Translation studies

Research projects:

Translation of the poetic language

Description: This project analyses translation elements of the poetic language, comprising the translation of formal elements, such as metre and rhyme, and the connection between form and meaning. Besides addressing poetry translation, it also addresses the poetic language found in prose works such as those of James Joyce and William Shakespeare’s plays.

Professor in charge: John Milton (jmilton@usp.br)

 

Political and social influences on literary translation and interpretation in Brazil

Description: This project analyses the interface between literary translation and interpretation, on one hand, and, on the other, history, politics, economy, and social development in Brazil.

Professor in charge: John Milton (jmilton@usp.br)

 

COMET Project – Multilingual Corpus for teaching and translation

Description: The COMET Project is composed of 3 corpora: CorTec (Technical Corpus), CoMAprend (Learner Corpus), and CorTrad (Corpus of Translations). This is an ongoing project which aims to expand both CorTec and CorTrad with the periodical addition of new corpora. CoMAprend is to be enlarged with essays produced by students from several undergraduate programs.

Professor in charge: Stella Esther Ortweiler Tagnin (seotagnin@usp.br)

 

Translation and adaptation

Description: This project studies the connections between adaptation and translation, both in theoretical and practical terms.

Professor in charge: John Milton (jmilton@usp.br)

 

Translation and ethics: cultural, political and ideological aspects

Description: The project focuses on the responsibilities involved in a translation work, which are traditionally ignored in studies on the area. In recent years, translation studies have emphasised, in several ways, the fact that the translator is practically ‘invisible’ in many cultures. This chimera of the translator’s invisibility has of late been repudiated and, in its place, arose the concept of translators who are inevitably inscribed in the text they produce, and therefore  have a share of responsibility in the effects of their work. Issues approached include the translation of non-standard dialects, the role of the translator in literary communities of different cultures, and the effects of translation on the very literary production of the target language. Other writing practices that are frequently mixed with translation (adaptations, rewritings etc.) are also considered. In the more concrete field of the labour market, we investigate ethical problems and the issue translation copyright.

Professor in charge: Lenita Maria Rimoli Esteves (lenitaesteves@usp.br)

 

The reception of Brazilian literature in the English speaking world

Description: The aim of this project is to evaluate the reception of Brazilian literature in the English speaking world. Although some works have already been developed on the theme, there is still a vast field to be explored. Brazil has conquered a greater international visibility in recent years. Due to several social, economic and political motivations, Brazil has attracted the attention of other nations, and this gives room in the world scene for our cultural manifestations, among which is literature. We intend to investigate who are the cultural agents responsible for the spread of our literature in English speaking countries and how this happens. Such agents may be editors, authors, translators, university professors, governmental agencies and the mainstream media, among others.

Professor in charge: Lenita Maria Rimoli Esteves (lenitaesteves@usp.br)