Dr. Sarah-Kate Moore, a current graduate student in the French MA program, presented her MA thesis on Wednesday, May 29th. Her project is a translation of the first ten poems of Le tendon et l'os [Tendon and Bone, 2019] by Québécoise author Anne-Marie Desmeules. The poetry collection, which has not been translated into English, has received wide acclaim in Canada as recipient of both the Governor General's Literacy Award (2019) and the Prix des libraires du Québec (2020). A selection of translated poems for this project were selected as the graduate award winner for this year's French & Italian Studies Academic Awards, which can be read here. To tackle her project, Dr. Moore translated each poem three times, employing first a free, then a tightly constrained, then a hybrid approach. When asked about her project, Dr. Moore said she "prioritized a translation ethics of adhering closely to the source text, as well as an embodied approach to translation practice rooted in curiosity, openness, and ongoingness that acknowledges the affective and responsive experience of the translator." Her MA thesis presentation was a success, drawing a crowd of French & Italian faculty, staff, and members of the community.
When asked about her experience in the French MA program, Dr. Moore wanted to "emphasize as I'm graduating is how grateful I am to the department for their unwavering support of graduate students, and particularly to Prof. Rich Watts (my translation mentor), Prof. Hedwige Meyer (my mentor in everything else!), and Maria Francom (who has contributed to my success in the MA program in so many ways through her invaluable administrative expertise). "
Dr. Sarah-Kate Moore graduates this quarter, Spring 2024, with her MA in French. Throughout her years in the department, she has been the recipient of numerous TA and RA positions, the Top Scholar award for graduate students, departmental academic awards, and a 2023-2024 academic year FLAS award through the UW Canadian Studies Center. Through the FLAS fellowship, Dr. Moore was able to pursue advanced French language and area studies coursework focused on francophone Canada toward the purpose of teaching French language and literature courses that center Québécois language, literature, and culture, with a particular focus on the autochtone/First Nations experience in Québec. She was recently award a scholarship through the Centre de la francophoonie des Amériques, of which Dr. Moore is a member, to attend the Advanced Training for Teahcers of French as a Foreign Language program at Laval University in Québec City this July. The two-week program combines pedagogical training with sociocultural education and engagement to train teachers of FLE (French as a foreign language). After completing this program, Dr. Moore plans to teach French languages to adults at the A1-B2 levels.
Congratulations to Dr. Sarah-Kate Moore on her upcoming graduation!