Hello everyone! In 2015 I had an Art School or Bust thread here, and it really helped me stay organized and motivated through the stressful and complex process of graduating Fine Letters and simultaneously getting into Art School. I am now starting my 4th semester of art school, and next year, I decided I also want to get a Masters' in English Literature/Translation! I talked to the University People and the selection process usually starts in late February and lasts until July. This means that I have about 6 months to get my shit together, which is very good! Before the Process Starts: Do a bibliographical revision of basic theory on translation since I know absolutely nothing about it! Decide what exectly my work is going to be about. I'll talk about this in detail in a second post, but I have, basically, 2 translation projects, both of which are very dear to my heart, and I feel that one is more socially relevant but would be more work, and the second one would be more fun and ties in better with my undergrad thesis. Do the translation, and preliminary research Put together a bibliography Find an advisor Write my proposition When Process Opens Up: Deliver my application Study for the test Test Prepare for the Interview Interview Once I Get Accepted* Request leave from work Start studying! * there's no use in planning for if I don't get accepted, so this entire thread is going to assume that I'll pass, partly for motivation and partly because the alternative is "life goes on as usual"
Edited the original post to add some #goals! Right now, the first thing I need to do is decide which of 2 potential projects I'll be pursuing. Project #1 - Translating "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter PROS: A classic of 20th century British literature almost unheard of in Brazil There are no current translations of this book to Portuguese However, there have been 2 published translations, both out of print, which means I can compare and contrast There's also an out of print but still purchaseable edition in Spanish with gorgeous illustrations Potential transdisciplinary approach: I could translate and illustrate, by the end of which I would have a very beautiful project to be proud of Since my undergrad thesis was on the subject, I have plenty of reference material The topic is very interesting and fun for me I've dreamed of being The Translator of the Full Works of Angela Carter since I was 18 or so I think everyone should read this book CONS: Harder to find specific angles to discuss academically within the translation process Feels like, while it would be an amazing translation project, it's not necessarily one I'd be interested in writing a thesis about This may sound stupid but I find it less relevant than the other project Project #2 - Translating "Gender Failure" by Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote PROS: Socially, culturally and politically relevant as FUCK We really need more works on transgender people BY transgender people And this is a great time to do it because Brazil is currently undergoing a Transgender Tipping Point TM Can open doors to very interesting research in gender neutral forms of address in Portuguese Would be doing something good for other trans people, as a trans person in academia I've dreamed of being The Translator Of a Bunch Of Queer Literature for a couple years now Since the authors are alive, I can actually ask for their input and that would be cool as fuck I think everyone should read this book CONS: Don't have much bibliography to help me out Might be more suited as a PhD project given the amount and complexity of the research involved Doesn't entice me as much on a personal level as the other project Compiling this list, I think the biggest issue is that both ideas are SO COOL! Which is a good problem to have.
Since project #2 has PhD potential, consider doing personal one for thesis, and possibly saving number #2 for PhD, or heck even as just a project to do?
After writing it out, that's actually what I decided to do! It's also a project that I had already started, so, that helps ^^
