Seminar on Literary Translation from Ancient Languages into French : History, Theory and Practice

Teacher(s)

Smeesters Aline;

Language

French

Prerequisites

Knowledge of ancient languages, particularly Latin.
A basic knowledge of the scanning of the hexameter and the pentameter.

Main themes

A training in literary translation.
The seminar sketches a panorama of the principal theories in the domain of literary translation. It offers a series of concrete tools for undertaking a translation.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of this seminar, the student will be capable of a critical reflection on the undertaking of, and the stakes involved in the translation of literary texts, in particular those in Greek and Latin. He will be able to carry out, on his own, translations that go further than the stage of a literal transfer, working within a theoretical framework and giving reasons for his choice.

Content

The seminar proposes a historical overview of the main trends in the translation of classical texts (philological, "elegant but not faithful", "literary literal") and a discussion of the issues involved.. It presents the ideas of a number of translation theorists (Antoine Berman, Umberto Eco, François Ost, Paul Ricoeur, Lawrence Venuti, etc.) whose ideas are relevant to the translation of classical texts. Students will also have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the work of outstanding French literary translators in the field of ancient literature over the centuries (Amyot, Perrot d'Ablancourt, Anne Dacier, Marguerite Yourcenar, Klossowski, Philippe Brunet, Olivier Sers, etc.).
Students are invited to practise the literary translation of ancient texts and to develop a personal translation project aimed at a well-defined target audience.

Teaching methods

The seminar offers a series of lectures, in which the active participation of the students will be encouraged, as well as practical exercises (translations and reviews of translations). Some sessions are prepared by the reading of articles.

Evaluation methods

The mark is based on a final paper comprising a theoretical introduction and a personal translation of a Latin text of between 600 and 1,200 words.
The paper will be discussed in an oral exam.
In the writing of the final paper, the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is generally discouraged; it may be permitted for certain specific tasks (e.g. linguistic assistance) provided that it is used critically, responsibly and in accordance with the practices of academic and scientific integrity. 

Online resources

On the Moodle server.

Bibliography

Les textes théoriques sur lesquels se base le séminaire sont fournis aux étudiants.

Faculty or entity

> EHAC