Teaching with Translations
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library
Organizer Name
Daniel Donoghue
Organizer Affiliation
Harvard Univ.
Presider Name
Daniel Donoghue
Paper Title 1
Teaching Old English through Translations: The Triangulation Method
Presenter 1 Name
Michael R. Kightley
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Univ. of Louisiana-Lafayette
Paper Title 2
Word a Day: Teaching History through Greek and Latin Etymology
Presenter 2 Name
Andrew J. Cuff
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Catholic Univ. of America
Paper Title 3
Teaching Off Book
Presenter 3 Name
Jay Gates
Presenter 3 Affiliation
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
Start Date
11-5-2018 3:30 PM
Session Location
Schneider 1135
Description
As medievalists we place a premium on original-language research, and yet in the classroom we habitually rely on translations. Today the pedagogic side of this divide is undergoing revolutionary changes thanks to the proliferation of translations in print and on the internet. This new range of choices forces us to confront questions about the role of translation in the classroom. It’s not that such questions have never crossed our minds before, but they had less urgency when teachers had fewer alternatives. The pedagogy is implicit, for example, when instructors single out key words in the original for special explication, which has the advantage of putting our training to good use.
This session has both a theoretical and practical focus. What is the role of translation in the classroom? Is one kind of translation preferable to others? How does the relation between original and translation change from one discipline to another? From one genre to another? Is there an advantage to showing the original along with the translation even if students lack the competence to read it?
Daniel Donoghu
Teaching with Translations
Schneider 1135
As medievalists we place a premium on original-language research, and yet in the classroom we habitually rely on translations. Today the pedagogic side of this divide is undergoing revolutionary changes thanks to the proliferation of translations in print and on the internet. This new range of choices forces us to confront questions about the role of translation in the classroom. It’s not that such questions have never crossed our minds before, but they had less urgency when teachers had fewer alternatives. The pedagogy is implicit, for example, when instructors single out key words in the original for special explication, which has the advantage of putting our training to good use.
This session has both a theoretical and practical focus. What is the role of translation in the classroom? Is one kind of translation preferable to others? How does the relation between original and translation change from one discipline to another? From one genre to another? Is there an advantage to showing the original along with the translation even if students lack the competence to read it?
Daniel Donoghu