Seminar on Literary Translation from Ancient Languages into French : History, Theory and Practice

Teacher(s)

Smeesters Aline;

Language

French

Prerequisites

Knowledge of ancient languages, particularly Latin.
A basic knowledge of the scanning of the hexameter and the pentameter.

Main themes

A training in literary translation.
The seminar sketches a panorama of the principal theories in the domain of literary translation. It offers a series of concrete tools for undertaking a translation.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of this seminar, the student will be capable of a critical reflection on the undertaking of, and the stakes involved in the translation of literary texts, in particular those in Greek and Latin. He will be able to carry out, on his own, translations that go further than the stage of a literal transfer, working within a theoretical framework and giving reasons for his choice.

Content

The seminar proposes a historical overview of the main tendencies in the translation of literary texts (from "elegant but not faithful" to "literary literal"). It presents a series of texts by theorists of translation (Antoine Berman, Umberto Eco, François Ost, Georges Mounin, Paul Ricoeur,...) or by literary translators (Marguerite Yourcenar, Philippe Brunet, Marcel Pagnol,...) whose proposals are relevant for the translation of classical texts.
The practical exercises allow students to practise the literary translation of Latin texts, by testing various methods and approaches.
 

Teaching methods

The seminar offers a series of lecturers, in which the active participation of the students will be encouraged, as well as practical exercises.

Evaluation methods

The final mark is based (for 80%) on a personal work of literary translation, including a theoretical introduction, and for 20% on translation exercises offered on a weekly basis.

Online resources

On the Moodle server.

Bibliography

Les textes théoriques sur lesquels se base le séminaire sont fournis aux étudiants.

Faculty or entity

EHAC