Marie Elven
College Lecturer in French
I teach translation into French to Finalists at Teddy Hall. It’s a fantastic exercise that tests your understanding of English as well as your ability to convey that understanding in French, and draws on many of the skills acquired in other parts of the course. I see it as a rare opportunity to write like Vladimir Nabokov, Eva Hoffman, Marina Warner, and Lawrence Durrell (all set in past years at Finals), and consolidating grammar, vocabulary and your own sense of style in the process. Translation is a vital part of the literature work, as well as a creative, hands-on skill.
Where next?
French
