Irena Stanic Rasin
Author, Translator, Instructor
SCHEDULE A LECTURE OR AN AUTHOR VISIT
FOR YOUR LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM, SCHOOL, LIBRARY OR OTHER VENUE
Lady Luna or Mister Moon?
How Language Shapes Thought
Do people who speak different languages see the world differently? To what extent do the conventions of our spoken language affect the way we think? To explore these questions, we will focus on three topics—color terms, grammatical gender, and the concept of time—across several languages.
You might be surprised to learn, for example, that different languages have a different number of basic color terms; some have 12, some 11, and others only two!
As a speaker of English—a language that, unlike Spanish, does not assign grammatical gender to inanimate objects—imagine that you needed to portray a book, the Moon, or Death, as a person. Would they be masculine or feminine? Why?
Finally, in English, we think of time as a linear concept. But in other languages, time and tense defy linear chronology with their reverse, or even circular, perception of time. Examples abound. Please join us as we challenge our linguistic preconceptions and reveal the patterns contained in a given language. It's about time we broaden our horizons!
Age: high school and older, 45 min to 2 hrs
The Challenges of Literary Translation
Literary translations are often taken for granted by readers. For translators, they are works of art in their own right. Going beyond linguistics, Irena Stanic Rasin uses her first-hand experience as a translator to explore the not-frequently-thought-of obstacles translators face. Using Gianna Manzini’s novel Sulla soglia (Threshold), easy-to-comprehend examples in Italian, as well as examples of poetry translations from the fascinating book Le Ton beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language by Douglas Hofstadter, Irena engages readers to gain new perspective on literary translations.
Age: high school and older, 45 min
Strip, jezik i intertekstualnost: Fenomen pop kulture
Alan Ford u hrvatskom prijevodu Nenada Brixyja
Brixyjev prijevod kultnoga satiričnog stripa Alan Ford talijanskoga dvojca Secchi-Raviola u bivšoj je Jugoslaviji postao fenomenom popularne kulture, a taj status uživa i danas u državama sljednicama. Polazeći od kategorija „parodija“ i „prijevod“ kao oblika intertekstualnosti ovaj će rad razmotriti prevođenje intertekstualnih postupaka u nekoliko kategorija, uključujući književnost, glazbu, slikarstvo, povijesne događaje i ličnosti i proizvode masovne uporabe. Izuzetna popularnost Brixyjeva prijevoda kao samostalnoga i punopravnoga teksta objasnit će se ne samo uspješnim iznalaženjem intertekstualnih kulturno-jezičnih ekvivalenata izvornim predlošcima, koji rezoniraju u kulturi i jeziku prijevoda, već i načinima na koje Brixy, kroz nove referencije i duhovitost ostvaruje svoju vlastitu parodičnost i intertekstualnost.
Dob: srednjoškolci i odrasli, 45 min
When Hen Was on Her Way to Market:
A Folktale-Inspired Story of Manners and Nursery Rhyme
Will imperious Hen get the help she demands to clean her muddy foot? Not unless she learns courtesy and respect. This Croatian-based cumulative folktale, in which the local flora, fauna, and villagers respond “No way!” to Hen’s commands, will ring true to young children on their way to understanding cooperation and perhaps a bit of humility.
Age: preschool - 5th grade - 45 min
Visits include:
Interactive puppet show performance
Sing-along
Craft (optional) - add 15 - 30 min depending on age
Šaljivo putovanje Hrvatskom
Ova zbirka „otkriva mjesta kroz sjajne poetske dosjetke, male stihovane priče, navodi čitatelja na daljnje istraživanje vješto prevlačeći kroz poetski materijal element poučavanja. Premrežavajući stihovima mala i velika mjesta naše domovine, autoričin ludizam ne prestaje do kraja zbirke kad nam kao dodatak pruža malu enigmatsku slagalicu poigravši se imenima i spojivši ih u novu simpatičnu cjelinu.“
Čitanje poezije uz slike i glazbu hrvatskih gradova i mjesta, 45 min
Dob: djeca od 10 do 110 godina
