Exploring Narrative Perspective in Translating Jane Eyre Workshop
This workshop delves into the translation of narrative perspective, guiding participants through decoding and translating a passage from Jane Eyre. Activities include analyzing book covers, back-translating passages, and creating inspired pieces of writing. Participants explore how translators make decisions based on factors like genre and target audience. The workshop highlights the importance of narrative perspective in translating literary works.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Welcome This workshop explores how narrative perspective can be translated, from one language to another and from one type of text to another. Translators are required to make decisions about how they will translate a text based on factors like the genre, the target audience, and how close they can or want to stick to the original. The workshop s three activities guide pupils through the process of decoding and translating a passage from Jane Eyre, which sets the foundations for creating their own pieces of writing. General Instructions The translation workshop is structured as follows: 1) present pupils with the book covers on slide 5 and ask them to consider the questions on the slide (suggested length: 10 minutes). 2) allocate individual pupils or groups one section of the passage and ask them to back-translate using the glossary provided. Once they have completed the translations, ask them to consider the differences (suggested length: 25 minutes). 3) ask pupils to draw inspiration from the passage and its translations to create their own pieces of writing (suggested length: 25 minutes).
Prismatic Jane Eyre Translating Narrative Perspectives Workshop
Today, we will look at a book cover of a translation of Jane Eyre and consider how the story is presented to readers in other countries. focus on one passage from the novel, which we will first analyse in English and back-translate from French into English. consider how we can create our own versions inspired by this passage.
Jane Eyre Plot Overview The novel has five distinct stages: 1. Jane's childhood at Gateshead Hall, where she is emotionally and physically abused by her aunt and cousins; 2. her education at Lowood School, where she gains friends and role models but suffers privations and oppression; 3. her time as governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with her mysterious employer, Edward Fairfax Rochester whom she is due to marry before the wedding is interrupted as Rochester is revealed to be still married (to Bertha Mason); 4. her time in the Moor House, during which she works as a schoolteacher, meets her cousins, and inherits a large fortune; 5. and ultimately her reunion with, and marriage to Rochester following the death of Bertha during a fire at Thornfield Hall. FACT: Jane Eyre was originally published Jane Eyre: An Autobiography under the pen name Currer Bell in 1847.
Judging a Book by its Cover Which elements does this cover feature? Which parts of the story does the cover refer to? Who are the two female figures? What does the cover say about their relationship? Brazilian Portuguese translation by Adriana Lisboa, Rio de Janeiro, 2018
Fire at Thornfield (as told to Jane by the innkeeper) he went up to the attics when all was burning above and below, and got the servants out of their beds and helped them down himself, and went back to get his mad wife out of her cell. And then they called out to him that she was on the roof; where she was standing, waving her arms, above the battlements, and shouting out till they could hear her a mile off: I saw her andheard her with my own eyes. She was a big woman, and had long, black hair: we could see it streaming against the flames as she stood. I witnessed, and several more witnessed Mr Rochester ascend through the skylight on to the roof: we heard him call "Bertha!" We saw him approach her; and then, ma'am, she yelled, and gave a spring, and the next minute she lay smashed on the pavement. Dead? Dead! Aye, dead as the stones on which her brains and blood were scattered.
Back Translation Starting point: in your allocated excerpt, translate each text word for word using the glossary. You may need to change the order of the words so it makes more sense in English. Next, consider these questions: What differences can you see between the original text and the translations, and between the translations? (e.g. missing details, added changes, details changes) What effects do these changes have? What do you think about these effects? How is Bertha described? Think about physical descriptions and her actions.
Fire at Thornfield 1 he went up to the attics when all was burning above and below, and got the servants out of their beds and helped them down himself, and went back to get his mad wife out of her cell. And then they called out to him that she was on the roof; where she was standing, waving her arms, above the battlements, and shouting out till they could hear her a mile off il monta au grenier au milieu des flammes, fit sortir les domestiques de leurs lits et les aida descendre ; puis il revint pour sauver la folle ; on lui cria qu'elle tait sur le toit o elle se tenait debout, agitant les bras par-dessus les remparts et criant se faire entendre un kilom tre. Original Translation 1 Sans doute, sans doute; si bien qu il monta dans les combles, r veilla tous les serviteurs, les aida lui-m me descendre, et voulut ensuite enlever sa femme de la chambre o on la gardait . Mais on lui cria du dehors qu elle tait sur les toits, o , de fait, on la voyait debout, agitant ses bras et poussant des cris qu on entendait un mille de distance. et il est mont dans les mansardes pendant que tout tait en feu; il a r veill les domestiques et les a lui-m me aid s descendre, puis il est retourn pour sauver la folle. Alors on vint l avertir qu elle tait sur le toit, qu elle agitait ses bras au-dessus des cr neaux et qu elle jetait de tels cris qu on e t pu l entendre un mille de distance. Translation 2 Translation 3
Fire at Thornfield 2 I saw her andheard her with my own eyes. She was a big woman, and had long, black hair: we could see it streaming against the flames as she stood. I witnessed, and several more witnessed Mr Rochester ascend through the skylight on to the roof: we heard him call "Bertha!" Je l'ai vue et entendue moi-m me. C' tait une forte femme avec de longs cheveux noirs que l'on voyait se dessiner sur les flammes. J'ai vu, comme bien d'autres, Monsieur Rochester monter sur le toit par la lucarne. Nous l'avons entendu appeler : Berthe ! Original Translation 1 Moi-m me, madame, je l ai vue et entendue C tait une femme puissante avec de longs cheveux noirs que le vent chassait du c t des flammes . Je vis alors, et nous v mes tous, M. Rochester monter sur le toit . Nous l entend mes appeler Bertha!... Translation 2 Je l ai vueet entendue: c tait une forte femme avec de longs cheveux noirs qui flottaient dans la direction oppos e aux flammes. J ai vu, ainsi que plusieurs autres, j ai vu M. Rochester monter sur le toit la lumi re des toiles. Je l ai entendu appeler: Berthe! Translation 3
Fire at Thornfield 3 We saw him approach her; and then, ma'am, she yelled, and gave a spring, and the next minute she lay smashed on the pavement. Dead? Dead! Aye, dead as the stones on which her brains and blood were scattered. s'approcher d'elle. ce moment, madame, elle poussa un cri et fit un bond... Un moment apr s, elle s' crasait sur le dallage. Morte ? Morte comme les pierres sur lesquelles se r pandirent sa cervelle et son sang. Nous le v mes s approcher d elle . Et alors, madame, elle poussa un hurlement pareil celui des b tes fauves . Elle prit son lan .. Et un moment apr s elle gisait cras e sur les pav s de la cour . Morte? Morte! aussi morte que les pierres sur lesquelles son sang et sa cervelle avaient rejailli . C tait effrayant madame, vous pouvez m en croire. Puis il s approcha d elle; aussit t la folle jeta un cri, sauta et tomba morte sur le pav . Morte! Oui, aussi inanim e que les pierres qui re urent sa chair et son sang. Original Translation 1 Translation 2 Translation 3
Transcreation Starting Question: How can we recreate this scene (in French or English)? 1. Change the narrative perspective Reimagine this scene from the perspective of Bertha What is Berthe thinking and feeling? How will you present Bertha? 2. Change the form Rewrite this scene as a poem What elements would work well in a poem? How could you create the sounds of the crowd and the fire?
Whats next? A nation-wide creative translation competition will be launched on 30 September 2021 International Translation Day! The competition deadline is March 2022. Entrants are asked to compose a poem in another language inspired by a selected passage from Jane Eyre. The competition accepts submissions in any language, and all entries need to be accompanied by a literal translation into English. Up to 100 entries to the competition will be published in a printed anthology, which will also be available online. The competition guidelines and selected passages will be made available on 30 September 2021.
Fire at Thornfield: Translation 1 il monta au grenier au milieu des flammes, fit sortir les domestiques de leurs lits et les aida descendre ; puis il revint pour sauver la folle ; on lui cria qu'elle tait sur le toit o elle se tenait debout, agitant les bras par-dessus les remparts et criant se faire entendre un kilom tre. Je l'ai vue et entendue moi-m me. C' tait une forte femme avec de longs cheveux noirs que l'on voyait se dessiner sur les flammes. J'ai vu, comme bien d'autres, Monsieur Rochester monter sur le toit par la lucarne. Nous l'avons entendu appeler : Berthe ! s'approcher d'elle. ce moment, madame, elle poussa un cri et fit un bond... Un moment apr s, elle s' crasait sur le dallage. Morte ? Morte comme les pierres sur lesquelles se r pandirent sa cervelle et son sang.
Fire at Thornfield: Translation 2 Sans doute, sans doute; si bien qu il monta dans les combles, r veilla tous les serviteurs, les aida lui-m me descendre, et voulut ensuite enlever sa femme de la chambre o on la gardait . Mais on lui cria du dehors qu elle tait sur les toits, o , de fait, on la voyait debout, agitant ses bras et poussant des cris qu on entendait un mille de distance. Moi-m me, madame, je l ai vue et entendue C tait une femme puissante avec de longs cheveux noirs que le vent chassait du c t des flammes . Je vis alors, et nous v mes tous, M. Rochester monter sur le toit . Nous l entend mes appeler Bertha!... Nous le v mes s approcher d elle . Et alors, madame, elle poussa un hurlement pareil celui des b tes fauves . Elle prit son lan .. Et un moment apr s elle gisait cras e sur les pav s de la cour . Morte? Morte! aussi morte que les pierres sur lesquelles son sang et sa cervelle avaient rejailli . C tait effrayant madame, vous pouvez m en croire.
Fire at Thornfield: Translation 3 et il est mont dans les mansardes pendant que tout tait en feu; il a r veill les domestiques et les a lui-m me aid s descendre, puis il est retourn pour sauver la folle. Alors on vint l avertir qu elle tait sur le toit, qu elle agitait ses bras au-dessus des cr neaux et qu elle jetait de tels cris qu on e t pu l entendre un mille de distance. Je l ai vueet entendue: c tait une forte femme avec de longs cheveux noirs qui flottaient dans la direction oppos e aux flammes. J ai vu, ainsi que plusieurs autres, j ai vu M. Rochester monter sur le toit la lumi re des toiles. Je l ai entendu appeler: Berthe! Puis il s approcha d elle; aussit t la folle jeta un cri, sauta et tomba morte sur le pav . Morte! Oui, aussi inanim e que les pierres qui re urent sa chair et son sang.
Jean Rhyss Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys was a mid-20th-century novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. She is best known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), written as a postcolonial and feminist prequel to Charlotte Bront 's Jane Eyre. Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of Antoinette from her youth in Jamaica to her unhappy marriage to an English gentleman, Mr. Rochester who renames her Bertha, declares her mad, takes her to England, and isolates her away from the rest of the world in his mansion.
Jean Rhyss Wide Sargasso Sea the man who hated me was calling too, Bertha! Bertha! The wind caught my hair and it streamed out like wings. It might bear me up, I thought, if I jumped to those hard stones. But when I looked over the edge I saw the pool at Coulibri. Tia was there. She beckoned to me and when I hesitated, she laughed. I heard her say, You frightened? And I heard the man s voice, Bertha! Bertha! All this I saw and heard in a fraction of a second. And the sky so red. Someone screamed and I thought, Why did I scream? I called Tia! and jumped and woke. (Coulibri = plantation where Antoinette lived. Tia = childhood friend)
