Translation Methods
The Beginning Translator's Workbook
The professors Drs. Cro and Antonioli wisely chose this textbook, The Beginning Translator's Workbook: The ABCS of French to English Translation (Revised Edition), which is written by Michele H. Jones and was published in 2014.
How the class used it: Each student was required to use this book in order to complete exercises about official translation techniques used by professional translators as well. The book provided excellent explanations of terms, as well as thorough examples and an opportunity to translate from French to English, with an answer key to help provide feedback.
Scholarly Articles
The class met two times a week, each time for an hour and fifteen minutes. A part of the course requirements involved students presenting scholarly articles that discussed different methods of translation, as well as the importance of translation and its global effect. Each article provided expert knowledge on the subject of translation, while also showing its effect on many aspects globally.
Here are the articles we read throughout the semester:
- Kritzman, Lawrence D. “A Certain Idea of de Gaulle,” Yale French Studies 111 (2007): 157-168.
- Higgins, Ian. “Translating French Poetry of the Two World Wars.” On Translating French Literature and Film, Edited by Geoffrey T. Harris, Rodopi, Amsterdam, 1996, pp. 107–127.
- Vanderschelden, Isabelle. "Why Retranslate French Classics? The Impact of Retranslation on Quality." On Translating French Literature and Film, Edited by Geoffrey T. Harris, Rodopi, Amsterdam, 1996, pp. 2-18.
- Simons, Margaret A. “The Silencing of Simone de Beauvoir Guess What’s Missing from The Second Sex,” Women’s Studies Int. Forum. Vol. 6. No. 5. pp. 559-564. 1984.
- Pierre Zoberman: Gender and Translation in Seventeenth Century French Moral Literature
- Bellos, David. "Language Parity in the EU." Faber and Faber (2011). p. 229-240
- Ladouceur, Louise. “From Other Tongue to Mother Tongue in the Drama of Quebec and Canada.” Changing the Terms: Translating in the Postcolonial Era, Edited by Sherry Simon and Paul St-Pierre, University of Ottawa Press, Ottawa, 2000, pp. 207–226.
The students and professors in this class had the opportunity to visit archives.
The class visited the Eisenhower Library Archive, where each student had the opportunity to handle letters to and from De Gaulle and also relevant information pertaining to World War II and France's important military relations.
The class also visited Hale Library's Special Collections, where the letters themselves are located. Students had the opportunity to look at the physical copies, as well as view previous translations that had been completed before the letters were donated to Kansas State University.
Group Translation
The class used group translation in numerous ways. Excerpts of two letters were given to students to complete on their own time, which they then brought back to class and discussed as a whole.
Students were also given the opportunity to translate a larger letter: a group of 3-4 students was given several pages, and after a few steps in the editing process, combined the article as a whole.
Individual Translation
As a final project for the course, students were designated a letter to research and translate. After detailed research about the historical context for the letter, the student translated their individual letter, with the aid of the professors and another peer.