Download hong kong baptist university

1.
COURSE TITLE
Drama Translation
2.
COURSE CODE
TRA2260
3.
NO. OF UNITS
3
4.
OFFERING DEPARTMENT
Translation Programme
5.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
This subject aims to introduce students to the exciting challenges, problems, and methods
of translating drama, not only between languages and across cultures, but also from the
page to the stage.
6.
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COURSE CONTENT
Translations of plays of different genres and different schools of writing will be compared
and analysed, with special emphasis on the strategies of translating and the theoretical
issues involved in drama translation. The following issues will be explored:

What is “drama”? Drama as a literary genre

Dramatic texts and Western theatrical traditions

Dramatic texts and Chinese theatrical traditions

Theories and methods of drama translation: words, bodies, actions and space

Translating plays for reading purposes

Translating plays for performance on stage

Producing, directing and acting in translated plays

Drama translation in Hong Kong
COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (CILOS)
CILO
Upon successful completion of this Course, students should be able to:
CILO 1
engage in critical discussion on drama, in particular, of stage productions of
plays in translation; [aligned with HKBU Graduate Attribute #1, 2, 3, 4]
CILO 2
analyse the differences in the approaches to translating plays for reading
purposes and for stage production; [GA #1, 2, 3]
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CILO 3
translate plays for reading purposes and for stage production; [GA #1, 2, 3]
CILO 4
demonstrate how their ears, eyes and voice come into play in translating
drama; and [GA #1, 2, 3, 7]
TEACHING & LEARNING ACTIVITIES (TLAS)
The teaching and learning activities will take the form of lecture, reading and viewing of
written and performed texts, drama workshop and class discussion. At the end of the
semester the class will produce the translation of a complete dramatic text.
CILO No.
TLAs
CILO 1, 2
In the first few lectures various Western and Chinese dramatic
conventions will be introduced to students. They will be given
seminal writings on the theatre to read.
CILO 1, 2, 3, 4
About one-third of the time will be spent on case studies of drama
translation. Students will read the scripts and view performance
recordings or attend performances of these case studies. They will
be guided to reflect on these texts critically and to discuss relevant
issues with theoretical vocabulary.
CIL O 3, 4
CIL O 1, 3, 4
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Another one-third of the time will be spent on drama workshops.
Students will learn in practice stage techniques including
elementary directing and acting, so that they will be able to take
practical considerations for the stage into their translation .
At the end of the semester students will work in groups to
complete the translation of a dramatic text for real use in the
theatre, either as the script or surtitles. If possible this will be a
commissioned work. When there is no commission students will
be encouraged to produce a simple staging of the play they have
translated.
ASSESSMENT METHODS (AMS)
Type of
Assessment
Weighting
Term paper
30%
1, 2
The paper requires students to reflect on
issues pertaining to drama translation from
both theoretical and textual perspectives.
Assessment will be made upon their
understanding of these issues and their
capacity for critical reflection displayed in
the paper.
Translation
project of a
complete play
40 %
3, 4
Assessment will be made upon the quality
of the translation students produce, which
should reflect their ability to apply
knowledge of translation and drama to
practice.
Drama
workshop
20%
3, 4
Required
reading and
class
discussion
10%
1, 2
(The
percentage may
vary.)
CILOs to Description of Assessment Tasks
be
addressed
Assessment will be made upon students’
ability to make their voice and body work
with words in their translations. This will
reflect their understanding of the
relationship between words and other stage
elements that will affect the effectiveness
of the translation of playscripts.
Some material listed under References is
selected for required reading. It helps
students build up knowledge on drama
translation and provides them with the
necessary critical language. Students’
ability to conduct intellectual discussion
with suitable vocabulary will be assessed
in class discussions.
10 Textbooks / Recommended readings*
Aaltonen, Sirkku. 2000. Time-sharing on Stage: Drama Translation in Theatre and Society.
Clevedon, England; Buffulo, NY: Multilingual Matters.
Anderman, Gunilla M. 2005. Europe on Stage: Translation and Theatre. London: Oberon
Books.
Bassnett, Susan. 1980. “The problems of translating theatre texts”. Theatre Quarterly. 10
(38). 47-55.
Bassnett, Susan. 1990. “Translating for the theatre: Textual complexities”. Essays in
Poetics. 15(1), April. 71-84.
Bassnett, Susan.1991. “Translating for the theatre: The case against ‘performability’”. TTR.
4(1). 99-113.
Carlson, Marvin. 1985. “Theatrical performance: Illustration, translation, fulfillment or
supplement?”. Theatre Journal. March. 5-11.
Cheung, Martha P.Y. and Lai, Jane C.C (Eds.). 1997. An Oxford Anthology of
Contemporary Chinese Drama. Hong Kong; New York : Oxford University Press.
Frayn, Micheal. 1989. “Christopher Hampton and Timberlake Wertenberger, debate on
translation”. Platform Papers. London: Royal National Theatre.
Gunn, Edward M. (Ed). 1983. Twentieth-Century Chinese Drama: An Anthology.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Scolnicov, Hanna and Peter Holland (Eds.). 1989. The Play Out of Context: Transferring
Plays from Culture to Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zuber-Skerritt, Ortrun (Ed.). 1980. The Languages of Theatre: Problems in the Translation
and Transposition of Drama. Oxford; New York: Pergamon Press.
Zuber-Skerritt, Ortrun (Ed.). 1984. Page to Stage: Theatre as Translation. Amsterdam:
Rodopi.
田本相，1993，《中國現代比較戲劇史》，北京：文化藝術。
陳白塵、董健編，1989，《中國現代戲劇史稿》，北京：中國戲劇。
黃美序主編，1989，
〈戲劇卷〉第一、二冊，收錄於余光中總編，
《中華現代文學大系：
臺灣一九七○ - 一九八九》v.12-13，臺北：九歌。
*The references will be updated as necessary with the working syllabus.