Ian Ross Singleton

COMING SOON: Writing Across Languages: Translation as Fiction Technique with Ian Ross Singleton

In his essay, “On Linguistic Aspects of Translation,” Roman Jakobson defines three kinds of translation.

There’s interlingual translation between languages, what we usually think of as translation. An example is translating the Ukrainian word трійка (or triyka) into “a group of three.” Our first class would discuss techniques for both translation and creative writing related to this form.

Next is intralingual translation. In this class, students would discuss translation within a language, often called editing or revision. An example is translating the word murdered into the synonym slain, saving a syllable for poetic effect.

The third and final class would be on semiotic translation. In this class, students will discuss translation between visual and linguistic communication, between images and language. An example is drawing a map that translates the space of your writing into a smaller visual representation to encompass the whole or zooming in on a scene and even drawing smaller objects at larger scale to translate the details necessary for an apt depiction in language.

All of these techniques can be used in both translation and creative writing in one language. Each class is $100 or $250 for all three. That is a sliding scale.