Introduction and Orientation to the Course of Translation Theory

This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of historic background of translation
studies, make them aware of the complexity of translation processes and evaluation.

We will become familiar with critical issues in translation theory and translation studies, learn about
representative thinkers and translators.

COURSE LITERATURE

! Munday J. (2001) Introducing Translation Studies. London. Routledge
! Readings in General Translation Theory. (1997) Stockholm. BBT
! Bassnett. S. (2002) Translation Studies. New York. Routledge

! Katan D. Translating Cultures. An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters and Mediators.

(1999) St Jerome Publishing

ATTENDANCE

! Attendance is essential. The critical level of missed lessons is 20% which means students have
to participate in 80% of the lessons. If students reach over 20%, they will automatically fail.
Students should keep a record of their absent hours.

LESSON PREPARATION

Since this course will be demanding both, in terms of difficulty of the given subject as well as the
language we are going to use in class, the students are requested to prepare for lessons before hand.

I will require minimum preparation (i.e. minimum knowledge of the topic given for each week)
which can be done in the following forms:
- reading done either in English or Turkish
- knowledge of theoreticians, translators (their names) and their key concepts
- notes in English or Turkish from your readings

Your preparation for our lessons will be crucial for your understanding of the topics
we discuss and for your success in midterm and the final exams.

Course content:

Week One: Introduction and Orientation to the Course; What is Translation
Week Two: Main issues of translation studies; The concept of translation; Introduction to
terminology; Types of translation
Week Three: History of translation theory; Translation before the twentieth century; Towards
contemporary translation theory; The twentieth century and present
Week Four: Equivalence and equivalent effect
Week Five: Translation shift approach

Week Six: Functional theories of translation

Week Seven: Discourse and register analysis approaches

Week Eight: System theories

Week Nine: Translating the foreign: the invisibility of translation

Week Ten: Translation studies as an interdiscipline

Week Eleven: Untranslatability; The future: co-operation or fragmentation