Comparative Literature & Translation Studies

CPLT BC3510: ADVANCED TRANSLATION WORKSHOP for Italian Reading Knowledge
Professor Jhumpa Lahiri
Wednesdays, 11:00am-12:50pm

Elio Vittorini’s 1941 anthology Americana—showcasing thirty-three American writers translated for the first time into Italian by a series of Italian writer-translators—transformed the literary consciousness of a nation under fascism. More recently, the overwhelming success of Elena Ferrante, translated into English and other languages, has increased attention on contemporary Italian literature across the globe. In each instance, literary translation—a practice that transcends binaries of self and other, of familiar and foriegn—led to a defining cultural phenomenon. At heart, the translator is the most hybrid of literary figures, one who combines writing, language studies, philology, and literary criticism. In this workshop, we will spend our time translating excerpts of Italian literature from various periods and in a range of genres and styles to English. To further flex our muscles, we will also occasionally translate English works into Italian. Our aim will be to better understand the crucial role translation played and continues to play in the Italian literary landscape, and to explore the beauty, breadth, points of connection, and limits of both languages. We will also consider methods, reflections, and comments on the art and significance of translation from the Italian perspective. Students will workshop translations into English and Italian, and respond critically to the work of their peers.