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WOC207 Spring 2023 Session 4

Day 9

Tues. Apr. 18


  • Go through 1C worksheet

  • Intro to image and metaphor

  • More on “voice”


Challenge 2 deadlines

Homework due before class on THURSDAY

➤ Read Instructions for final challenge, think about what you might want to do

Read the instructions for final challenge and come to next class ready to share with me and your classmates what you’re thinking you might want to do for your final challenge. (This is might be a good moment to recruit classmates to work with you, if you want to work in a group!)

➤ rETRANSLATE PASSAGE FROM 1D

Please retranslate the passage from Challenge 1D that I’ve excerpted. When you’re translating, focus on the meaning of entire sentences or thoughts rather than the meaning of individual words. Imagine that you’re the author, and ask yourself: What are some different ways I could express this same thought or describe this same reality? Pick the way that makes most sense to you, the way feels most natural in the moment.

Also, think about voice. What kind of person is the author? As you’re writing each sentence, ask yourself what kind of sentence a person like Martha Gill would write if she were writing Chinese, and write that sentence. (What kinds of words would she choose? How would she “sound”? Given what what she’s just said, what would she say next?)

Upload your new translations to the folder “Retranslated passage from 1D” on SharePoint.

A bouquet of poetry

➤ Translate “Late Lights in Minnesota” into Chinese

In the “bouquet of poetry” you’ll find a poem by Ted Kooser called “Late Lights in Minnesota.” Please translate this into Chinese, adopting a style appropriate for modern Chinese poetry (note this poem, being modern, does not rhyme! you might want to look at some examples of 新诗 in Chinese as parallel texts). As you translate, imagine the images clearly and try to translate what you see.

Submit your translation on Sakai.

➤ Read Challenge 2f (Annie Dillard, “Stunt Point”)

Read the translation of Annie Dillard’s “Stunt Pilot” into Chinese. (You’ll find it in the folder “Challenge 2 texts.”) As you read, consider these questions and come ready to share.

  1. Readability - How readable is the translation? Are there any particular moments that are confusing or that you had to read multiple times to understand?

  2. Voice - Just based on the Chinese translation alone, what kind of person do you feel that Annie Dillard is? Do you get a sense of her personality? If so, come ready to share one sentence that you feel gives a very strong sense of her “voice” in Chinese.

  3. Images - Do the images make sense? Are they easy to visualize? Come with an example of one image that you think comes across particularly vividly in the Chinese translation.


Austin Woerner