Literary Translation: History, Theory and Practice

A study of the theory and practice of translation from antiquity to the present, with a focus on religious, literary, and philosophical texts and the distinctive challenges involved in rendering such works into a different language. Topics include analysis of historically-significant translations, a survey of the history and theory of translation as a practice, a close study of the ethics of translation, and a workshop in which students will prepare, revise, and analyze their own translations. Graduate students will produce an annotated translation of a text in their research field, at a level appropriate for publication in a peer-reviewed venue. Prerequisite: Four semesters of a second language, classical or modern, or equivalent; or instructor permission.