tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186151102012-01-19T06:52:34.099-08:00ALTAlk: A weblog for the <a href="http://www.literarytranslators.org">American Literary Translators Association</a>.Liznoreply@blogger.comBlogger1451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-2438190523400327892010-12-09T12:16:00.000-08:002011-06-15T06:01:41.951-07:00

The American Literary Translator's Association has recently launched its new website, www.literarytranslators.org. We have a shiny new Facebook Page, a snazzy Twitter feed @ALTA_USA, and to top it all off, we're back blogging here!

E Menahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278634665763016187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-72045991018593826442007-11-12T17:55:00.000-08:002007-11-12T17:57:41.202-08:00

Read it here.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-4241200628671316492007-11-12T17:45:00.000-08:002007-11-12T17:47:06.962-08:00

Monday, November 19 at 7:00 pm, Los Angeles: Chris Abani, Beau Beausoleil, Laila Lalami, Suzanne Lummis, Marisela Norte, Sholeh Wolpe, Terry Wolverton. Info here.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-49053394853799024622007-11-04T20:11:00.000-08:002007-11-04T20:16:40.714-08:00

Translator Harry Morales alerts me that an anthology edited by Thomas Glave, Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles, is forthcoming from Duke University Press in May 2008. Stay tuned.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-35788087383015756742007-10-09T15:07:00.000-07:002007-10-09T15:23:18.576-07:00

How many women are allowed to write mystery/noir novels in Sweden? At the Gothenburg Book Fair, a panel discussing whether an author's name is his or her "brand", the question came up. Sweden has had a number of successful male mystery authors, and yet for a long time, popular wisdom crowned only one woman at a time as the "deckardrottning", or "The Queen of Crime". Now there are twelve

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-83844218031876786132007-08-29T14:57:00.000-07:002007-08-29T15:05:00.846-07:00

Calling all book reviewers: Book/ Mark Quarterly Review editor Mindy Kronenberg welcomes submissions of book reviews of works in translation. She writes, "Our main criteria rests upon the publisher being a small press (independent, university, 'alternative,' cooperative, even quality self-published books). We especially need work by reviewers who might specialize or have particular interest in

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-7098366485363224992007-08-27T16:30:00.001-07:002007-08-27T16:38:37.153-07:00

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 6 pm, reading and discussion of Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion, an anthology of Mexican fiction and literary prose by some of Mexico’s best-known authors. With editor CM Mayo, writers Pedro Angel Palou and Monica Lavin, and translators Harry Morales and Daniel Shapiro. Sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York. Free Admission. King Juan

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-41001693847397805872007-08-25T19:18:00.001-07:002007-08-25T19:18:35.666-07:00

Issue # 2 of Calque has just landed on my desk in Mexico City. It's a terrific new tri-annual journal of literary translation, a really magnificent effort by editors Steve Dolph and Brandon Holmquest. This issue features a cornucopia of outstanding writers and translators, among them, Luis Cernuda and Natasha Wimmer. Calque has a call for submissions out for the next issue, so translators, check

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-13454597608274610182007-08-10T19:23:00.000-07:002007-08-10T19:28:38.737-07:00

Over at the blog for the Athanasius Kircher Society, a fascinating post on the whistling language of the Canary Islands. Watch a video and hear the whistling. Lots 'o links, too.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-81804924578351981612007-08-06T10:53:00.000-07:002007-08-06T11:12:18.630-07:00

This year I returned to Waukegan to visit my family and attend a conference in another part of Illinois. A year ago, I wrote how strange I found it to see Waukegan, my home town, a community whose demographics had shifted so much that the grocery stores had signs in Spanish. A year later, this was still the case, and according to an article in the New York Times magazine yesterday, Waukegan is

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-81984387442015747232007-08-01T09:55:00.000-07:002007-08-01T09:58:00.964-07:00

News from LITERAL: Latin American Voices, vol. 9, Summer 2007"All that is solid melts into air"--Karl Marx's famous dictum about modernity is perhaps truer today than ever before. This issue brings together three essays about the problems of culture, identity and history in the Spanish-speaking world that probe key aspects of the ever-fluctuating reality by which we are surrounded. Carlos

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-74864847739276885152007-07-29T20:59:00.000-07:002007-07-29T21:05:54.295-07:00

On 7/29 Rigoberto Gonzalez reviewed the first Tameme bilingual chapbook, Agustin Cadena's short story "Carne verde, piel negra" translated by Yours Truly as "An Avocado from Michoacan." Click here to read the review in full.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-67721683207333254282007-07-11T22:27:00.000-07:002007-07-11T22:30:23.721-07:00

This message just in from Steve Dolph, editor of Calque:Calque Announces a Call for Submissions to our Third IssueTo be published October - November 2007Submission Deadline: September 16thAs always are interested in:Literature In Translation: Prose, Poetry or Drama by writers of aesthetic and literary note from traditions not in English. Literature submissions should be one story for prose, and a

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-80119042188401350082007-07-03T17:52:00.001-07:002007-07-03T17:53:34.046-07:00

The new issue of Literal has hit the stands--- gorgeous as usual and this one features an essay by Carlos Monsivais. And Literal is now doing some very elegant bilingual chapbooks... Editor Rosemary Salum inspires me more than I can say. More anon...

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-67994225149610329452007-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:002007-06-25T09:22:11.674-07:00

The big litblog "Emerging Writers Network" better known as EWN, has just posted its "Writing the World" interview with a panel of four literary trabnslators: Howard Curtis, Katherine Silver, Paul Olchvary and Richard Jeffrey Newman.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-66545231032122058662007-06-06T10:27:00.000-07:002007-06-06T10:34:29.796-07:00

If you don't understand lolcat, Anil Dash's "I can has grammar" might help. Once you have that as a foundation, Francis Heaney's translation to this version of "This is just to say" is very funny! oh haiyou had some plumsbut I eated themI is sorrythey had a flavorThanks Francis, that made my day! And I love The Holy Tango of Literature by the way.

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-33206799118935152692007-06-04T13:41:00.000-07:002007-06-04T13:44:01.816-07:00

C.M. Mayo, Chris Andrews, and Natasha Wimmer are each interviewed in the new issue of The Quarterly Conversation.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-48833261018646148892007-05-12T08:28:00.000-07:002007-05-12T08:54:27.770-07:00

is a collection of stories set in Buenos Aires and it is fantastic. Writes Julio Ortega, "A Masterpiece of irony." Writes Marguerite Feitlowitz, "No one working today writes like Alicia Borinsky, whose words explode off the page." I could not have said it better. I have long been an admirer of both Borinsky, and Franzen, who is one of the most dedicated, original and elegant literary translators

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-26659021648876749152007-04-13T16:51:00.000-07:002007-04-13T17:01:06.027-07:00

The Swedish Insitute in Stockholm has announced that they are cutting off all subsidies for literary translation of Swedish literature effective immediately.For the past two years, there has been a great deal of wrangling within various departments of the Swedish government as to which department should pay for literary translation subsidies.It seems that the Swedes have decided the best way to

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-16889332549520727922007-04-04T14:44:00.000-07:002007-04-04T14:49:30.666-07:00

Check out Brooklyn Rail's new web-only section "In Translation" which features translated works of short fiction, excerpted longer fiction, and excerpted dramatic writing. According to the the editors, "In Translation will serve as a venue for outstanding literary translation, and we hope that it will become a valuable resource for translators, authors, editors, and publishers seeking to

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-54819448991624123952007-03-15T17:56:00.000-07:002007-03-15T18:38:55.258-07:00

Just back from the AWP bookfair in Atlanta-- so much to blog about! One of the books I was most excited to see is the gorgeous and essential new anthology edited by Margaret Sayers Peden, Mexican Writers on Writing. (Trinity University Press). It includes essays by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Rosario Castellanos, Angeles Mastretta, Juan Villoro, Pedro Angel Palou, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Ilan

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-29610971931099049412007-03-14T18:09:00.000-07:002007-03-14T18:22:05.805-07:00

The Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies (SASS) will be having its annual conference in Rock Island, Illinois on 26-28 April 2007. Presenters have been chosen and the program is listed on their website. For the third time, the Association of Swedish Translators in North America (STiNA: www.swedishtranslators.org ) will be sponsering a panel on Swedish literary translation issues.

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-61406617941370931282007-02-25T17:57:00.000-08:002007-02-25T20:52:33.160-08:00

The first Tameme chapbook ~ cuaderno is out: "Carne verde, piel negra ~ An Avocado from Michoacán" por ~ by Agustín Cadena (Translation: C.M. Mayo) A story by the winner of Mexico's San Luis Potosí Award for the Short Story. English and Spanish side-by-side. Includes interview with the author and translator's notes.Agustín Cadena was born in 1963 in the Valle del Mezquital, Mexico. Poet, fiction

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-4906372066773325732007-02-14T11:31:00.000-08:002007-02-14T11:37:21.856-08:00

A new journal of literary translation: Calque. Translators: Calque has a call for submissions.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-46918059668531606352007-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:002007-02-11T14:23:06.341-08:00

The Associated Writing Programs conference, aka mega-powow, is coming up in Atlanta Georgia this Feb 28-March 3rd. There will be numerous literary translation panels and events. The bookfair has a long list of exhibitors, including Tameme Chapbooks ~ Cuadernos which will be at table # 239--- if you're at the conference, please be sure to come on by. I'll also be participating on Mark Statman's

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-32241361460223585142007-01-04T13:09:00.000-08:002007-01-04T13:14:56.703-08:00

The deadline is coming up soon, January 12, to apply for a literary translation residency at the Banff International Literary Translation Centre. The primary focus of the residency program is to afford literary translators a period of uninterrupted work on a current project, within an international community of translators. Translators may request a joint residency (of up to one week) with a

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-23803646981565825232007-01-02T12:37:00.000-08:002007-01-02T12:43:56.330-08:00

Charles Frazier's Thirteen Moons is scheduled to be translated into Cherokee, according to an interview with Frazier that appeared in the Seattle P-I last month.It is supposed to be one of the first major translations into Cherokee in over 100 years. The article did not mention who the translator would be, and I am curious to know what the process would be like.I think it would be a great service

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1167327421234936722006-12-28T09:35:00.000-08:002006-12-28T09:37:43.723-08:00

Call for SubmissionsTranslating in the 21st CenturyTRANSLATION is a new Translation Studies journal at the University of California Santa Barbara published every two years by the Translation Studies Research Focus Group of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center at UCSB.http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/research/translation/journal.htmlTRANSLATION is now accepting submissions of poetry or short fiction

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1165166567805660932006-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:002006-12-03T09:22:50.186-08:00

Here's a translation workshop that might be of interest to ALTA members or other translators and writers.Writing and Translation Workshopin Umbria, Italydirected by Inara CedrinsStay in a spacious farmhouse with interior design typical of the region: stone walls, wooden beams, wrought iron beds and hand-crafted Umbrian furniture. Our rooms form a separate apartment with a well-equipped kitchen.

Liznoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1164663583040053412006-11-27T13:37:00.000-08:002006-11-27T13:39:43.053-08:00

From the Center for Art in Translation:The Center for the Art of Translation will be cosponsoring, Enemy Nations, Emerging Voices, a reading at the SF Main Library.This provocative reading features works from two new Words Without Borders anthologies: Literature from the Axis of Evil and Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora. These works celebrate the

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1164409720132909152006-11-24T15:05:00.000-08:002006-11-24T15:08:40.150-08:00

Manuel Payno's 19th century classic, The Bandits from Rio Frio: A Naturalistic and Humorous novel of Customs, Crimes and Horrors, has been translated for the first time into English by Alan Flukey (Heliographica Press, 2005). It would be fair to call Payno Mexico's Dickens. The Bandits from Rio Frio is a major work-- and the translation is superb. Read a review over at River Walk Journal Blog,

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1163912540763779802006-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:002006-11-18T21:02:20.880-08:00

Last night, I attended the closing event of the Festival of Contemporary Japanese Women Poets, a series of talks and readings presented by belladonna*, Poets House, and the Bowery Poetry Club. The conversation began as an exchange of ideas and questions between Alcalá, Sekiguchi and Swensen and continued with the audience Q&A. I was introduced to Sekiguchi's work on Wednesday but last night she

Adriananoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1163808275011538602006-11-17T15:06:00.000-08:002006-11-17T16:04:35.206-08:00

Right after the ALTA conference, two things happened. A big thick plop on my front porch from Amazon France containing Les Bienveillantes by Jonathan Littel, which has been the most discussed book of the summer in Western Europe it appears, and I, now the former host committee chair, got sick. The fact that I had to spend two weeks more or less resting up made opening Les Bienviellantes possible

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1163780071840607422006-11-17T07:27:00.000-08:002006-11-17T08:23:04.716-08:00

As a follow-up to Liz's post on Wednesday's event at Poet's House, I wanted to share my first thoughts on the anthology Four From Japan: Contemporary Poetry & Essays by Women, which I have been rereading since that night. I am cross-posting this entry from my website, Stingy Kids. I also took some notes on the panel discussion but they are nowhere near as comprehensive as Liz's!My post begins:

Adriananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1163705285533977332006-11-16T11:27:00.000-08:002006-11-16T11:28:05.553-08:00

Last night I went to an excellent panel and reading at Poets House in New York City: "Crossing Currents, Panel Discussion on Contemporary Poetry in Japan". In this panel, four women from Japan and their translator, Sawako Nakayasu, talked about poetry, gender, innovation, translation, and the history of the Japanese language. I will be posting a full transcript of the panel on Composite within

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1163485243233065172006-11-13T22:14:00.000-08:002006-11-13T22:23:28.670-08:00

Words Without Borders has a first print anthology, Literature from the "Axis of Evil." Check out these launch events:--> ­in New York on November 16 at 7 p.m., at Labyrinth Books, 36 West 112th Street. Readers for the evening include Francisco Goldman, Esther Allen, Diana Alvarez-Amell, and Suji Kwock Kim.--­> in San Francisco on November 29 from 6-8 p.m., at the San Francisco Main Library

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1162920177989365282006-11-07T09:08:00.000-08:002006-11-07T09:26:38.286-08:00

Phyllis Aronoff sent me this interesting article for the ALTA blog, a talk entitled "Translation and the Oulipo: The Case of the Persevering Maltese," by Harry Mathews. It's about "sound translations", like Marcel Benabou's transformation of "A thing of beauty is a joy forever": Ah, singe débotté,Hisse un jouet fort et vert------------------"O unshod monkey, raise a stout green toy!"Phyllis

Liznoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1162240003875231622006-10-30T12:14:00.000-08:002006-10-30T12:26:44.046-08:00

I just stumbled across this excellent, free, online resource: Wordreference.com, which searches across English, French, Italian, and Portuguese all once, and optionally from any of those languages to nearly any of the others. How incredibly useful! It's very good with idiomatic expressions. For example, take a look at the entry for cabeza. You get a huge list of expressions using the word, with

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161969616531626812006-10-27T09:32:00.000-07:002006-10-27T10:20:19.513-07:00

This conference was filled with so much activity that I am still trying to take it all in. As Host Committee Chair, I was constantly on the move, directing people hither and yon, welcoming people, making sure that people found the coffee, the room, the keynote speakers. I left off the last posting half-way through the conference activities I attended, and so will pick up in the middle of Friday

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161798209797905942006-10-25T09:35:00.000-07:002006-10-25T10:43:30.243-07:00

As the Host Committee Chair, first and foremost I would like to thank everyone who participated in the ALTA conference. We had 179 presenters, making for a rich and varied conference, and, again, I thank you.Now, the summary from the perspective of the Host Chair!The conference began for me when I drove to Sea-Tac in order to pick up our keynote speaker Göran Malmqvist, who, as a member of the

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161654548998282182006-10-23T18:30:00.000-07:002006-10-23T20:58:16.036-07:00

Here's Johannes Görannson of Exoskeleton, reporting on his experience of the ALTA conference. He wrote about Korean translators and translation and about meeting Quick, go read it just to see if he mentioned you! (Oh. Wait. Correction: He's in Georgia, or maybe Alabama... he's in an indeterminate location. With a cat, until you open the box.)Richard Jeffrey Newman posted on poetics blogThe

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161500319315367852006-10-21T23:51:00.000-07:002006-10-23T15:05:31.680-07:00

Elizabeth Lowe read from her translation of the Brazilian writer Regina Rheda, author of Ark without Noah, "The Bad Neighbor". There is a UT Press collection of her works, "First World, Third Class". She read from "Bestseller", with strong themes of globalization - ecofeminist, immigration, diaspora - wordplay. I loved this story, which was obnoxious, bitter, funny, disturbing, & surreal!Liz

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161498810716059982006-10-21T23:26:00.000-07:002006-10-21T23:33:30.723-07:00

The readings were introduced by Don Bogan.Lila Zembrorain, who teaches at NYU, read her work, and the translator, Rosa Alcalá, read her translations (co-translator with Monica de la Torre, who also co-edited Reversible Monuments). Both poet and translator spoke on the body in water and moving through water, connecting with the space around it through movement. Malva orquidias del mar, Mauve

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161498254193387692006-10-21T23:17:00.000-07:002006-10-23T21:00:45.580-07:00

Nedra Bickham moderated the panel on Langston Hughes' translations, introducing the poet with a recording of "Weary Blues", a brief overview of Hughes' life, and a quote from Edna St. Vincent Millay about poets as translators vs. another quote from Ruben Dario about non-poets translating poetry. Nancy Festinger talked about Hughes and Nicolas Guillen, blowing me away with her fiesty

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161381429035001562006-10-20T14:50:00.000-07:002006-10-23T21:02:36.886-07:00

Rhonda Dahl Buchanan, a dynamic & witty speaker, lets us know a little bit about Ana María Shua, "The Queen of Short Shorts". We're the first to get a sneak peek at the scandalously short shorts from Quick Fixes! It's so hot that Rhonda takes off her jacket! More short shorts from Casa de Geishas; some Quickies, or "texticulos". (!1!!)Rhonda dedicates "Beware of Women" to the reading

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161377718356680012006-10-20T13:48:00.000-07:002006-10-20T13:55:18.506-07:00

This was the panel I was on with Karen Philips and Adriana Tatum, and I'll put up some notes later.

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161377734176472242006-10-20T13:41:00.000-07:002006-10-20T13:55:34.176-07:00

Notes on "Facing Pages I: Publishing Translations in Journals", moderated by Carolyn Wright. Dwayne Harris spoke briefly about Absinthe: New European Writing.Joyelle McSweeney, editor of Action Yes. Action Books, poetry and translation press. Action Yes, a quarterly, is the online arm. The phrase is a good example of Global English. Inflection rather than conventional syntax. Sets the tone,

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161321827009373042006-10-19T22:16:00.000-07:002006-10-23T21:07:45.640-07:00

Never blog while slightly tipsy. (Do as I say, not as I do.)Rainer Schulte presented a service award to Elizabeth Gamble Miller for her work for ALTA and translation, and for her excellent work on the ALTA newsletter. *standing ovation for Elizabeth*Elizabeth gave a very moving speech about how her life has been given meaning and been enriched by the contact she has had with authors and

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161309221726424202006-10-19T18:46:00.000-07:002006-10-22T00:06:30.116-07:00

The keynote speaker this evening is Göran Malmqvuist, professor emeritus of Sinology at Stockholm University. He's speaking on Pound and Chinese translation, on ideographs and pictographs. I missed a bit of the talk, and came in again to find Malmqvist trashing the "happy ending" version of Rickshaw Boy. I've read both versions and completely agree - what a travesty of what translation should

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161309273719337092006-10-19T17:52:00.000-07:002006-10-19T18:54:33.726-07:00

2 copies of the new edition of W.S. Merwin's translations of the aphorisms of Antonio Porcia, from Copper Canyon Press. I was so excited by seeing this! I love these so much, but the older editions of course only had the English and the selection was much narrower. This book makes me very happy! (The second copy is for a present. Happy Birthday, Dad!)Joseph Bednarik gave me a copy of So What:

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161309274743161472006-10-19T17:24:00.000-07:002006-10-20T15:53:38.743-07:00

First - Dafna Zur, reading her translations of a Korean short story writer whose name I missed (Kim Yong-ha?). Wild stuff, vampires, all characters struck by lightning, story written in all 2nd person; in a very accessible style, great to work with.Estonian poetry translated by Brandon Lussier - "Definitely the largest I've ever had for a reading of Estonian poetry." Dialect of southern Estonia,

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161308939821591482006-10-19T15:42:00.000-07:002006-10-19T18:48:59.820-07:00

I came in a bit late, just in time for the end of Cindy Schuster's paper. Stephen Kessler talked about how geography is not destiny, and how he grew to respect the New Criticism technique of close reading; a lot of the context can be deduced or learned from the text itself. Kessler mentioned Julio Cortazar's stories in which he speaks very satirically of the provincialness of life in Buenos Aires

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161308934343862992006-10-19T15:28:00.000-07:002006-10-23T15:00:28.226-07:00

This was a very well-attended panel moderated by poet & translator from Slovenian, Kelly Lenox Allan. Jean Anderson, Anne Magnan-Park, Mary G. Berg, Martha Collins, Thuy Dinh, and Dennis Maloney were on the panel.Martha talked about her translation process with Thuy Dinh and her poetry and folk songs. Jean Anderson told us about translating from Maori, and, with Anne Magnan-Park, cotranslating

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161308881956392102006-10-19T11:51:00.000-07:002006-10-23T14:47:36.896-07:00

As always, ALTA had a very welcoming, friendly spirit. Around 200-300 translators are converging on the Hilton in Bellevue. Right away I ran into Adriana Tatum and Karen Philips, and many more friends from past conferences.From 8:30-9:30 I was at the welcome to newcomers. The ALTA board members introduced themselves, and then everyone with a green dot on their badge (indicating it was their

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1161044988390893862006-10-16T17:23:00.000-07:002006-10-16T17:29:48.593-07:00

composite #3 under construction Originally uploaded by Liz Henry. I'll be bringing lots of copies of Composite #3 to the ALTA conference! It's smaller than past issues, but there are 6 different fantastic translations of "Ghoneh", or "Sin", by Forough Farrokhzhad, with a brief introduction by Sholeh Wolpé, who was kind enough to guest edit. I get very excited every time I make a new

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1160102373221195682006-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:002006-10-05T19:39:33.313-07:00

Katherine Silver sends word that she has a translation of an excerpt of Horacio Castellanos Moya's novel Senselessness in the new issue of Words Without Borders: Latin Labyriths. The novel will be published next year by New Directions. I'm just now going over to read the rest of the issue... it's got Juan Villoro, Alberto Ruy Sanchez, and more...

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1160011920474139622006-10-04T18:25:00.000-07:002006-10-04T18:32:00.606-07:00

The Carnival of Blog Translation lapsed over the summer, so I'd like to start it up again here. Please send your translations of any blog entry from September or October, from any language into any other language. Here's an explanation of the concept, and a link to the first Carnival back in February. And here's more: March 2006 on Em Duas Linguas, April on The Bitter Scroll, May 2006 on Sauvage

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1159386524040004822006-09-27T12:22:00.000-07:002006-09-27T12:48:44.186-07:00

I have just returned from the Gothenburg Book Fair, which is held once a year in Gothenburg, Sweden, and where Scandinavian authors meet and greet their agents, publishers, readers and other authors. The theme for this year's book extravaganza was "Freedom of Expression" and included Nobel Peace Prize winning author Shirin Ebadi as well as many other authors who have been persecuted due to their

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1158953899734312182006-09-22T12:32:00.000-07:002006-09-22T12:39:39.973-07:00

¿¿Polihedro?? @ Museo de las Ciencias Originally uploaded by abanico. If you translate from Spanish and use the online DRAE this will make you scream with joy. From Jorge Letralia, a sweet little tool that adds two authoritative and useful dictionaries to your Google Toolbar in Firefox. I use the DRAE and Diccionario panhispanica de dudas all the time, and now here is a handy tool that

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1158951062559419602006-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:002006-09-22T11:51:02.676-07:00

my favourite author~Elif Şafak Originally uploaded by quasileo. Recently Elif Shafak was brought to trial for "Insulting Turkishness" in her book The Bastard of Istanbul (Bapa ve pik), under Turkey's Article 301. Like Orhan Pamuk, she has now been acquitted. Asli Bican, translator of the work to English, was also accused, but those charges were dropped.More details here on the case here

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1158710812781806982006-09-19T17:01:00.000-07:002006-09-19T17:06:52.796-07:00

This looks like a nifty product: BigHal, an automatic translator that plugs into your IM chat application, like AIM, Yahoo Messenger, GoogleTalk, or ICQ. It has a pack of different languages installed. The person on the other end of the chat doesn't have to have the software for it to work.I can picture some very interesting international group chats happening with the help of this tool!

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1158166369875178422006-09-13T09:48:00.000-07:002006-09-13T09:58:00.446-07:00

C.M. Mayo forwarded me this blog link: http://www.francisstrand.blogspot.com/The blogger, an American living in Stockholm, gives a Swedish word for the day, and there are links to a Swedish pronunciation key as well. The blog is called How to learn Swedish in 1000 difficult lessons. The author, Francis Strand, writes on Swedish culture, esp the performing arts, and the issues of the day in both

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1158081802635920892006-09-12T10:12:00.000-07:002006-09-12T10:23:22.646-07:00

The program for the 2006 ALTA conference in Bellevue Washington has been completed, thanks to very hard work by members of the host committee, and has been sent off for layout and printing. A number of changes have occured to the program since the preliminary program was posted, and we also have the mainland Chinese FITS General Secretary coming to speak about the FITS translator conference in

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1157645769751598432006-09-07T09:10:00.000-07:002006-09-07T09:18:31.116-07:00

Gollytian y su chapa flickr Originally uploaded by DesertBell (Circos sin Animales!). Some odd verb forms confused me for a while the other day, and then the most casual of web searches turned up useful information. There's great resources out there! So I would like to outline some of the process that I go through to find relevant information on the web.Because of all the regional

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1157038770671208352006-08-31T08:34:00.000-07:002006-08-31T08:42:33.436-07:00

In today's Washington Post Ilan Stavans reviews Gioconda Belli's The Scroll of Seduction. He writes: The book's best feature is the lucid English translation by Lisa Dillman. Yet the publisher doesn't highlight the translator's name on the cover, as if embarrassed to recognize that this is a foreign artifact, not coming to us in the original. This is too bad because, as it happens, translation is

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1156997866285394832006-08-30T21:15:00.000-07:002006-08-30T21:17:46.296-07:00

A major new book of literary translation has just been published by HOST Publications: Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti's Only in the Meantime & Office Poems, translated by Harry Morales. Dedicated, industrious, exacting, and ever-deft, Harry Morales is one of my favorite translators-- I admire his work so much. (I am proud to say he translated Ilan Stavans' short story, "Twins" for Mexico: A

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1156788308034553442006-08-28T10:46:00.000-07:002006-08-28T11:05:11.680-07:00

I read the posting on the Arabic T-shirt with some interest, as I have just been in the skies myself.I have just returned from Germany, post the London flight scare, not being able to take water bottles on the plane for thirsty kids. I had to listen to "MOM! I'm THIRSY!" for a good hour until drinks were served. (Due to the lengthy security process, there was no time to buy a drink to finish

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1156606436234414782006-08-26T08:31:00.000-07:002006-08-26T08:34:01.456-07:00

Ellen Moody has a beautiful translation project up on the web: Amaro Lagrimar: The Poems of Vittoria Colonna. I haven't read it yet but on first glance it looks very interesting. Moody provided a nice bibliography with this project as well. Wikipedia has a short biography of Vittoria Colonna with some historical context.I find myself thinking I should do this with a bunch of the writers I've

Liznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1156343797294610382006-08-23T07:36:00.000-07:002006-08-23T07:36:38.540-07:00

Writer and activist Raed Jarrar was stopped and harrassed in New York's JFK airport for wearing a t-shirt that said "I will not be silent" in arabic script. He said "people are feeling offended because of your t-shirt". I looked at my t-shirt: I was wearing my shirt which states in both Arabic and English "we will not be silent".and then later in the questioning of Raed in the airport by this

Liznoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1156318258951829012006-08-23T00:28:00.000-07:002006-08-23T00:30:58.963-07:00

Tameme has call for submissions out for translations of Mexican poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Deadline is August 30th. For details, click here.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1155066553979727142006-08-08T12:44:00.000-07:002006-08-08T12:49:14.023-07:00

Larry Venuti writes on translation from English to other languages and cultural imperialism in "The Cracked Glass" in the Times Online. American publishers reap huge profits from the sale of their books overseas, but they invest appallingly little in the translation of foreign books. The charge of cultural imperialism does not seem all that exaggerated. Some observers might go further: the

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1154553250760165182006-08-02T14:12:00.000-07:002006-08-02T14:14:10.773-07:00

International Federation of Translators (IFT/FIT) headquarters in Canada has notified ALTA, an affiliate member of FIT, that the Second International Translation Conference, "Translation, Transnation," which was scheduled to take place in Beirut, Lebanon, from September 18 to 20, 2006, with the cooperation and assistance of FIT, has been postponed. Information concerning a rescheduled conference

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1153349373134630412006-07-19T15:47:00.000-07:002006-07-19T15:49:33.146-07:00

In Identity Theory.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1151819747572556862006-07-01T22:36:00.000-07:002006-07-01T23:05:08.640-07:00

Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion, my anthology of Mexican fiction and literary prose, has been out since March and I'm still doing all I can -- and thanks to all of you have been cheering me on-- to help this amazing writing find the readers it deserves. There are 24 writers collected here, among them, Ricardo Elizondo Elizondo (tr. Geoff Hargreaves), Ilan Stavans (tr Harry Morales),

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1151686765196774572006-06-30T09:56:00.000-07:002006-06-30T10:02:15.870-07:00

Chris at Diacritique, a bilingual French/English blog, has an interesting post about interpreting a cryptic message from his landlady:Pocket go big bag on kitchen floor can be pulled off stems and 10 mins soak go cold water will revive itIt's a cool example of translating with context (and likely mistakes) in mind! I see text-message Spanish all over the net, usually featuring "k" for que, and

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1150487047495314462006-06-16T12:40:00.000-07:002006-06-16T12:53:08.846-07:00

block print by Inara Cedrins Originally uploaded by Liz Henry. I'd like to interview or spotlight new ALTA members each week, if I can, on the blog. This might build up some nice excitement for the upcoming ALTA literary translation conference this fall! This week I'm happy to introduce Inara Cedrins, an American artist, writer and translator from the Latvian. She was a member of ALTA

Liznoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1150396698914650402006-06-15T02:33:00.000-07:002006-06-15T11:38:18.926-07:00

One of my favorite litblogs (translation: check it out!) is Scott Esposito's Conversational Reading. Today he's posted a little something on Archipelago Books, publisher of literary works in translation.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1149535342869224702006-06-05T12:19:00.000-07:002006-06-05T12:25:11.426-07:00

This is a year-old USA Today article, but it's got some interesting points about literary blogging in the English-speaking world, and especially on how it's helping to expose interest in books in translation:What many blogs do better than the conventional print media is offer a sense of the global literary culture by providing links to foreign book coverage.Moorishgirl.com, run by Laila Lalami of

Liznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1149279312618709002006-06-02T12:46:00.000-07:002006-06-02T13:19:01.670-07:00

At Wiscon 30, Madison's feminist science fiction convention, I came across the issue of language and translation many times. Here's my rough transcript of the panel "Laádan vs. tlhIngan Hol: Differential Diffusion of Created Languages", in which the woman's language invented by the author of Native Tongue was contrasted with Klingon. It was a spirited discussion. One audience member talked

Liznoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1149003957435968142006-05-30T08:05:00.000-07:002006-05-30T08:45:57.553-07:00

Ola Wikander has written a book called "I döda språkets sällskap" (ie "In the Company of Dead Languages") which I am reading right now. One item of note that I have gleaned in this book: the world's first known named author is Enheduanna, a Sumerian woman, writing in 2300 BC. And the first grammar is a Sumerian one, written for speakers of Accadian, who needed to know Sumerian after conquering

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1148318779346127082006-05-22T10:24:00.000-07:002006-05-22T15:45:04.293-07:00

Read all about it here.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1148243347203999382006-05-21T13:24:00.000-07:002006-05-21T13:29:07.213-07:00

No exaggeration: this is one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen: Poems and paintings by one of Mexico's most original and accomplished artists, Alfredo Castaneda, translated by the greatest living translator of Mexican literature, Margaret Sayers Peden. But-- oh, this world of Philistines!---it does not have a US distributor. Margaret tells me it can only be purchased from Castaneda's

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1147661226438683402006-05-14T19:44:00.000-07:002006-05-15T11:44:57.066-07:00

German translator Lee Chadeayne sent this link to a very fun, very quotable article from the Smithsonian Magazine.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1147452653437051862006-05-12T09:33:00.000-07:002006-05-12T09:50:53.463-07:00

I have just returned from Oxford, Mississippi, home of Faulkner and the most recent conference of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies, which included a panel on Swedish translation put together by yours truly, moderated by Marilyn Blackwell and with additional panelists Johannes Göransson and Rochelle Wright.Johannes discussed his translation of Aase Berg, and Rochelle her

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1147095392668424302006-05-08T06:19:00.000-07:002006-05-08T06:36:32.686-07:00

The main discussion list for Slavists often fields questions about which translations people recommend for course use. Lately, there has been a minor flurry of emotions over Tolstoy and War and Peace in general and, in particular, over a recent review of the new Anthony Briggs translation written by someone with no known knowledge of Russian.Stephen Pearl, contributed an excellent extended

MBShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15985852046872460188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1146585306684981932006-05-02T08:55:00.000-07:002006-05-02T08:55:06.693-07:00

A new German literary magazine emailed us with an announcement of their new project, No Man's Land. It's a a site for English translations of German writing, and they are hoping to build an online community of translators, writers, and readers. There will also be an internationally distributed print magazine.The no man's land project marks the 10th anniversary of the Berlin literary "laboratory

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1146443648825727602006-04-30T17:31:00.000-07:002006-04-30T17:34:08.826-07:00

UC Santa Barbara is sponsoring a translation conference in May 2006. You can get their flyer in PDF format. It looks like a great conference - I wish I could go! The panelists include Bei Dao, Larry Venuti, Haun Saussy, and Suzanne Jill Levine.

Liznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1146443256150742832006-04-30T17:27:00.000-07:002006-04-30T17:27:36.166-07:00

A reader sent me this link to Sarah Weinman's article Pen World Voices Festival: Taking Crime Fiction Seriously. In the middle of the article there is a fascinating bit about Larry Venuti, Henning Mankell, and Boris Akunin arguing about translation.But it was only when an audience member asked about the author-translator relationship that the panel really got going. Though they didn’t exactly

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1146152764159449652006-04-27T08:35:00.000-07:002006-04-27T08:47:56.706-07:00

Just posted on Madam Mayo about Bruno Estañol: The Collected Fiction, translated from the Spanish and with a preface by Eduardo Jiménez, which has been published by Floricanto Press. Here's the book's jacket text:The narratives collected in this volume are mainly set in the State of Tabasco, during the turbulent time period running from the Mexican Revolution to the late 1950’s. In one sense we’

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1145898769142240462006-04-24T09:17:00.000-07:002006-04-24T10:12:49.203-07:00

At this moment, I am in the midst of a Swedish book called Mei Wenti! Inget Problem! In other words, no problem, no problem! It is a discourse on how a Swedish woman fell in love with China, and how she learned to love Chinese. One thing that caught my eye was the expression No problem.When I was in seventh grade, two expressions started sweeping the teenage set "No problemo" and "No way".

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1145814833146424322006-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:002006-04-23T10:58:29.076-07:00

I just posted something about Mexican writer Juan Villoro on my blog, "Madam Mayo". To read it, click here.

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1144959630986441342006-04-13T13:12:00.000-07:002006-04-13T13:20:31.006-07:00

In order to avoid talking only about my own obsessions, I'd like to spotlight a different ALTA member each week, starting in May. It would be great to interview other literary translators and hear about what they're working on. I'm inspired in part by another writer, Mark Pritchard, and his own series "What Are You Working On?" - which he started on the theory that everyone asks writers about

Liznoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1144958770583907032006-04-13T13:06:00.000-07:002006-04-13T13:06:10.663-07:00

tuesday, longest day ever Originally uploaded by Liz Henry. I'm deep in the final stages of my thesis project, so have not been posting as I should here. In early May I'll be done with my degree & back in the blogging saddle. I could talk about "my project" all day long, which is why I have not written about it here. I'd never shut up again once I opened the floodgates!In March I went to

Liznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1144113718984088812006-04-03T18:12:00.000-07:002006-04-03T18:25:51.926-07:00

Thanks to Liz Henry, blogger extraordinaire, who not only started this blog, but was so encouraging to me about blogging, I have entered the blogging fray, as it were, with "Madam Mayo", a blog about many subjects, including literary translation. This evening's post is "A Trio of Mexican Writers"--- Araceli Ardon, Monica Lavin, and Ricardo Elizondo Elizondo. The latter's short story was

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1143860208085315852006-03-31T18:48:00.000-08:002006-03-31T19:01:23.226-08:00

John Ydstie interviewed me for National Public Radio about Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion. The interview will be edited, so I don't yet know what will and will not make it on, but we did talk quite a bit about literary translation. It is scheduled to air on Saturday April 1st, and will also be posted on www.npr.org

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1143736950775568242006-03-30T08:16:00.000-08:002006-03-30T08:43:51.010-08:00

Like many if not most literary translators, my curiosity about foreign literature long predated my first translation attempts. It was part of the whole package--the vast array of backdrops provided by the great, wide world, the languages they spoke, the paintings, music, and architecture they created, the literature they wrote. This curiosity is fundamental to human nature at its best, it seems

MBShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15985852046872460188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1143608750429157872006-03-28T21:02:00.000-08:002006-03-28T21:21:22.323-08:00

MEXICO, the latest in the Whereabouts Press "Traveler's Literary Companion" series is out."This is a book to throw in a suitcase or mochila (backpack) on the way to Mexico or just settling into a favorite patio chair. It will open your eyes, fill you with pleasure and render our perennial vecinos a little less distante."--- Los Angeles Times (review by Tony Cohan, author of Mexican Days)"A

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1143606933459740242006-03-28T20:32:00.000-08:002006-03-28T20:37:35.593-08:00

At AWP's bookfair in Austin, Texas, I happened by the table of Indiana Review. The editor advised me that indeed, they are very happy to consider translations. For more information check out the submissions guidelines on their webpage:http://www.indiana.edu/~inreview/general/guidelines.html

C.M. Mayonoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1143161275737279242006-03-23T16:31:00.000-08:002006-03-23T16:47:55.763-08:00

This month I was working hard as host committee chair fielding an incredible amount of panel proposals. We received many more panel suggestions than we have slots, so our committee meeting this coming Tuesday will be one of blood, sweat and tears. Shortly after that, moderators should be getting letters, though some on-topic panels have already been accepted. If you have not heard that your panel

Laura the 06 Hostnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18615110.post-1142722574141982382006-03-18T14:53:00.000-08:002006-03-18T14:56:14.153-08:00

Philip Balma's article "Passing through Language(s)" in the latest issue of Translation Review was an excellent view into the process of translation. Balma takes the reader through the poem "Solo solo solo" [Only only only] by Edith Bruck. (By the way, it's a beautiful poem, and you can order copies of Translation Review through the ALTA web site or when you become a member of ALTA.) I especially

Liznoreply@blogger.com0