ENG 330: Translation/Edition Assignment

First,

examine the selected lines from the text that I share in class and by email.  The selected lines (currently TBD) will be announced during class, and not announced in any other way.  Using the resources we discuss in the first few weeks of class, translate the full selection from Middle English into present-day English.  Do not paraphrase: make sure every word is accounted for. Add stage directions (using editorial brackets, of course) for any physical action that the dialogue requires for sense.  Ask questions in class for clarification.

Next, 

craft one critical footnote (about 250-350 words) attached to a particular word or phrase in that selection.  (You may opt to have multiple explanatory footnotes attached to your assignment,, but one of those should be marked out clearly as the critical footnote that satisfies this portion of the assignment.) The critical footnote must analyze its word or phrase deeply, thinking through contexts and levels of meaning that would not be apparent to a reader who simply looks up the word.  You are expected to do everything that you can to explore the deep contexts and meanings of your chosen word or phrase.

Next,

submit to me a translation of the assigned passage of poetry, in smoothly flowing, grammatical, and thoroughly sensical present-day English, of the full class selection from Occupation and Idleness, with a 250-300 word footnote appended to a particular word or phrase.  Email your assignment to sergi.utoronto@gmail.com (.docx  or .doc preferred, .pdf also accepted) as an email attachment (that is, not through a file-sharing service like Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive).   After two weeks, I will email you your grade, along with comments.

How I’ll evaluate your work:

Rather than simply reading your translation straight through, I will evaluate the quality of your translation in three ways: a) an in-depth consideration of accuracy in two test-case sections, b) a spot-check of difficult words and phrases, and c) a read-through of your translation overall for sense and cleanliness.  I will then d) evaluate your footnote.