Translation and Creativity
Code
73217168
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Línguas, Culturas e Literaturas Modernas
Credits
6
Weekly hours
2
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
Objectives:
The curricular unit aims at approaching the phenomenon of creativity from the perspective of its cognitive conditions, its cultural framing and especially concerning how it is manifested in the translation process:
Competences:
- to reflect about translation as a creative (or re-creative) process;
- to identify the main strategies and resources of creativity in translation;
- to identify the challenges to creativity in the translation process;
- to compare alternative resources available in different languages for expressing and re-creating one same original meaning;
- to improve critical analysis of translation, particularly in what concerns creativity and applying linguistic and cognitive strategies for recreating the original meaning;
- to develop a capacity for creativity in the translation process.
Prerequisites
Subject matter
The course will start from the discussion of the concept of creativity, particularly in what concerns its cognitive conditions and its cultural framework, and will approach this concept in the context of translation. Creative translation is understood as a process of creation (or re-creation), which raises the questions of the role of the translator as author and of the innovative character of the translated text.
Language will be analyzed from a cognitive perspective, as the combination of form and meaning; in this
context, possible correspondences between different linguistic forms for expressing the same meaning will be considered, as will be the eventual differences arising from different linguistic options.
A particular focus will be given to conceptual strategies such as metaphor, metonymy and blending or
conceptual integration, as their linguistic expression often poses a challenge to translation.
Cultural aspects as conditions for creativity will deserve particular attention
Bibliography
Será disponibilizada aos alunos através do sítio da disciplina uma seleção de textos para as várias sessões da unidade, incluindo os seguintes:
A selection of texts to be discussed in class will be made available through the course website, including but not limited to the following:
- Bassnett, Susan/ Bush, Peter (2007), The Translator as Writer, New York: Continuum.
- Brandt, Line e Per Aage Brandt (2005): Cognitive Poetics and Imagery, European Journal of English
Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2, 117-130.
- Kussmaul, Paul (2000), Kreatives Übersetzen. Tübingen: Stauffenburg.
- Levý, Jiří/ Popovič, Anton (1998), Translators´ Strategies and Creativity: Selected Papers from the 9th
International Conference on Translation and Interpreting, Prague, September 1995, Amsterdam: John
Benjamins.
- Tabakowska, Elzbieta (1993). Cognitive Linguistics and Poetics of Translation. Tübingen: narr, pp. 21-30.
- Venuti, Lawrence (2012). Translation Changes Everything. London and New York: Routledge.
Teaching method
Teaching:
The course will be based on the discussion of current relevant research. As the course progresses, several
texts will be proposed for individual previous reading and discussion in class. Classes will thus have the
format of a seminar. Some case studies of creative translation will be presented, providing students the
opportunity to develop a critical competence for creativity in translation.
Evaluation method
Assessment:
Active participation in class (30%), oral presentation (30%) and final written assignment (40%).