Recently I had a student who came to me for help. She had to read
and translate pieces from short stories by Katherine Mansfield and
Virginia Wolfe.
Translating for the sake of translating. Is it useful to the
students who are interested in American and English literature, or
is it simply a way to "keep them busy"?
I realize that teaching English literature is not as easy as it
sounds. However, there are definitely more interesting ways of doing
it besides the task of translating.
Here are some hints:
Introduce the author and discuss in what period he\she is
writing. This is helpful because the students can notice the
differences in the language construction and usage. For example,
the vocabulary alone is elaborate and the expressions used are a "sign of the times". In the case of Mansfield and Wolfe, there is
an incredible amount of description. (a garden, the seashore)
Next, have the students read a summary of the story. I advise
this because, it's necessary for the students to get an overall
view of the story content. When they read the first few pages, it's
difficult for them to understand where the story is "going" and who
are the characters.
Follow up by talking about the characters and their roles. What
do they represent, how do they interact, what is the author's aim. Very frequently, the plot can be more a psychological presentation. The author often incorporates his\her own viewpoints into the
characters' dialogues. Discuss how the author deals with the topics
he\she introduces: life, death, compassion, hate, etc.
Once all this is done, then the students are ready to attempt
translating. They now have a good basis for comprehension. Above
all, the teacher has aided them in acquiring not only information,
but enthusiasm and critical observation as well.
We teach literature so that our students can be introduced to a
new culture and at the same time be stimulated to go ahead in their
desire to read literary works in their original language.
A Nice Thought
"Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the
utmost possible degree.