Just saw this pointer to a temporary in-house contract in Berlin for a German-English translator. The deadline is 15 September.
Which reminded me that on my recent holiday I finished reading Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin (original German title Jeder stirbt für sich allein) in Michael Hofmann's translation. It reads very like a translation in that the style is entirely un-English, but it is also beautifully crisp and comprehensible (and lightly footnoted, which I haven't seen in a translation for a while). Plus, the characters are fantastically drawn and the story gripped me from the first page. Just sayin'.
Friday, 27 August 2010
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Translating controversial Arabic literature (call for papers)
A flurry of interesting calls for papers recently, including this one (the questions may also be of interest to students taking the Translating History unit):
International Federation of Translators XIX World Congress
Bridging Cultures (Panel)
Date and Venue: August 1-4, 2011, San Francisco, CA
Proposals are invited for a panel on "Translating 'Controversial' Arabic Literature"
Arabic literature, declared Edward Said in 1990, "remains relatively unknown and unread in the West, for reasons that are unique, even remarkable." Twenty years later, it is hard to say that the situation has remained the same: there has certainly been an increase in the availability of Arabic literary works in several European languages, and more attention is being given to current Arabic literature. Yet, considering the great interest in the West (generated mainly by political events) in Arab and Muslim societies and the remarkable growth in Arabic literature (especially the novel) in recent years, translating and publishing Arabic literature in several Western languages is often seen as nothing less than a gamble.
Whether it is their illustrative social value, their exotic appeal, their connection with current trends (as in the case of Naguib Mahfouz, for example), their confirmation of established political views or representations, Arabic literary works often have to give (non-literary) justifications for their existence in Western languages. One very effective pass to translation has been the "controversial" or "subversive" status of a work in Arabic. Writings viewed as
subverting political, social, and religious establishments or defying moral codes (especially when accompanied by public outcries or bans of different kinds) have usually been given priority by translators and publishers in the West.
This panel seeks to explore, from various angles, the translation of works considered controversial or subversive in Arabic. Our aim is to examine the factors influencing the selection of works for translation, the choices and dilemmas facing translators and publishers in the process of transferring the work from Arabic, and the recent developments and current state of the field.
We welcome contributions that benefit from recent research in translation studies, especially those engaging critically with traditional paradigms in translation theory or scholarship on Arabic literature.
Some of the questions that the panel addresses are:
What defines a work as controversial or subversive, whether in the source Arabic or in the target culture? Are readers' expectations in the source and target necessarily compatible?
What types of controversy usually attract western translators and publishers?
Do translators sometimes highlight, or exaggerate, controversial aspects in the works they translate? And what strategies do they use in the process?
Generally speaking, the controversiality label can add interest to a work translated from any language. How significant is the work's controversial status to its selection for translation from Arabic? Is controversiality a major condition for selection, or only one among others?
Has there been any change in recent years toward more attention to the "intrinsic artistic value" of Arabic literature, rather than its social or political relevance?
Conversely, did recent political developments in the Middle East and the West (the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, the rise of fundamentalist movements, the Ghaza conflict), and the ensuing interest in the culture and politics of the Arab World, have any effect on the perception of Arabic literature and the conditions surrounding its translation?
How valid are the traditional paradigms of Orientalism and exoticism in understanding current translator choices and audience reactions in Western languages?
Does Edward Said's description of Arabic literature as "embargoed" still illustrate (if it did in the first place) the way Arabic literature is being treated by translators and publishers? Is there a deliberate intent somehow, as Said stated, to "interdict any attention to texts that do not reiterate the usual clichés about 'Islam,' violence, sensuality and so forth"?
What differences exist between Western countries in the conditions and modes of reception surrounding translations from Arabic?
To what extent can Arab institutions, intellectuals, and writers themselves be blamed for deficiencies in translating from Arabic?
To what extent can the conditions in which Arabic literature is translated and received in the West be compared to those governing the reception of literary works from other non-European, especially "Third World," cultures?
The submission deadline for 300-word proposals is December 1, 2010. Presentations should be in English. Contact: tarek.shamma at uaeu.ac.ae
Registration: http://www.fit2011.org.
International Federation of Translators XIX World Congress
Bridging Cultures (Panel)
Date and Venue: August 1-4, 2011, San Francisco, CA
Proposals are invited for a panel on "Translating 'Controversial' Arabic Literature"
Arabic literature, declared Edward Said in 1990, "remains relatively unknown and unread in the West, for reasons that are unique, even remarkable." Twenty years later, it is hard to say that the situation has remained the same: there has certainly been an increase in the availability of Arabic literary works in several European languages, and more attention is being given to current Arabic literature. Yet, considering the great interest in the West (generated mainly by political events) in Arab and Muslim societies and the remarkable growth in Arabic literature (especially the novel) in recent years, translating and publishing Arabic literature in several Western languages is often seen as nothing less than a gamble.
Whether it is their illustrative social value, their exotic appeal, their connection with current trends (as in the case of Naguib Mahfouz, for example), their confirmation of established political views or representations, Arabic literary works often have to give (non-literary) justifications for their existence in Western languages. One very effective pass to translation has been the "controversial" or "subversive" status of a work in Arabic. Writings viewed as
subverting political, social, and religious establishments or defying moral codes (especially when accompanied by public outcries or bans of different kinds) have usually been given priority by translators and publishers in the West.
This panel seeks to explore, from various angles, the translation of works considered controversial or subversive in Arabic. Our aim is to examine the factors influencing the selection of works for translation, the choices and dilemmas facing translators and publishers in the process of transferring the work from Arabic, and the recent developments and current state of the field.
We welcome contributions that benefit from recent research in translation studies, especially those engaging critically with traditional paradigms in translation theory or scholarship on Arabic literature.
Some of the questions that the panel addresses are:
What defines a work as controversial or subversive, whether in the source Arabic or in the target culture? Are readers' expectations in the source and target necessarily compatible?
What types of controversy usually attract western translators and publishers?
Do translators sometimes highlight, or exaggerate, controversial aspects in the works they translate? And what strategies do they use in the process?
Generally speaking, the controversiality label can add interest to a work translated from any language. How significant is the work's controversial status to its selection for translation from Arabic? Is controversiality a major condition for selection, or only one among others?
Has there been any change in recent years toward more attention to the "intrinsic artistic value" of Arabic literature, rather than its social or political relevance?
Conversely, did recent political developments in the Middle East and the West (the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, the rise of fundamentalist movements, the Ghaza conflict), and the ensuing interest in the culture and politics of the Arab World, have any effect on the perception of Arabic literature and the conditions surrounding its translation?
How valid are the traditional paradigms of Orientalism and exoticism in understanding current translator choices and audience reactions in Western languages?
Does Edward Said's description of Arabic literature as "embargoed" still illustrate (if it did in the first place) the way Arabic literature is being treated by translators and publishers? Is there a deliberate intent somehow, as Said stated, to "interdict any attention to texts that do not reiterate the usual clichés about 'Islam,' violence, sensuality and so forth"?
What differences exist between Western countries in the conditions and modes of reception surrounding translations from Arabic?
To what extent can Arab institutions, intellectuals, and writers themselves be blamed for deficiencies in translating from Arabic?
To what extent can the conditions in which Arabic literature is translated and received in the West be compared to those governing the reception of literary works from other non-European, especially "Third World," cultures?
The submission deadline for 300-word proposals is December 1, 2010. Presentations should be in English. Contact: tarek.shamma at uaeu.ac.ae
Registration: http://www.fit2011.org.
Call for papers: Translators in Fiction
Looks fun and timely:
Call for papers: First International Conference on Fictional Translators in Literature and Film
15-17 September 2011
University of Vienna, Austria
Theme of the conference:
The last few years have seen an upsurge in films and literary texts in which translators or the act of translating have a central role. One reason for this development may be that translators serve as a perfect screen for the projection of social and cultural anxieties associated with various aspects of globalization, i.e. migration, cultural hybridity, mobility, multilingualism, etc. The topic of translation has reached all literary and film genres from dramatic works and novels to (auto)biographies, from motion pictures to documentary films and can be found in all fields: in historical novels and films, as well as in science fiction, experimental literature and films, crime stories and comedies. In their works, writers and film directors seem to make the most of the social and political dimensions of translating practice. Up to now, academic studies focusing on fictional translators in literature and films have been relatively few. One aim of this conference is to promote a more systematic approach by bringing together scholars from different disciplines with various research backgrounds and methodologies, such as translation studies, cultural studies, sociology, literary studies, film studies, hermeneutics, philosophy, etc. This pioneering conference aims to be a meeting point for all those interested in the subject, to become a discussion forum where scholars with different academic backgrounds can meet so as to stimulate interdisciplinary research in this area.
Suggested topics:
The First International Conference on Fictional Translators in Literature and Film is open to a variety of topics and approaches. Papers may discuss individual literary works and films, or specific genres, languages and cultural areas. Themes could, for example, include the following:
* What is the narrative role of the translator in a literary work or film?
* How are translator characters and their activity gendered or sexualized in
fiction, and what does this dimension bring to our understanding of how
translations are usually received?
* What may fictional translator characters reveal about the psychology of
writing and reading?
· What may such characters teach us about the ethical concerns involved
in the relationships usually established between "originals" and their
reproductions?
* What culture-specific features can be identified in the translators or
translating practice depicted in the film or literary work?
· Which cultural areas and social or other constellations do the
fictional characters inhabit?
· Which concepts of translating are implicit in the fictional practice
of the characters portrayed?
· Which cultural images are constructed? And from which perspective?
* Which role models are created in the films and literary works?
* What socio-political conditions or events contribute to the emergence of
fictional translators?
By means of papers and discussions on the featured topics, we hope to foster new perspectives, reflecting and anticipating scientific research in these fields in all its complexity.
Abstract proposals and deadlines:
Scholars are invited to submit 200-300 word proposals (with 3 keywords) for papers in Word as an attachment with the format: authorname.doc. (Please include your contact information in the body of your e-mail, not in the file.)
Abstract proposals should be sent by 15 January 2011 to:
transfiction at univie.ac.at
The abstracts should be attached as a WORD document, Please indicate ABSTRACT in the subject line in your e-mail. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length, followed by discussion. There will be sessions Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Conference Languages: The languages of the conference will be English and German.
Information and Contact Details:
For all correspondence about the conference please use the e-mail address:
transfiction at univie.ac.at
More information will be available soon from the conference website
http://transfiction.univie.ac.at.
Call for papers: First International Conference on Fictional Translators in Literature and Film
15-17 September 2011
University of Vienna, Austria
Theme of the conference:
The last few years have seen an upsurge in films and literary texts in which translators or the act of translating have a central role. One reason for this development may be that translators serve as a perfect screen for the projection of social and cultural anxieties associated with various aspects of globalization, i.e. migration, cultural hybridity, mobility, multilingualism, etc. The topic of translation has reached all literary and film genres from dramatic works and novels to (auto)biographies, from motion pictures to documentary films and can be found in all fields: in historical novels and films, as well as in science fiction, experimental literature and films, crime stories and comedies. In their works, writers and film directors seem to make the most of the social and political dimensions of translating practice. Up to now, academic studies focusing on fictional translators in literature and films have been relatively few. One aim of this conference is to promote a more systematic approach by bringing together scholars from different disciplines with various research backgrounds and methodologies, such as translation studies, cultural studies, sociology, literary studies, film studies, hermeneutics, philosophy, etc. This pioneering conference aims to be a meeting point for all those interested in the subject, to become a discussion forum where scholars with different academic backgrounds can meet so as to stimulate interdisciplinary research in this area.
Suggested topics:
The First International Conference on Fictional Translators in Literature and Film is open to a variety of topics and approaches. Papers may discuss individual literary works and films, or specific genres, languages and cultural areas. Themes could, for example, include the following:
* What is the narrative role of the translator in a literary work or film?
* How are translator characters and their activity gendered or sexualized in
fiction, and what does this dimension bring to our understanding of how
translations are usually received?
* What may fictional translator characters reveal about the psychology of
writing and reading?
· What may such characters teach us about the ethical concerns involved
in the relationships usually established between "originals" and their
reproductions?
* What culture-specific features can be identified in the translators or
translating practice depicted in the film or literary work?
· Which cultural areas and social or other constellations do the
fictional characters inhabit?
· Which concepts of translating are implicit in the fictional practice
of the characters portrayed?
· Which cultural images are constructed? And from which perspective?
* Which role models are created in the films and literary works?
* What socio-political conditions or events contribute to the emergence of
fictional translators?
By means of papers and discussions on the featured topics, we hope to foster new perspectives, reflecting and anticipating scientific research in these fields in all its complexity.
Abstract proposals and deadlines:
Scholars are invited to submit 200-300 word proposals (with 3 keywords) for papers in Word as an attachment with the format: authorname.doc. (Please include your contact information in the body of your e-mail, not in the file.)
Abstract proposals should be sent by 15 January 2011 to:
transfiction at univie.ac.at
The abstracts should be attached as a WORD document, Please indicate ABSTRACT in the subject line in your e-mail. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length, followed by discussion. There will be sessions Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Conference Languages: The languages of the conference will be English and German.
Information and Contact Details:
For all correspondence about the conference please use the e-mail address:
transfiction at univie.ac.at
More information will be available soon from the conference website
http://transfiction.univie.ac.at.
Monday, 16 August 2010
poems about translation 7: Les Murray on being a translator at the Institute
It's been a while since we've had a poem about translation. Inexplicably remiss of me. It must be the heat (cue hollow laughter). Anyway, what should I find as I surf idly this evening but the Collected Poems of the fantastic Les Murray:
And the reason for my excitement is a wonderful poem called 'Employment for the Castes in Abeyance' which I politely insist you go and read now on page 134. And then why not listen to Murray reading it here. Or indeed vice versa. If you want your own fair copy of Murray's poems to annotate and spill tea on you can find a copy of the even shinier New Collected Poems here. Murray has a really good website also featuring some translations of his poems in German and Italian.
I'm going to leave you with one more Murray poem, in honour of my holiday in Italy which starts tomorrow. If the link works you should find yourself on page 233 reading a poem called 'The Dream of Wearing Shorts Forever':
See you in a couple of weeks.
And the reason for my excitement is a wonderful poem called 'Employment for the Castes in Abeyance' which I politely insist you go and read now on page 134. And then why not listen to Murray reading it here. Or indeed vice versa. If you want your own fair copy of Murray's poems to annotate and spill tea on you can find a copy of the even shinier New Collected Poems here. Murray has a really good website also featuring some translations of his poems in German and Italian.
I'm going to leave you with one more Murray poem, in honour of my holiday in Italy which starts tomorrow. If the link works you should find yourself on page 233 reading a poem called 'The Dream of Wearing Shorts Forever':
See you in a couple of weeks.
interpreting lectureship in English and French, London
Maybe of interest to some readers, and/or their friends-and-relations?
London Metropolitan University - Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languages and Education
Salary: £31,665/£38,664 to £37,326/£47,004 inclusive per annum (pro-rata)
The faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languages and Education is seeking to appoint a part-time (21 hours per week) Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Interpreting.
You will be responsible for teaching modules in Interpreting within the degree programmes in MA Interpreting and MA Public Service Interpreting as well as being responsible for providing student learning and support. We will also expect you to be involved in teaching on our professional short courses programme.
You will work closely with the Interpreting Course Leader and contribute to the administration of modules and to course planning and development as required.
You will have native or near native knowledge of English and French and a postgraduate qualification in Interpreting as well as professional experience as an interpreter.
Recent experience in the teaching of Interpreting at postgraduate level and a good research track record in the field of Interpreting are considered essential, as are excellent organisational and interpersonal qualities.
For an informal discussion please contact: Dr Alex Krouglov, Associate Dean, Faculty of Humanities Arts, Languages and Education (a.krouglov@londonmet.ac.uk)
We are planning to hold interviews in w/c 27 September 2010.
Job Ref No: 10A0512
Closing date for applications: 2 September 2010
To apply for the post and for further information, please visit our website at http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/staff/e-recruitment/ and quote the reference number
London Metropolitan University - Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languages and Education
Salary: £31,665/£38,664 to £37,326/£47,004 inclusive per annum (pro-rata)
The faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languages and Education is seeking to appoint a part-time (21 hours per week) Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Interpreting.
You will be responsible for teaching modules in Interpreting within the degree programmes in MA Interpreting and MA Public Service Interpreting as well as being responsible for providing student learning and support. We will also expect you to be involved in teaching on our professional short courses programme.
You will work closely with the Interpreting Course Leader and contribute to the administration of modules and to course planning and development as required.
You will have native or near native knowledge of English and French and a postgraduate qualification in Interpreting as well as professional experience as an interpreter.
Recent experience in the teaching of Interpreting at postgraduate level and a good research track record in the field of Interpreting are considered essential, as are excellent organisational and interpersonal qualities.
For an informal discussion please contact: Dr Alex Krouglov, Associate Dean, Faculty of Humanities Arts, Languages and Education (a.krouglov@londonmet.ac.uk)
We are planning to hold interviews in w/c 27 September 2010.
Job Ref No: 10A0512
Closing date for applications: 2 September 2010
To apply for the post and for further information, please visit our website at http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/staff/e-recruitment/ and quote the reference number
Sunday, 15 August 2010
workshop at Portsmouth on Translation Memory, 10 September
The ITI Wessex regional group in association with the University of Portsmouth is organising a one-day, hands-on workshop on Translation Memory software. The trainer will be Daniela Ford MITI, a certified Trados trainer. The training day will take place on Friday 10 September from 10 to 5 at Park Building. The venue is close to Portsmouth & Southsea train station (see www.port.ac.uk/maps). The syllabus will cover an introduction to the theory and a hands-on workshop on Déjà Vu and Trados 2009 Studio. It will also make a good opportunity for networking. The workshop is suitable for both trainee translators and working professionals who wish to improve their knowledge of TM. The event meets the ITI's CPD criteria and certificates will be available.
The cost will be in the region of £35 for the day and a deposit of £20 is required. Further information can be obtained from the Wessex ITI co-ordinator Katie Belo dos Santos at portfolio_ls at yahoo.co.uk.
The cost will be in the region of £35 for the day and a deposit of £20 is required. Further information can be obtained from the Wessex ITI co-ordinator Katie Belo dos Santos at portfolio_ls at yahoo.co.uk.
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