The modern world brings us into daily contact with a more diverse range of languages than ever before. Whether real-time, literary or technical, translation is the only way to mediate between  languages  and  cultures. This  course invites you to explore the fascinating world of translation in action.  Who  translates?  When, where, how, and why? Together, we will dive into these questions and uncover the cultural, political,    social    and    creative    layers    of translation.

Throughout the semester, we will look at concrete case studies from different linguistic and cultural areas (e.g. the retranslation of Japanese classics, the circulation of American popular songs, Chinese poetry in translation, saving lives with Translators without Borders); we will use exercises, games and self- directed projects to expand our critical horizon on translation. Guests will join to discuss their own translation practice or expertise on translation.

As we extend our investigation further, one section of the course will focus specifically on opening the black   box of   machine    translation,   examining   both   its    historical   roots   and demystifying contemporary innovations. We will trace the evolution from early rule-based systems to today's Large Language Models  (LLMs),  making  complex mechanisms—tokenization,  vocabulary  management, context processing—visible, accessible and intelligible. By gaining a clear understanding of how LLMs operate—and where their limits lie—you will be prepared not only to use these tools, but also to critically evaluate them and contribute to shaping the future of translation.

Think of this course as an open invitation to challenge your assumptions, discover new perspectives, and see translation not just as a skill—but as a powerful bridge between worlds.

Course requirements

Grades are based on attendance, participation in class discussion, completion of weekly Canvas activities, one medium-length final paper and one personal project. There will be no final exam.

Your final grade will be determined according to the following criteria:

Attendance: 15%

Participation: 15%

Online activities: 20% (complete/incomplete)

Final Paper: 20%

Personal project: 30%

The grading standard of the course will be as follows:

‘C’ designates ‘average’ work ‘B’ designates ‘good’ work

‘A’ designates ‘excellent’ work

I will grade your work using the following scale:

You may miss two classes without penalty. Once you have reached your limit, I will excuse absences with a doctor’s note or other form of documentation. Each unexcused absence will count as a 2-point deduction toward the final grade.

Each incomplete or late Canvas activity will count as a 3-point deduction toward the final grade.

To ensure equitable and consistent evaluation for all students, all grades awarded in this course are final.

Objectives of the course:

- to develop your understanding of key theoretical approaches to literary translation

- to familiarize yourselves with the specificities of types of translation through the discussion of case studies

- to combine theoretical understanding with practical observation in your own critical work on translation

Weekly assignments

Writing assignment

We will experiment with a variety of short assignments that will help you build toward the final paper and serve as building blocks for the personal project. Weekly writing assignments will be posted on Canvas following the Monday lecture. To be prepared for class discussion, students are expected to submit   the   weekly   writing   assignment   by   Tuesday   evening.   Responses   are  graded   on   a complete/incomplete basis. Each incomplete or late Canvas activity will count as a 3-point deduction toward the final grade.

Reading assignment

Students are expected to complete all assigned readings prior to the  start of class on Mondays. Required readings for the upcoming week will be made available on Canvas each Wednesday.

Final Paper

We will compose our own dictionary about translation: A Subjective Dictionary on Translation.

A subjective dictionary should be understood as the opposite of a dictionary: it’s A to Z doesn’t exhaust the subject. It is rather about creating a gallery of wonders and admirations in the face of the inexhaustible ambiguity of reality.

There will be one entry per student to choose from a non-exhaustive list of topics. You are expected to develop and expand the entry with your own case study into a medium-length subjective essay.

Writing is a social process; both giving and receiving feedback about your writing enable us to develop our abilities as writers and thinkers. In this spirit, there will be a peer review workshop during which you will help each other clarify and strengthen arguments, identify weaknesses in your peers’ drafts and in your own work.

Personal Project

At the end of the semester, you will submit a personal project - which we will discuss individually - that can take various forms: your own translation of a text, your own critical presentation of a published translation, an interview with a translator, a comparative and critical study of different translations, a reader’s report and analysis of a theoretical text; other options are possible. Each of you will give a 10 min oral presentation in class about your project.

Attendance

Because our course foregrounds discussion, attending class is crucial for your own engagement with the class. If you must be absent because of an emergency or illness, please make every effort to speak with me about it beforehand, if possible, or within 24 hours of you missing the class. I strongly encourage you to honor your cultural and religious holidays! Please notify me of absences due to religious observance as well as University sporting events as soon as you can. You may miss two classes without penalty. Once you have reached your limit, I will excuse absences with a doctor’s note or other form of documentation. Keep in mind that more than two unexcused absences will affect your final grade as each unexcused absence will count as a 2-point deduction toward the final grade.

Participation

The  success  of  our  course  depends  on  each  of  you  being  prepared  to  participate.  Effective participation entails being an engaged listener and balanced contributor. Participation can take many forms: offering a comment or reflection about the week’s assignment during class, responding to others’ questions, identifying an idea or a concept that you find difficult to understand, sharing an insight from your own writing assignment, posting an observation or a question on the Canvas course site, making links between our discussions and events unfolding in the world …

As an option to fulfill the participation requirements, you can choose to serve as discussion leader for at least one week. You will work with me to craft discussion questions and will also give a 10-minute presentation on the chosen topic of the week.