Translation Today Spring 2024

Jee Leong Koh’s "Snow at 5 pm" impressively merges the concept of translation into cross-cultural literary creativity. Writing Haiku is a challenging task, especially when attempting to adhere to its form while using English; the language barrier itself calls for transcreation. "Snow at 5 pm" is so powerful in this transcreation process that it grasps the essence of translation without committing to it directly. To translate, as Koh (or Sam) puts it, “is to trace the path that the first body walked, while two persons share the same soul.” Koh begins his lecture by embodying his persona, Sam Fujimoto Mayer, the narrator in "Snow at 5 pm". I admire his concept of the “translation of life.” Sam’s intersectional identities, as a Jewish Japanese American who also happens to be queer, have led him to engage in the practice of translation throughout his life, overcoming various barriers to his identity. I have always enjoyed reading Haiku (translations of Haiku...

 Armaan Arif February 25th, 2024 Professor Vincent                     A common theme we've been discussing in class is arguing the difference between a writer and a translator, even arguing whether there is a difference. I feel Jee Leong Koh's writing often explores personal themes like identity and love, using language to create strong images and feelings. As a translator, he carefully turns works from one language into another, respecting the original's spirit and cultural details. (points we can relate back to previous lectures) You can compare his translating style to careful gardening, maintaining the essence of a plant in a new soil, while his own writing is like painting, freely creating beauty on a blank canvas. Although both crafts involve words, translating requires faithful representation, whereas his personal writing allows for more creative freedom. I found his perspective to translating a lot more interesti...

Jee Leong Koh: Intimacy and Translation Dina Famin   Jee Leong Koh’s talk would have been surprising to those unfamiliar with or unprepared for Snow at 5 PM . The intimate acquaintance we made with Sam Fujimoto-Mayer for the first fifteen minutes of the lecture echoed sentences and sentiments from the book: Haiku—and translation—is “freedom within constraint” The image of “writing as a form of disguise, or, if you prefer, a clump of lies” Haiku—or perhaps good haiku—“do not substitute text for the world, [but] rather treat text as part of the natural world” “Writing is a form of propagation that translation helps to spread” “Commentary is a form of translation” Citing a French theorist: “to translate is to trace corporeally the same path the first body [of text] took” Perhaps the most peculiar sentiment, emerging as part of the Q&A: “If I read a writer, I want to know his sex life.” Too far? My instinct says too far, yet when we discussed this at dinner, it turns ou...

The lecture series has been incredible so far. Each week we’re treated to new perspectives and modes of translation. The fact that Jee Leong Koh isn’t a translator himself but converts himself into a translator in Snow is fascinating. This is because I’ve heard it said before that translation is like acting, where the translator takes on the role of a character or narrator and “acts” as them so the essence of the original can be effectively conveyed. And here, Jee Leong Koh does the opposite. He’s not a translator but has written himself into Snow as one. Despite not being a translator, Jee Leong Koh gave a lot of food for thought when it comes to translation. For me, what struck me the most was when he said, 'writing is a form of migration that translation helps spread.' Reflecting on this statement, I thought of Sam Fujimoto Mayer's experience as an Asian American, and subsequently, the immigrant experience in America, in general. Writing as migration suggests that writ...

Ruoyi.zhang  It's so nice that I got a copy of his translation work on paper before the talk, I barely took notes on paper recently. So, this time we learned about Haiku. I was still confused that Jee Leong Koh was more of an author than someone who should have appeared on a translator talk, but then he explained that he was just a minor author and hadn't won many awards--it's really hard to make a mark in translation.Not only that, before this talk, I even thought Jee Leong Koh had passed away, as described in the book - choked to death on everything bagel (yes I didn't finish the book). However, it seems to be found from his speeches that haiku takes a small proportion: for him, haiku is just the simplest and briefest form of poetry "I can write in my mind right now". It seems that he does not speak Japanese and has not learned how to write such poems deeply but just basic rules. His perspective seemed somewhat limited, although he later discussed his explor...

 Ruoyi.zhang This class took me back to my junior high school Chinese lessons. I deeply admire this speaker, a foreigner passionate about ancient Asian culture and translation, despite not profiting from it. While he translated in Korean, most of the ancient texts were in Chinese. Due to China's significant influence, translating these texts was akin to learning a new language, deciphering unfamiliar meanings. Ancient Chinese poems have always held a special place in my heart; their profound depth, unique rhymes, and cultural impact are unparalleled, in my opinion. Although they are translated as simply "poetry", they are not simple like poetry in other languages, its name is Shi or Ci, they encompasses various forms, varying in length from four to seven words, each with its own distinct charm. I hope people will one day appreciate the categorization of different poetry genres. As Wuerthner mentioned, he sometimes couldn’t even find the word in english to rhyme what the o...

 Alexander Pfau     This weekend we had a very different author than in previous sessions. His work was not translated, but mad to seem like a translation, since the person he supposedly translated from was not real. An interesting premise to an interesting person, I must say. Jee Leong's talk was a speech rather than a Ted-Style talk. He regaled us with how it felt to live in NY as a gay man, and how it was almost a new birthing for him. He gave us some insight onto his life as well. For example, that writers often have to teach or do side jobs, since writing doesn't pay the bills, especially in NY city. When asked how it was to put his own image into a fictional character, he said that he often switched between it and himself in his mind, almost getting lost in the character. While I can understand how that might be a good tool for creating exciting literature, I would definitely be scared to be too deep into my own work like that.     As for the readings for ...

 So far, the lecture series has been really surprising and refreshing since each week we get a completely new perspective and way of addressing translation. This week was no exception as Jee Leong Kho adopted the literary persona of Sam Fujimoto Mayer to give his lecture exploring the way translation can play a role within literary fiction. It was really interesting for me the connection Kho made between translation and images like immigration, transplantation, and invasive species. As related to immigration, one of the things that Sam Fujimoto Mayer (Kho) said was that as an Asian American translation becomes an intimate part of everyday life, something I can relate to since I constantly have to translate my thoughts from Spanish into English in order to communicate them. The notions of transplantation and invasive species are also very interesting to me because, on one hand, they underscore translation as a natural activity, and on the other, they portray translation as something...

Dennis Wuerthner: Academic Translation Dina Famin   One thing that struck me about Professor Wuerthner’s presentation was how much fun he had during the translation process, which he described as a “love relationship with the work and author.” I’ve always loved academic translations, including footnotes, but I learned this year that I only like them when I’m reading. When I’m the one doing them, I get so, so, so bored. It’s so hard! Maybe my translationship with my author just isn’t quite where it needs to be yet. But it was wonderful to see the research aspect being one of the key parts of enjoyment for Professor Wuerthner, who got to follow literally every rabbit he came across. Professor Wuerthner mentioned the concessions made during such a translation, which is not for the faint of heart, to read or to write, with footnotes three times as long as the text itself. Due to our removal from the text both in time and space, we cannot relate to it as the intended audience d...

 Professor Wuerthner's lecture was a great way to address the peculiarities and challenges that are present in academic translations. He mentioned that with the sort of text he chose (a medieval piece of poetic criticism) he was aware that the main audience of the text would be academics. This provided him with the opportunity to fully immerse himself in the translation process by getting to know on a very intimate level his source text since he traced and explained every allusion, contextual reference, and the way the poems were received by their source audience. He mentioned that this translation had truly been an affair of the heart since he devoted himself to it for ten years. Moreover, during a previous conversation with him, he explained that he wouldn't get any royalties for this book (even though it would be quite expensive to acquire) and that he truly considers Pa'han Chip as part of his family which comes to show how passionate he is about this project. During hi...

 Alexander Pfau Mr. Vincent     It was wonderful to have Dennis Wuerthner come present to us today. He was undeniably the stereotype of a "chill" translator, someone that I'd love to have a chat with. A master translating ancient Korean texts to English, he faces myriad difficulties. For example, Pa'han chip is an ancient Korean text, so old that it was written in traditional Chinese. Many of the names and places are famous in Asian culture, which the West is not familiar with. Therefore, Mr. Wuerthner had to translate other texts to create context for this one. We were made familiar with his three layer spreadsheet that housed his complex translations, with the original text, new Korean, and English translations in that order. His decisions with the various poems in Pa'han Chip were also intriguing. He decided to prioritize meaning above rhyme - similar to what happens in Japanese translations - in order to preserve the text's authenticity.      As for thi...

P’ahan Chip, being an ancient work of intertextuality encompassing narration and poetry, was undoubtedly a challenging endeavor. Hence, it came as no surprise to learn that Professor Wuerthner took almost 10 years to complete the translation. This work not only embodies Yi Illo’s original creation but also incorporates quotations from Korean high society, overlooked individuals, Chinese historical stories, and poems from the Song Dynasty. Understanding its intellectual depth is impossible for modern readers without the aid of footnotes, rendering the text extremely dense. During my conversation with Professor Wuerthner before class, he mentioned a gap in ancient Korean literature that has prevented Western society from acknowledging it, with efforts by the South Korean government underway to rectify this. The absence of Korean classics from our collective consciousness is testament to this fact. Professor Wuerthner elaborated on the translation process, particularly highlighting the ...

From the assigned readings to Kerry's presentation, it was clear that Professor Wuerthner's lecture was going to be impressive. It was truly a pleasure to hear him speak about his work. What I found to be the most fascinating was that his source text was a 1650s woodblock print! I appreciated learning about Professor Wuethner's meticulous attention to detail, especially his discussion on the importance of the title. He stated that "Poems for Overcoming Idleness" was the most faithful translation, as any other rendition could have altered the work's meaning, even if it risked confusion with another well-known East Asian work of a similar name. This work consists of poems and short nonfiction narratives written over a long period (around 20-25 years?) and in the scriptura franca of classical chinese. And it was amazing to hear about the inclusion of diverse voices, from the powerful to the marginalized. Professor Wuerthner also went into detail about strategy. H...

 Armaan Arif 02/18/2024 Professor Vincent      Professor  Dennis Wuerthner translates Pa'han Chip from Korean into English, capturing both its essence and its intricacy. He prioritizes the essence of the poem over its rhyme scheme by choosing not to translate Korean rhymes into English rhymes when he does not have to. During his lecture, he used the example of translating a poem with the words "king" and "fragrance." His final choice is what he felt was best for the authenticity of the poem. This approach allows him to fully embrace the poem's core meaning. In this situation, where translation can distort the meaning of the source material, the discussion of cannibal translation becomes relevant. Throughout the week, I did see similarities between Wuerthner's style of translating Pa'han Chip and cannibal translation. Wuerthner's approach is similar as he carefully aims to preserve the substance of the source text even if it means sacrificing some...

Cannibal translation also shed light on the controversial topic of reading translation as translation. In its concept, translation is never finished, nor is there the correct translation. Before attending this workshop, I always assumed translation should be invisible, at least the process of translation. I have read 60% of the text in my life through translation, yet every time talking about a translated novel, for example, I neglected the fact that it has been translated and talked about it as if I read the original text. Gomez’s concept of “toothmarks,” the traces left of translation, is fascinating because she considers them beautiful instead of flawed. “We have yet to learn to read translation as translation and go into translation with suspicion,” Gomez critiques. The relationship that a writer and translator share through the process of cannibalism translation is also remarkable. Gomez put a name for it, “translationship”,  a reciprocal collaboration to create something...

Isabel Gomez: Against Invisibility Dina Famin   My appreciation for Gomez’s introduction to Cannibal Translation was only heightened by hearing her lecture, and speaking with her before and after the talk. Her challenge to French- and German-based western translation theory by amplifying Latin American theory is a valuable task that highlights our comfort and the linguistic and cultural hegemony that arises from a fidelity-based translation practice. Aiming for fidelity, western translators can and do trick themselves into invisibility. However, any translated work bears the mark of its translator—if you know where to look. An invisible translator either domesticates or foreignizes a work in the name of preserving its “originality,” but either choice is a mark of the translator. Furthermore, the paratextual elements of the translated work—the presence of an introduction, footnotes, foreword, afterword, title, cover image—all indicate other hands that, if we aim for fidelity, “...

 Isabel Gomez's theoretical proposal seemed striking at first – imagining translators as cannibals seemed to me a very violent way of approaching translation. However, when reading her texts and listening to her talk I understood how historically the cannibal has been reclaimed by Latin American thinkers as a symbol of creative and loving destruction. This has been part of a postcolonial endeavor to recover the Tupi's tribe ideology of cannibalism as part of a ritualistic act that shows respect– you only devour what enriches you. Oswald de Andrade's Cannibal Manifesto  highlights this idea as he champions a Brazilian culture that doesn't copy European aesthetics but takes what it needs from them and transforms them into something completely new. In this sense, symbolically cannibalism becomes a way of both showing admiration and exercising creative liberties that enrich the source text.  Gomez uses the term "cannibal translation" as an umbrella term for the cr...

  Armaan Arif Professor Vincent 10/Feb/2024          Isabel Gómez's approach to her seminar differed from the two previous lectures from Megan McDowell and Amelia Glaser. Getting three different styles, opinions, and perspectives on translation over the last three weeks has interested me. Isabel Gómez focused more on the historical aspects of cannibal translation whilst relating it to actual translation works. I liked her explanation of moving away from the source and towards the aesthetic. I believe it fits well with the whole idea of cannibal translation.  One thing that fascinated me from Monday's presentation was the set of rules for cannibal translation. (around 13 I believe) It just wasn't something you'd typically expect from a literary academic genre. However, I think it's important to respect those rules as they set a precedent for anyone attempting cannibal translation on a text. 

Isabel Gómez's lecture was fascinating. Her theory of cannibal translation is post-colonial and focuses on bringing Latin American translation theory into global discourse. It was emphasized as a creative translation strategy offering new concepts such as transrelationships and transcreation. As she stated, it’s moving away from the source to move toward the aesthetic; a reproduction of prioritizing aesthetic information over semantic. We were able to see what this meant not only with the examples she gave in the lecture with Octavio Paz and Haroldo de Campos work (which I’m now excited to read Transblanco ) but also with her translation of Angelica Freita’s poem we read earlier in the week. Before entering the MFA program, my view of the translator’s task leaned towards translators being completely invisible. I found complete adherence to the author’s text to be the most important thing and always felt uncomfortable about liberties taken by translators. A reason for this is that ...