Reading & Composition
Lost and Found in Translation
What gets preserved, lost, and changed in translation? What makes a translation “authentic” or legitimate? This course examines translations that travel across the boundaries of language, literature, and artistic genre. We read writers who translate their own work or take the problem of translation as the subject of their texts.
Our readings take us to Russia, the U.S., China, Japan, Poland, and Mexico. How do texts move within and beyond these borders? How do literature and translation transform these boundaries? Where do we locate a translation that has moved across borders? All texts are in English, and we also discuss the significance of their context, distribution, and audience.
As part of the University’s R&C sequence, this course is designed to help students improve their critical writing and reading skills. In addition to regular attendance, reading, and participation, requirements include a series of essays—drafts and revisions—and short response papers.
Texts and films include Juan Gelman, The Poems of Sidney West; Jacob Glatstein, The Glatstein Chronicles; Lost in Translation (dir. Sofia Coppola); and Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands: La Frontera. We also read short texts from Vladimir Nabokov, Jorge Luis Borges, Eileen Chang, Haruki Murakami, and Walter Benjamin.