This course examines literary translation as an object of critical, historical and cultural inquiry, focusing on how translations are evaluated, received and integrated into literary history. Particular emphasis is placed on retranslation and its relationship to the literary canon, the translator’s voice and cultural mediation. The course also explores translation paratexts, public controversies, publishing institutions, literary awards and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Combining theoretical approaches, case studies and independent research, it develops students’ ability to critically analyse and evaluate literary translations within their historical and cultural contexts, with particular attention to Greek and international translation traditions.
The course aims to develop advanced theoretical, critical and research skills for the study of literary translation as a historical and cultural phenomenon.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
• analyse theoretical models of literary translation criticism;
• examine retranslation as a historical and cultural phenomenon;
• investigate the relationship between translation and the literary canon;
• analyse the functions of translation paratexts;
• evaluate the contribution of translators as cultural mediators;
• investigate the public reception of literary translations;
• understand the role of institutions in the evaluation and recognition of translations;
• produce well-documented academic research on literary translation;
• critically assess the new conditions created by artificial intelligence in literary translation.
Week 1: Literary Translation Criticism as a Field of Research. Scope and methods. From evaluation to interpretation. Contemporary theoretical approaches.
Week 2: The History of Translation Criticism. European traditions. Developments in Greece. Translation and literary history.
Week 3: Translator, Critic and Reader. Translational authority and the translator’s voice. Translator visibility and invisibility.
Week 4: Translation and the Literary Canon. Selection and exclusion. Classics and cultural prestige. The formation of translation canons.
Week 5: Retranslation and Literary Time. Theories of retranslation. The historicity of translations. Greek and international case studies.
Week 6: Prefaces, Notes and Translation Paratexts. Statements of translational intention. Strategies of self-presentation. Paratextual discourse and reception.
Week 7: Translation Controversies and Public Debates. Linguistic conflicts and ideological approaches. Significant controversies in Greek and international literary history.
Week 8: Translators as Cultural Mediators. Iakovos Polylas, Kostis Palamas, George Seferis and Nikos Kazantzakis. Contemporary examples.
Week 9: Translation, Publishing Houses and Cultural Policy. Publishing strategies, cultural capital and the formation of reading communities.
Week 10: Translation Criticism in Public Discourse. Literary journals, newspapers and literary columns. Digital media and social networks.
Week 11: Translation Awards and Mechanisms of Recognition. National and international institutions. Evaluation criteria. Awards and the literary canon.
Week 12: Translation and Artificial Intelligence. Emerging tools and practices. The translator’s voice in the age of AI. Challenges for literary translation criticism.
Week 13: Research Portfolio Presentations and Synthesis. Student research presentations, discussion of findings and synthesis of the course’s conclusions.
Berman, Antoine, Pour une critique des traductions: John Donne, Gallimard, 1995.
Venuti, Lawrence, The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation, Routledge, 1995.
Venuti, Lawrence, The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference, Routledge, 1998.
Lefevere, André, Translation, Rewriting, and the Manipulation of Literary Fame, Routledge, 1992.
Genette, Gérard, Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Bassnett, Susan, Translation Studies, Routledge.
Even-Zohar, Itamar, Polysystem Studies, Poetics Today, 11(1), 1990.
Damrosch, David, What Is World Literature?, Princeton University Press, 2003.
Selected studies on the history of Greek literary translation, retranslation and the critical reception of translated works.
The course follows a seminar-based and research-oriented approach. Teaching activities include seminar presentations, discussion of theoretical and critical texts, case studies, analysis of translation paratexts and book reviews, student presentations and research workshops. Particular emphasis is placed on active participation, critical engagement with primary and secondary sources, and the development of evidence-based academic argumentation.
Digital libraries, academic databases, electronic archives and collections of literary translations are used to locate, document and analyse research materials. The course’s online learning platform supports the distribution of bibliographical and teaching resources, communication with students and independent research. AI-based translation tools are critically examined in terms of their potential and limitations.
Assessment is based on independent research into the reception of a literary translation or retranslation.
Option A: Research paper (100%).
Option B: Research portfolio on the reception of a literary translation (60%), oral presentation (20%), and participation in seminar discussions (20%).
The research portfolio may examine the translation history of a literary work, its retranslations, paratexts, reviews, public debates, awards and position within the literary and publishing fields.
