Courses Related to Translation Lectures

Lectures on Translation by invited speakers have been offered at Boston University for almost 40 years (you can read about their history here). We offer two courses tied to the Translation Lecture Series: TL 540 Translation Seminar and TL 542 Translation Today. Both are open to graduate students and upper-level undergraduates.

TL 540 Translation Seminar is a course in which students practice translating and work on individual translation projects. The class meets twice week, once for a translation workshop and again for lecture by an invited speaker, followed by a discussion. During the first half of the semester, the workshop focuses on analyzing existing translations from different languages and doing exercises in translation, which are later peer-reviewed and discussed in class. During the second half, students present their translation projects for class discussion.

Advanced proficiency in a non-English world language is required for this course.

TL 541 Translation Today is a course designed around the content of Friday lectures by invited speakers, which means that its syllabus is different every year. The class meets twice a week. Students attend weekly lectures by invited speakers, followed by a discussion. The second class meeting focuses on concrete issues arising from the material presented in the Friday lecture. Readings and handouts are provided by the invited speaker or assigned by the instructor. When possible, material is made available before the Friday lecture to allow students to prepare questions and topics for discussion with the speaker following each lecture. Since invited speakers work in a variety of languages and genres (poetry, drama, essay, fiction, and beyond), students will be able to engage directly with a variety of material and approaches.