Modern Foreign Languages

Modules

The following modules have typically been offered as standalone options:

Translation of Minority Languages

This module aims to present the nature and cultural role of the minority languages of Europe from the perspective of translation.

The module examines the specificity of minority languages, the politics and policies regarding their constitution and translation, their role in European culture and society and the parameters of their cultural and political dimensions, and the legal framework within which they exist. It offers an overview on questions of translation in minority language contexts as well as a specific examples taken from different European locales as well as from a postcolonial perspective.

Translation and adaptation in the arts

This module will consider how and why different media translate literary source texts and the nations behind them. It will examine the commercial reasons behind the adaptive relationship (a ready-made fan base and pre-prepared subject matter), the linguistic re-creation and the cultural transfer as the product of one nation is translated across media for another.

The relationship between adaptation and translation is a contentious topic in the sphere of Translation Studies. This module will make a case for their association, exploring the ways in which specific elements of Translation Theory, notably the theorists of the cultural turn, the foreignisation/domestication debate and Functionalist theories, shed important light on adaptations as artefacts, revising the critical discourse which currently surrounds them. This module’s five case study texts and adaptations will be used to compare and contrast the process of adaptation in distinct eras, nation and media in order to encourage students to engage both with specific adaptations and the broader trends and processes of adaptation as a whole.

Translation and culture

This module will study the challenges raised by the cultural dimensions of the translation process and the role of translation, as well as translators, as intercultural agents. It will explore the notions of cultural and linguistic translation, examining materials from a variety of fields (literature, arts, music, cinema, advertising, politics) and locations to demonstrate how translation is embedded in cultural practice. It has been designed to hone the analytical skills of students as they focus closely on case studies and critical concepts.

Apply

Applicants should apply using the module application form.

Please contact the CPD Unit for further guidance on the application process.