Course Type | Course Code | No. Of Credits |
---|---|---|
Foundation Elective | SOL2EN333 | 4 |
Semester and Year Offered: I and III
Course Coordinator and Team: Dr. Sanju Thomas
Email of course coordinator: sanju@aud.ac.in
Pre-requisites: Ability to read in an Indian language other than English
Aim: The course will highlight the role translation played in nation building by reinforcing the idea of a single nation and nationhood. The course would trace the history of translation in India, and its role in the awakening and building up of a new nation. It will look into the process and politics of translation through theory and practice. It also would look into the some translation strategies and how translation can also be a political act especially with regard to colonialism, language hierarchy, gender and caste.
Course Outcomes: At the end of the course students would be able to:
Brief description of modules/ Main modules:
Introduction: History of Translation in India
The module provides a brief history of translation in India from the earlier times to the contemporary times. The objective is to make students aware that translation in India was a different concept and how the idea of translation itself changed with colonialism.
Module 2
Translation and the making of the Indian Nation
This module addresses the language issue in India, and how the new independent nation tried to grapple with the many concerns that a multilingual nation raised.
Module 3
The Process of Translation
Translation is not just a linguistic transfer but it’s also about mediating between cultures. Translators use different strategies to negotiate between languages, cultures, time periods and ideologies. This section will look at certain translation strategies employed by translators. The texts will be read along with the translator’s note to have a better understanding of the way a translator approaches a translation issue.
Module 4
The Politics of Translation
It is said that translation is seldom an innocent activity. A translator can alter a text in subtle and even in blatant ways to accommodate a different reading. This module will look into some interesting ways in which a text can be changed while translating it to respond to different demands of the times.
Ramanujan, A.K. “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation.” The Collected Essays of A.K. Ramanujan, ed. Vinay Dharwadker. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999. 131-160. Print.
Mukherjee, Sujit. “Translation as Patriotism.” Translation as Discovery. New Delhi: Allied Publishers Private Limited, 1981. Print.
Kumar, Akshaya. “Translating Bhakti: Versions of Kabir in Colonial/Early Nationalist Period Indian Literature”. 50:1 (231) (January-February 2006), 149-165. Print.
Niranjana, Tejaswini. “Translation as Disruption”. Siting Translation: History, Post-structuralism, and the Colonial Context. Berkely: University of California Press, 1992. Print
Bhalla, Alok. “The Politics of Translation: Manto's Partition Stories and Khalid Hasan's English Version”. Social Scientist, Vol. 29, No. 7/8 (Jul. - Aug., 2001), pp. 19-38
Selections from Manto
Excerpts from Chemmeen. (Tranlsation by NarayanaMenon (1962) and Anita Nair (2011))
Module 5
Translating Gender and Caste
module will look at the question of caste and gender in translation. Translating caste and gender demands a very nuanced understanding of the process and politics of translation. From the choice of the texts to the negotiation of cultural and aesthetic terms associated with gender and caste, translation here becomes a very significant and empowering activity. The module besides reading translator’s notes and theories around these, will also read gender and caste in translation.
Assessment Details with weights:
S.No | Assessment | Date/period in which Assessment will take place | Weightage |
1 | Mid-term | Mid-September | 20% |
2 | Assignment | August/October | 10% |
3 | Presentation | November | 30% |
4 | Portfolio | Early December | 40% |