Welcome to the University of Warwick



How to write a translation commentaryNB: MATWCD students writing a dissertation should consult their own programme handbook and make sure that they defer to MATWCD guidelines where necessary.The MATTS dissertation can take two forms; both are sustained research projects.The dissertation can be of the more conventional variety, where the student undertakes research into an area of translation theory and practice and argues a thesis, supporting it with evidence. Possible areas of study include comparative stylistics with respect to translation, translation theory, case studies, evaluation of existing translations and any other areas approved by the MATTS Convenor. The seminar series Introduction to Research Methods in Term 1 provides preparation for the writing of a conventional dissertation.The dissertation can also take the form of a piece of critical writing (the commentary) informed by the student’s own literary translation into English; the translation will be included in the body of the dissertation and will count towards the word limit (see the MATTS Handbook for word limits and the proportion of translation to commentary). The overall shape of the piece of work should still be that of a conventional dissertation, i.e. the dissertation should begin by introducing and justifying the translation project, providing any necessary contextualisation for the reader. The translation should be included in the body of the dissertation at an appropriate point. The dissertation must not fall into two halves (i.e. it should not place the translation first and follow it with the commentary) as the reader then has no sense of what sort of translation has been done and why: the aim of the commentary is to affect how the translation is read. Just as will be the case in the conventional dissertation, the order of the text, which includes the positioning of the translation, should be shaped by the argument being made. A special session for MATTS students on the “translation with commentary” dissertation will form part of the Introduction to Research Methods seminar series in Term 1.How to write a translation commentaryChoosing the text for translationChoose the text for translation wisely, i.e. not at random. Your text should serve to illustrate a particular argument: in other words, there must be a reason for using the text in question to say whatever you want to say in the dissertation, and that reason must be clear.The basicsWhy are you translating or re-translating this text?The answer to this question should be informed by the answers to the following questions, and should be less subjective than “I liked it” …Where does the text come from and where is it going? Who are you addressing?Do you, as Spivak argues should be the case, have “a tough sense of the specific terrain of the original” (1993:188)? In other words, do you have sense of where this text slots into its source culture? Of its position in the home literature? Have you, as Venuti argues should be the case, engaged with “the cultural conditions of the translating” (2011:247)? Have you thought about what it means to transplant this text at this moment? Or what it means to re-translate this text at this particular time? Who will its audience be? How will it shape the target culture’s perception of the source culture and its literature? When addressing the reader, please bear in mind that your readers may include people with and without knowledge of your source language. You should have a sense of how this will affect your approach.What were your priorities when translating this text? Fidelity to the source? In what way? The creation of a ‘successful’ target text? Considerations of audience? Creative self-expression? Experimentation? Revolution? Were you motivated humanistically and/or ideologically?What a translation commentary (for our purposes) should NOT beIt is not a commentary in the Classicist or Nabokovian mode, i.e. it should not be comprised of notes on or annotations to a text. There is an important role for this type of commentary, but it is not appropriate for the context of your module final papers and dissertations.It should not be a chronological/biographical narrative of translating a text, i.e. the shape of the commentary should not be determined by the order of the text but rather by your argument(s).It should not apply translation theory, since one cannot apply a theory (a theory, whether of translation or of any other phenomenon, can be tested and can influence practice, but cannot be straightforwardly applied).What a translation commentary (for our purposes) should beThe link between the translation and the commentary, i.e. how far the translation bears out what is said in the commentary, will be central to the success of this piece of work.The commentary should do the following:it should contain an argument or a set of arguments that are illustrated by the translation;it should address relevant issues of translation theory and practice;it should open up the process of theoretically informed reflection that lies behind the creation of a translation product.Any piece of academic work benefits from a clear introduction that holds the reader’s hand somewhat. In your commentary, a good, basic introduction to the text, author and context will set things up nicely. This should precede the translation. Additionally, please bear the following points in mind:Illustrate your arguments/points with specific textual examples;Engage with the literary criticism on your text/author/the genre. This will inevitably raise issues that will influence your thinking;There is always something (and usually quite a lot) to be said about style and its translation (cf. Boase-Beier 2006, 2011).PracticalitiesIt is helpful to include line numbers in your translation for ease of reference in the commentary.Sub-headings may prove useful in signposting changes of topic.Do make sure that your scholarly apparatus (in-text referencing, bibliography, footnotes or endnotes) conforms to the system that you have chosen or that has been prescribed by your department/programme, whether this is MLA, MHRA, Harvard or something else again. Download the relevant style guide and/or access it online and follow it to the letter. Do not mix-and-match referencing systems! It is imperative that your referencing is flawless: this is standard academic practice and helps avoid the risk of being accused of plagiarism, an offence with very serious consequences. Please read the section on plagiarism in the MATTS Handbook carefully.Gloss or provide a literal translation for all foreign-language citations; do not assume that the examiners can read your source language.Source texts and any supplementary materials that do not belong to your word count should go in an appendix, which should be clearly labelled as such.Do make sure that your dissertation is the right length. Dissertations that are too short or too long are subject to a penalty.Miscellaneous issuesCan I speak in the first person in a commentary?Limited use of the first person is fine and will be more appropriate in some contexts than in others. Being specific and analytical wherever possible, however, will help avoid over-use of ‘I’.Useful reference worksBaker, M. and Saldanha, G., eds. 2011. Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. 2nd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.Shuttleworth, M and Cowie, M., 1997. Dictionary of Translation Studies. Abingdon: Routledge. Wales, K., 2011. A Dictionary of Stylistics. 3rd ed. Harlow: Longman.Do not be tempted to plagiarise! Do make sure that you reference properly to avoid the appearance of plagiarism.You may not submit work which is not your own or which has been previously submitted by you or by anybody else towards a qualification at another institution. Both of these actions would be considered plagiarism.Make sure your dissertation is the right length. You will be asked to give a word count on the cover sheet.Do fill out a cover sheet and include it in the dissertation file you submit on piled by Dr Chantal WrightLast updated: 27/07/2016 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download