Course Catalogue

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This course will help students enhance their understanding of translation by connecting China with the universalist political theoretical categories of deeply European origin. The course will start from the "cultural turn" of translation studies, taking a critical look at the notion of translation, and explore the agent of power and ideology in translation. It will also look at various ways in which translation has been invoked, practised and used in some transcultural contexts, as a way to understand how cultural translation has shaped and transformed Chinese society.

11 x 2 hours of tutorials

Standard entry to Masters at College level.

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The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Oral presentation in class (10 minutes) 20% 

■ An essay-form individual reflective learning diary (2000 words) 40% 

■ A critical book review (c. 1500 words) 40%  

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ Oral presentation: recorded presentation (video or audio) / One-to-one presentation with staff. 

■ There is no alternative to the Essay nor to the Critical Book Review but extensions to the deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to:

■ encourage students to read across disciplines in exploring the role of translation and language use and to support them in doing this;

■ encourage and develop students' critical thinking on language use and translation;

■ broaden and deepen students' understanding of a variety of issues in relation to translation, such as power relations, gender, and colonialism etc.;

■ explore the role of language and translation in trans-cultural situations; specially through examples of intellectual interactions between China and the West.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ identify relevant aspects of translation theory and instances from the history of translation practice;

■ apply a range of cultural theories in relation to the question of translation; 

■ critically discuss and analyze the role of language and translation in trans-cultural situations;

■ draw comparisons between translation and cultural and social transformation in a global context.