Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Jhumpa Lahiri! Fall 24: Comp Lit Italian Translation Course

CPLT BC3510: Advanced Translation Workshop - Italian 

Wednesdays, 11:00-12:50
Professor Jhumpa Lahiri
Barnard College
All students with Italian Reading Knowledge are welcome.

Please feel free to contact administrator Sondra Phifer (sphifer@barnard.edu) with any questions.

Course Description

Maurice Blanchot once described translators as the “hidden masters of culture.” Indeed, though our labor and craft often go unrecognized in the age of Google Translate, translators play an essential role as tastemakers, bridge-builders, advocates, and diplomats, not to mention the most intimate readers and re-writers of literature. In this workshop, we will explore translation as a praxis of writing, reading, and revision. Together, we will also interrogate translation's complex and often fraught role in cultural production. What ethical questions does translation raise? Who gets to translate, and what gets translated? What is the place of the translator in the text? What can translation teach us about language, literature, and ourselves? Readings will include selections from translation theory, method texts, and literary translations across genres, from poetry and prose to essay and memoir. Students will workshop original Italian translations into English and complete brief writing and translation exercises throughout.