Translating Literature: Strategies and Tips

Name: Translating Literature: Strategies and Tips
Rating: 4.2 (28 reviews)

Tools and examples to improve your translation skills

Created byAnna Ferrari

Last updated 5/2021

English

What you'll learn

Useful strategies to translate fiction and non-fiction texts

Course content

5 sections • 13 lectures • 1h 31m total length

Introduction2:28

Translator's essentials4:24
In this lesson, we'll focus on some of the main prerequisites of a literary translator interested in fiction texts.
Preliminary work and approach8:10
In this lesson, we'll talk about one possible and well-organized approach to a literary text to be translated. In particular, we'll find out the key elements that can improve our understanding of the source text and help us in the translation.
Text analysis and translation12:24
In this lesson, we'll read and analyze a few passages taken from different fiction books along with their translations, stressing some interesting strategies and features and applying the preliminary analysis outlined in the previous lesson.

In the Resource section, you'll also find the first exercise to test your skills and what you've seen in this first part of the course.
Tricky elements13:04
In this lesson, we'll examine some of the most common tricky elements you might face in translating fiction and some strategies to manage them.
Text analysis and translation6:35
In this lesson, we'll read and analyze different fiction texts and their translations, exploring the translators' choices to manage difficulties and tricky elements.
In the Resource section, you'll also find the second exercise to practise your translation skills.

Translator's essentials3:11
In this lesson, we'll outline the non-fiction genre and some of the main prerequisites of a translator interested in working in this genre.
Literary non-fiction text types8:22
In this lesson, we'll talk about the main text types belonging to literary non-fiction, defining their main features and relevant information to consider when translating those texts.
Tricky elements9:33
In this lesson, we'll focus on some of the tricky elements typical of literary non-fiction texts and how to manage them.
Text analysis and translation14:25
In this lesson, we'll read and analyze a few passages taken from different non-fiction works along with their translations, stressing some interesting strategies and features and examining the translators' choices.

In the Resource section, you'll also find the third exercise to test your skills in non-fiction translation.

Requirements

Proficient in English
Proficient in Italian
Passionate readers
Basic knowledge or interest in translation

Description

Are you often enraptured by literature works, even more by the idea of translating them?

Do you usually translate technical or commercial texts but your dream is to get into publishing and translate books, plays, essays, etc.?

If the answer is yes...well, you've come to the right place!

In this course, you'll learn how to read and work on a literary text to be translated, analyzing the key components and identifying some of the tricky elements that a translator - and also a reader - might face and some useful strategies to sort them out.

In particular, we'll talk about:

- the concepts of domestication and foreignization;

- the essentials of a fiction and literary non-fiction translator;

- the characteristics of fiction and non-fiction texts;

- how to structure the preliminary work to a translation;

- the importance of the author, the reader, the language, and the culture in a text;

- the tricky elements a translator might find while working on a text.

We'll examine together some passages taken from fiction and non-fiction works and we'll compare their translations, identifying the strategies and peculiarities of each text.

The course also includes exercises to test yourself and put into practice what you'll learn throughout the lessons.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to recognize those key elements of fiction and literary non-fiction texts useful for the translation, apply practical strategies, and efficiently organize your translation work.

Who this course is for:

Aspiring translators or translators who want to specialise in literary translation
Undergraduate students in Literature and Foreign Languages and/or Translation and Interpreting
People interested in translation

Translating Literature: Strategies and Tips

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduzione1 lecture • 2min

Translator as a mediator2 lectures • 8min

Translating ficiton5 lectures • 45min

Translating literary non-fiction4 lectures • 36min

Conclusion1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: