challenges of conveying rhythm, style and expressiveness. Study of the role of Ionian poets and translators in shaping the language of modern Greek literature. Comparative analysis of selected source texts and translations.

Week 9 — Translation, Language Ideologies and Language Policy
The relationship between translation practice and views on language and literary expression. Examination of linguistic variation, translation norms and ideological choices in texts from the Ionian region. Translation commentary on selected examples.

Week 10 — Principles and Practice of Translation Criticism
Critical examination of a translation in relation to its source text, historical context, conventions of the period and translation priorities. Development of evidence-based evaluation criteria and preparation of a translation commentary, focusing on the justification of choices rather than simply identifying errors.

Week 11 — Comparative Study of Translations: Workshop
Individual or group work on selected source texts and translations. Identification of translational shifts, discussion of alternative solutions and application of the theoretical approaches covered in the course. Preparation of a short presentation and commentary.

Week 12 — Presentations of Translation Commentaries
Presentations by students of comparative studies of translations. Discussion of the historical and cultural context, linguistic choices and theoretical concepts addressed in the course. Feedback and discussion.

Week 13 — Synthesis and Review
Integration of the historical, theoretical and critical approaches examined in the course. Discussion of the contribution of translation to the literary and linguistic profile of the Ionian Islands. Review of the key principles of comparative analysis and translation commentary.

Ξενόγλωσση βιβλιογραφία

Baker, M. and Saldanha, G. (eds.) (2009). Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. 2nd ed. London and New York: Routledge.

Bassnett, S. (2014). Translation Studies. 4th ed. London and New York: Routledge.

Bassnett, S. and Lefevere, A. (eds.) (1990). Translation, History and Culture. London and New York: Pinter.

Bassnett, S. and Lefevere, A. (1998). Constructing Cultures: Essays on Literary Translation. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Cronin, M. (1996). Translating Ireland: Translation, Languages, Cultures. Cork: Cork University Press.

Even-Zohar, I. (ed.) (1990). Polysystem Studies. Special issue of Poetics Today, 11(1).

Hirst, A. and Sammon, P. (eds.) (2014). The Ionian Islands: Aspects of Their History and Culture. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Lefevere, A. (1992a). Translation/History/Culture: A Sourcebook. London and New York: Routledge.

Lefevere, A. (1992b). Translation, Rewriting, and the Manipulation of Literary Fame. London and New York: Routledge.

Mackridge, P. (2014a). “Seven Bards from Seven Islands: Poetry and Language in the Nineteenth-Century Heptanese.” In A. Hirst and P. Sammon (eds.), The Ionian Islands: Aspects of Their History and Culture, pp. 318–339. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Mackridge, P. (2014b). “Venise après Venise: Official Languages in the Ionian Islands, 1797–1864.” Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 38(1), pp. 68–90. https://doi.org/10.1179/0307013113Z.00000000038

Potts, J. (2010). The Ionian Islands and Epirus: A Cultural History. Oxford: Signal Books.

Toury, G. (1995). Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Venuti, L. (ed.) (2000). The Translation Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge.

Ελληνόγλωσση βιβλιογραφία

Αλεξάκη, Λητώ-Σωτηρία (2015). Η μεταφρασιολογική προσέγγιση της τραγωδίας Άμλετ του Ουίλλιαμ Σαίξπηρ με βάση τη νεοελληνική μετάφραση του Ιακώβου Πολυλά. Διδακτορική διατριβή, Ιόνιο Πανεπιστήμιο. https://doi.org/10.12681/eadd/36655

Αλεξάκη, Λητώ (2020). Οι ανέκδοτες σκηνοθετικές οδηγίες του Ιάκωβου Πολυλά για τον Αμλέτο (1889) και η κριτική του μεταφράσματος από τον J. S. Blackie (1891). Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Σαΐτη. 136 σ. ISBN 978-960-487-416-3.

Κεντρωτής, Γ. (1996). Θεωρία και πράξη της μετάφρασης. Αθήνα: Δίαυλος.

Μπαμπινιώτης, Γ. (2002). Συνοπτική ιστορία της ελληνικής γλώσσας με εισαγωγή στην ιστορικοσυγκριτική γλωσσολογία. 5η έκδοση. Αθήνα.

Πολίτης, Λ. (1978). Ιστορία της νεοελληνικής λογοτεχνίας. Αθήνα: Μορφωτικό Ίδρυμα Εθνικής Τραπέζης. 25η ανατύπωση, 2020.

Face-to-Face Teaching

Teaching combines short lectures, discussion and workshop-based analysis of texts and translations. The course draws on authentic texts and translations associated with the Ionian Islands, with a particular focus on the nineteenth century. Students examine them in their historical, linguistic and cultural contexts, considering their relationship to the source texts and the translators’ choices.

As they engage with the material, students discuss the role of translators and translation in shaping language and culture, compare different translations and formulate evidence-based critical assessments. Key theoretical approaches and principles in the history and criticism of translation are introduced gradually and applied to the analysis of examples.

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 assignment. The examination involves the historical and critical analysis of a translation associated with the Ionian Islands, with a focus on its historical and cultural context, its relationship to the source text, and the translator’s choices. 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 complete the assignment, the final grade is based entirely on the examination.