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Teaching in Translation

March 31, 2014
All Day
Humanities Institute, George Wells Knight House, 104 East 15th Avenue

Interest in reading, writing, and translating across languages, domains, and media extends widely at The Ohio State University. LiteracyStudies@OSU initiated an interdisciplinary series and working group in 2013 as a way to help foster conversation and cooperation. The group continues its series with a program organized by Nina Berman on Monday, March 31, 4:30 p.m. at the Humanities Institute, on TEACHING IN TRANSLATION. Faculty staff, and students with an interest in translation are warmly invited to contribute to the conversation with:

 

 

MARK BENDER, East Asian Languages and Literatures

“Utilizing The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature”

Professor Bender will speak about the ways in which he uses this volume, which is comprised of translations of folk literature from numerous ethnic groups and regional cultures in China, in various undergraduate and graduate courses.

RICHARD FLETCHER, Classics

“The Exhibition as a Medium for Translation Teaching”

As part of his teaching of ancient Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, and mythology, Professor Fletcher consistently uses contemporary non-linguistic, visual media to explain and explore the translation of ideas and concepts. This approach to “transmutation” or “intersemiotic translation” also expands to visits to contemporary art exhibitions, where the students are asked to consider not only individual art works, but the exhibition as a whole in terms of translation.

JULIA NELSON HAWKINS, Classics

“Translating the Classics in American Courts”

Professor Hawkins will discuss ways in which various Greek texts (such as the "Hippocratic Oath" and Plato's Laws) have influenced some key court cases in the 20th century, such as Roe v. Wade and Evans v. Romer.  Teaching translated texts from a vastly different cultural, religious, and political tradition, separated from us by thousands of years, is always difficult, but what changes when that translation  occurs in landmark court cases dealing with the basic rights of whole groups' of people? 

Faculty, staff, and students with an interest in translation are encouraged to contact Nina Berman (Comparative Studies) at berman.58@osu.edu, Leslie Moore (Teaching and Learning) at moore.1817@osu.edu, or Dan Reff (Comparative Studies) at reff.1@osu.edu