CAPSTONE PROJECTS FOR THE MINOR IN TRANSLATION STUDIES: INTERVIEW WITH QUYNH KIEU

The Minor in Translation Studies gives undergraduates at the University of Michigan an opportunity to explore translation from multiple perspectives, as a movement between languages, media, disciplines, and cultures. 

Students who choose the minor come from a wide range of departments, and they complete a capstone project that allows them to engage translation in various literary and professional settings,including internships, community outreach, and creative collaborations.  

In a series of interviews conducted by the Department of Comparative Literature, students describe their unique capstone projects. They explain why they are interested in translation, how they developed their interests through the capstone project, and what they learned from the experience.  

Quynh Kieu ’18 (BS, Neuroscience) drew on her native language and culture to create a capstone project entitled “Translating Vietnamese Women.” She contributed English translations to Women in War: Wartime Posters from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam 1955-1975, and was invited to participate in a panel discussion about this U-M special exhibit at Hatcher Graduate Library. In addition Quynh translated a short story by Mai Thuy Tran, with a reflection on the role of women in Vietnam, her own role as a translator, and the expansion of her cultural knowledge through translation.