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Friday, November 30, 2012

What is Translation?

* The different meanings of a word:
-etymological
-conceptual
-linguistic
-sociological
-metaphorical

* The different meanings of the word "education:"
-etymological: derives from L. educare to look after a child
-conceptual: the training of individuals to produce knowledge for the betterment of the state (Kant)
-linguistic: the learning of facts, skills, ideas
-sociological: emancipation, social standing etc
-metaphorical: (several meanings possible)

* The word "translation" etymologically derives from L. trans across and L. latus moving, carrying. In medieval times, it was originally used in the sense of exhuming a body from one plot of earth and transferring it to another plot. Thus, the modern meaning of the word "translation" is metaphorical- that of transferring text (the body) from one plot of earth (one language) to another plot of earth (another language).

* The three kinds of translation identified by Roman Jakubson:
1. intra-lingual: from one variant of language to another, from one dialect to another or even paraphrasing
2. inter-lingual: from one language to another
3. inter-semiotic: from one semiotic system to another

Jakubson hails from the Prague school of structuralism and was Lévi-Strauss' instructor of semiotics.

* Saint Jerome was the patron saint of translation and his birthday is celebrated as "Translation Day."

* Susan Bassnett was a translation theorist who founded and later abandoned/shut down the field of study today known as "comparitive literature." She published a seminal book called "Translation Studies."

* The word "turn" in the "cultural turn of translation" is linked to Derrida who was responsible for turning the gaze towards oneself (as opposed to upon a subject which was structuralism's modus operandi). This "turn" is what Anil Pinto calls "belly-button gazing."

- Anshuman Manur

Sunday, November 18, 2012

15th Nov Translation Studies



Translation Studies
Discussions of class on 15th Nov 2012.
Expectations of the class:
·        The class to share with each other translations of Indian forms which they come across.
·        Every student to read the essay and share their understandings which helps all to get different prespectives of the same essay.
·        To collect everyone’s prespective of the essay and threading everything together (by teacher) to evolve a framework.
·        Discission in the class should be able to help in translations.
·        To learn: why and how to translate? – linguistic, legal and social aspects.
·        Balance between theory and practical.
·        To learn aesthetics of translation and translation review.
·        The essays to be completed in time.
·        Key concepts of the essays to be given (by teacher) and a class discussion on that, prior to reading the essay so that it’s esaier to understand the essays and saves time too
[discussion: if key points are given in advance to our reading we may miss out on other points which we would otherwise make a note of. Also, it’ll make us think on one particular line and not give space enough for our own understanding.]
·        To find the relevance of ‘theories’ of translation and to develop practical ability.
·        Whole class as one to locate points in essays.
·        Being able to relate to the essays.
·        Reading essays at home and discussing it in class.

Ø  Keya Majumdar’s essay
Ø  Skype

Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology

Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology:

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

At Educause, a call for digital preservation that will outlast individual institutions and companies | Inside Higher Ed

At Educause, a call for digital preservation that will outlast individual institutions and companies | Inside Higher Ed:

'via Blog this'

Gates foundation and ACE go big on MOOC-related grants | Inside Higher Ed

Gates foundation and ACE go big on MOOC-related grants | Inside Higher Ed:

'via Blog this'

DML2013

DML2013:

'via Blog this'

HASTAC seeking Postdoctoral Scholar for NSF EAGER Social Network Data Grant | HASTAC

HASTAC seeking Postdoctoral Scholar for NSF EAGER Social Network Data Grant | HASTAC:

'via Blog this'

Biblioteca Virtual de Ciências Humanas | Information Society | Sociedade de Informação | Centro Edelstein

Biblioteca Virtual de Ciências Humanas | Information Society | Sociedade de Informação | Centro Edelstein:

'via Blog this'

Biblioteca Virtual de Ciências Humanas | Information Society | Sociedade de Informação | Centro Edelstein

Biblioteca Virtual de Ciências Humanas | Information Society | Sociedade de Informação | Centro Edelstein:

'via Blog this'

Mercedes Bunz

Mercedes Bunz:

'via Blog this'

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Call for help - Poetry, Music & Translation

My task:
I am looking (have been looking for a week now with little success) for a Kannada poem (any time period/poet).
It must have explicit references to music (need not be the central theme though).
Finally, it must have a translation published in English (preferably from a published book, but academic journals are fine too)

My purpose:
I am a student of Comparative Literature in the UK and have opted for a course called "Poetry, Music, and Translation". This is the topic for a seminar presentation I'll be doing. Unfortunately, gathering resources in Kannada Literature is very difficult and way too expensive for my student's budget in the UK, so I appeal to anybody interested in the same field to kindly help out.

(I could use a Hindi poem for which resources are readily available. But I personally think it's time Kannada Literature made its presence felt at my university, which I was digruntled to see didn't have a SINGLE book on Kannada translations but had plenty in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Oriya, and what not - it's definitely personal for me now!)

I intend to compare the Kannada poem with its English translation and identify the issues in translating the following aspects:
Formal composition:
rhythm and rhyme, if any; syllable composition; etc. - CAN these aspects be translated? If yes, how?

Musicality:
Is there anything about the poem and its references to music that suggests there is an essential link between music and poetry? Are there parallels suggested between poetry and music? If yes, how do these parallels between music and poetry relate to the formal aspects of the poetry? How does the translation attempt to convey all of the same?

The time-frame:
I would really appreciate it if anybody could make any suggestions about the same, or generously mail me any resources they have come across, by 21 Oct, (next Sunday).
My email: rdivyarao@gmail.com

Thank you and keeping my fingers crossed here! Divya.

Sunday, September 30, 2012