On Translation

Harvard FAS

Examines theories of translation from various periods (Dryden, Schopenhauer, Schleiermacher, Benjamin, de Man, among others). Also looks closely at specific translated texts (e.g., various English translations of The Thousand and One Nights), and considers such topics as the notion of unequal languages, the problem of cultural translation, translation post-9/11, and the possibility of untranslatability. Final project involves an original translation and commentary.