Introduction to Translation
WRCT 266
Fall 2026
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 268, REES 266, RL&L 266, ENGL 270 |
Literary translation is popularly misunderstood to be the mechanical transfer of words from one language into the words of another. However, literary translators must also bring to life in a new language the intangibles of a text, such as the culture, the mood, the aesthetics, and the vibes. Our modern word vibes derives from an instrument often used in jazz performances called the vibraphone, a percussive instrument that produces a resonant, vibrato effect. In Sanskrit, this vibrato effect is defined by the versatile word dhwani, which is used to describe reverberations and echoes in music, poetry, and theater. In this class (taught by Distinguished Writer in Residence, Daisy Rockwell), we will try our hands at translating not just the words, but the dhwani of texts. This will help us explore what translation has entailed in various eras and cultures, and what we can learn from intermodal translation, when text is brought alive through non-linguistic media, such as sound, visual imagery, and dramatization. Students will formulate a final project halfway through the semester, such as the translation of a short story, a chapter of a book, or a set of poems. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA WRCT |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Instructor(s): STAFF
Times: ..T.R.. 10:20AM-11:40AM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 12 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 12 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 3 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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