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On Translation

Essay: Translation as Homage
by Courtney Delano Williams
Middlebury College (freshman)

There are many types of literary translations. Each literary genre, philosophy, era and author is unique-unique in voice and syntax as well as in objective/purpose. Because of this inevitable diversity, literary translations also range in form, context and purpose. A critic's rubric for measuring a translator's performance must also be flexible and reflect this range. Yet certain universal standards do exists for all translators. Among these all-inclusive criteria are two which I find especially significant in assessing a translator's work.

The single most important factor involved in translating literature is a translator's sense of responsibility towards the original text. In the words of literary theorist August Wilhelm Schlegel, "to try to smooth over or to embellish [an original text] would be to ruin it." According to Schlegel's view, translators act ideally as historians and demonstrate a fundamental respect for literature as an art form. To this end, every translator should strive for accuracy, precision and objectivism in his or her work. The importance of objectivity in particular is noted by critic and literary editor Elliot Weinberger in his Nineteen Versions of Wang Wei. "Translation," he says, "is dependent on the dissolution of the translator's ego: an absolute humility towards the text."

This humility (or objectivity or historical respect) is crucial to the success and authenticity of all translations. Indeed, if we define literary translation as the reconfiguring of works in new contexts, a translation must reflect an original author's voice and ideas as honestly as possible. Thus, any successful translation must be objective, and any successful translator must distance himself from the context of the work he is translating.

Objectivism as an approach to literature necessitates that translators become intimately familiar with their literary texts. Ironically, it is in their attempts to comprehend an original work-to analyze it lexically as well as thematically- that translators discover the inconsistencies and limitations of their art. Indeed, in order even to begin writing (with authentic voice and purpose), translators must perform the near impossible and evaluate language itself.

My second "universal" standard of translation is two-fold, and relates directly to translators' meticulous "writing" process. Many theorists consider writing a process of translation in and of itself-it is a translation of thoughts, ideas and creative impulses into language. All translators must tackle this, second-order, "translation" during their work-each will "humbly" search for words and phrases true to the original author, which maintain their own validity in the language of translation. This latter idea is subtle but universal-most people (authors, translators and readers alike) will attest that even "authentic" translations can fail artistically if they lack this vitality. Thus, when examining a translation, one must consider how well the final version "stands" in its proper context. Such an assessment will reveal the lasting effects of a given translation and will also gauge the talent of that particular translator.

Translation "writing" is a loaded process in another important way. Not only does it necessitate a comprehensive knowledge of and comfort with language, but it also demands that translators assess the "meaning" of an author's original words and text. Only after they have passed judgment on a text can they begin to translate it. This assessment is a challenge for the experienced as well as the burgeoning translator, and it can have a profound effect on a translation's impact and meaning. Indeed, this process leaves translators responsible for the overall coherence of their translations (and, by extension, for the reception of an original author in their modern world). I believe that their writing process-a delicate balancing of contextual "coherence" with earlier-mentioned "artistic vitality"-is an important determinant of a translation's success, second only to the translator's sense of humility towards the text.

A translator's work consists of assessing and adhering to an author's creative choices and then commanding his or her own language to reflect those choices. In evaluating the relative successes of these basic translation criteria one can fairly and accurately judge any type of literary translation.

Reflections on Intercultural Study and Translation: Top Ten Reasons to Study Russia and Russian
(author unknown; if you know who wrote this please let us know so we may acknowledge him/her. - The Editors)

Russia is the world's largest country. Stretching across two continents, it is almost twice the size of either the United States or China. Within that huge landmass is a wide diversity of peoples, religions, climatic and geographic conditions.

There are an estimated 279 million speakers (native plus non-native) of Russian. That puts Russian in fifth place on the list of languages spoken by the most people, trailing only Mandarin, English, Hindi, and Spanish. (Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1998).

Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, etc.

Russia is currently engaged in a grand experiment in political, social, and economic transformation. How it fares will help determine the character of the 21st century not only for Russia but for the world as a whole.

Lots of Americans have seen the Eiffel Tower, visited Buckingham Palace, and toured the Vatican. A lot fewer have strolled within the Kremlin walls, experienced the "white nights" of St. Petersburg, or spent an afternoon sampling the treasures of the Hermitage. Study of Russia will not only give you the excuse and opportunity to engage in such adventures, but will insure that you more fully understand and appreciate them when you do.

Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Rasputin, Lenin, Stalin, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, etc. Can you think of a more intriguing set of historical characters?

Russia is in economic crisis. Yet its vast resources and highly educated population suggest that it is a country of great economic potential. Boom or bust, the size of Russia alone suggests that its economic course will have global repercussions.

Since the end of the Cold War, the number of people studying Russian in the US has declined. That may mean less competition in the job market for those who do study and master the language-- especially if the economic revitalization that some expect to see in Russia does in fact materialize.

Russia remains a nuclear superpower armed with thousands of weapons of mass destruction. For this reason alone, the character of the Russian government and its ability to exercise command and control over its nuclear arsenal is a primary concern (perhaps the primary concern) of US national security policy.

Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gogol, Pushkin, Solzhenitsyn, Nabokov, Pasternak, Mayakovsky, etc. Need one say more?

Multiple Facets of Translation: On Translation: The Audience
Three installations by Antonio Muntadas.
UC Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley CA
February 7 - April 29, 2001

Spanish-born conceptual artist Antonio Muntatas is a pioneer in video, installation and Internet art. Three of Muntadas works will be installed at the University of California Berkeley Art Museum in February 2001. The works address various aspects of the mediation of information in contemporary Society. His piece The Board Room from 1987 places large images of a slew of religious leaders (Pope John Paul II and the Ayatollah Khomeini to cite two examples) in a contemporary board room complete with a large meeting table. Tiny video monitors -- located in the mouth of each sitter -- recount segments of speeches/sermons. In Between the Frames, begin in 1983 and executed over the next decade, Muntadas shifts his focus to the art world of the 1980s. This piece contains selections of interviews with various inhabitants of the 'art culture' -museum curators and directors, collectors, critics, and, of course, the artists themselves. The installation presents these 'interview' segments on video monitors interspersed with images (selected by Muntadas) which boldly punctuate the dialogues emerging from the videos. Finally, On Translation: The Audience, begun in Rotterdam in 1998, contains eleven triptychs of the city of Rotterdam. These images of cultural institutions were intended to prompt the audience to question the role of such institutions in establishing cultural meanings and values. In Berkeley, a fourteenth triptych will be produced specifically for this venue. (Illustrated review to follow the exhibition opening.] - BLW

Student Translations: The Spirit and Power of Water
Spanish translation by Erica Smith
Dominican University, San Rafael, CA, USA (graduate student)

OLA TS/Virtt1a1 Atrica. en co1aboración con el Festiva1 River dec1ara 1a realizacibn de un proyecto multicu1wra1 e interdisciplinario de tres ai1os que se enfocarn en 1os contextos a11tura1es y cientificos del agua: "El espiii1U y poder del agua " .Este proyecto se originar en el continente de AfIica, tierras conocidas como 1a cuna del universo pero tamb reconocidas como 1as primeras v1ctimas del problema a1tamente crffico de 1a escasez y purificaci6n del agua. Empeza.ndo cot11os estudios artISticos y cientrncos en el contexto africano, extenderemos a1gunas ramificaciones para que otros continentes puedan examinar el papel y significado del agua en Ias actividades arIiSiicas y cultura1es de Ias sociedades human. El agua, una substancia que es1abona per 5t", se utiliza:ra simbó1icamente para es Jabor1ar diferentes culnlras y pata iniciar diogo y reflexion entre artisltas y ciendficos.

El agua simpre ha ocupado un lugar de privilegio en la imaginaci y creaciOO attritica del hombre. En Africa, 31 igual que en cualquier parte del mundo, el agua es muchas veces vista coma una substancia viviente habitada por espttitus, par seres sobrenaturales imaginados par el hombre para explicar fenOmenos y 31gunos aspecIos de la condici(ff1 humana. Alrededor del mundo ambiv31ente y extraordinario inherente en el agua, algunos mitos, leyendas, cuentos de hadas, y ritos religiosos se ban cristalizido.

En base de estas representaciones cuasi-universaJes, asociando el agua con el espiritualismot con maravilla e imaginacidii, se propone un cuerpo de estudios (en n'i1ea y fuera de Iriiea). EstDs eventos examinarm Jag representaciones culturalesy artiSticas telacionadas con el aguat en sus complejidades y diversidades, tanto en Africa coma en atros continentes.

Por 10 tanto, se pJantea los te;f'minos de un estudio estico del agua. El agua, como se verificar( tiene sus propias caracterlSticas esteficas, su propia imaginacioff; y como tal, es una fuente inagotable de inspiracion para todos los artistas del tnundo.