Executive Summary

Project Aims and Reasoning

After the successful launch of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation in 2017, this cross-Faculty project aims to (1) pilot a national student translation prize that grows interest in translation as a ‘not-yet-professional’ activity and (2) run a series of three preparatory workshops open to undergraduate students at Warwick with an interest in languages and translation. These workshops which focus on different areas of translation that are not normally included on the undergraduate curriculum (i.e. translation and song or translation and theatre) will introduce participants to translation theory and practice in a practical and fun way. They will develop their awareness and understanding of the joys and challenges involved in translating very different kinds of text types and should help to prepare their competition entries.

Details

The project targets undergraduate learners at different language stages from different language backgrounds to show that translation can be an interesting and productive activity at all language levels. The 3 workshops – (1) Translation and Song; (2) Translation and Theatre; (3) Literary Translation – will encourage and grow an interest in translation and intercultural exchange. Run in spring 2019 (2 in term 2 and 1 at the beginning of term 3), the workshops will create an exciting buzz of interest in translation as an active-language-using activity which participants can then showcase in their portfolios that will be submitted for the competition. Student learning in the practical sessions will be supported by key staff in different language sections, subject specialists and PG volunteers.

Anticpated Outcomes

The competition and workshops will encourage participants to engage with texts in a foreign language and translation as a practical activity in a creative way outside the classroom. The prize should motivate independent and innovative translations and eliminate fears around reading and understanding foreign-language texts. While this is useful for personal development (language skills, linguistic and cultural understanding of translation as practice and linguistic creativity), it will also have a knock-on effect for UG and PG programmes at Warwick. The extra-curricular workshops will support and enhance the offering for Warwick students on the new UG translation studies pathway in SMLC and students in ECLS taking modules in literary translation.

The competition lends the project a national reach. Non-Warwick UG students will be able to access key information from the workshops through LectureCapture on the Translation@Warwick webpage on the University website, helping to raise Warwick’s profile as a place where languages and translation can be studied at UG and PG level.