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Objectives
This one-day seminar, co-sponsored by USEFI and IFP, brings together scholars, students and translators to discuss theoretical and practical issues relating to literary translation. Although many people rely on translations for access to world literature, the art and practice of literary translation remains a neglected subject, other than the easy criticisms that this translation "strays from the original," that one "takes too many liberties," and yet another is "too technical". This event will be a unique opportunity to share different perspectives on the specific challenges faced by translators between Indian and Western languages, as well as the current state of literary translation in South India.
Method: Topics to be covered include:
translating dialect literature
translating devotional literature
knowing the audience/reader
teaching translation/training the next generation of translators
translating classical literature into modern diction
translating texts meant for performance
Literary translators will discuss their own experiences grappling with these questions, and will share approaches and creative "solutions" to bridging the gaps between Indian and Western languages and literatures. The seminar will also raise questions surrounding the politics of translation: which translations get published, which get critical acclaim, and how to create a readership for international literature. There will be time for discussion and student participation.
Programme
| 09:00 | Welcome Address by Dr. Jean-Pierre Muller, Director, IFP |
| 09:15 | Introduction by Ms.Jennifer Clare, Fulbright-Hays Research Fellow, U.C. Berkeley |
| 09:30-11:00 | Panel I - “Translating Performance Texts” |
| Chair : Dr. Arshia Sattar, Bangalore | |
| Dr. Mangai, Dept. of English, Stella Maris College, Chennai, “Translating drama for Stage” ; Dr. Archana Venkatesan, Dept. of Comparative Literature, University of California, Davis, “Translating text and performance, from Tamil Vaishnava literature” | |
| Discussants : Mr. Jeyasankar, Research Scholar, Eastern University, Batticaloa ; Ms. Vasuki Jeyasankar, Research Scholar, Eastern University, Batticaloa ; Ms.Latha, Dept. of English, Stella Maris College, Chennai | |
| 11:00 | Tea Break |
| 11:15-13:00 | Panel II - “Creativity and Collaboration in Translating Literature: Writer, Translator and Editor” |
| Chair : Ms.Kamini Mahadevan, Editor, Penguin India | |
| Ms. Mini Krishnan, Editor, Oxford University Press, Chennai ; Ms. Gita Krishnankutty, Translator, Chennai Ms. Subashree, Translator and Editor, EastWest Publishing, Chennai ; Mr. Dilip Kumar, Translator, Chennai | |
| Discussants : Ms. Preetha Mani, Research Scholar, University of California, Berkeley ; Ms. M.P. Boseman, Translator, IFP, Pondicherry | |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch (IFP Garden) |
| 14:00-15:30 | Panel III - “Translating Classical Literature” |
| Chair : Dr. Mangai, Dept. of English, Stella Maris College, Chennai | |
| Prof.Subbarayalu, IFP, Pondicherry, “Translating Inscriptions” ; Dr. Layne Little, Translator, University of California, Davis, “Translating Tirumurukarruppatai” ; Dr. Prema Nanda Kumar, Translator, Srirangam | |
| Discussants : Prof.VijayaLakshmi Rangarajan, Chennai ; Prof. A. Manavalan, Madras University, Chennai ; Prof. Arasu, Tamil Dept. Head, Madras University, Chennai ; Mr. Rajesh, Research Scholar, IIT Madras, Chennai ; Prof. Ulrike Niklas, University of Cologne, Germany | |
| 15:30 | Tea Break |
| 16:00-18:00 | Panel IV - “Translating from West to East” |
| Chair : Prof. Arasu, Tamil Dept. Head, Madras University, Chennai | |
| Ms.V.Geetha, Tara Publishing, Chennai ; Mr. Balachandran, Vitiyal Publishing, Coimbatore “ Translation as a Profession in the Tamil Milieu” ; Mr.Sriram, Translator, Chennai, “Translating fiction and poetry from French to Tamil” ; Dr. S.A. Vengada Soupraya Nayagar, Post-Graduate Centre, Pondicherry “Practical constraints of translating French –Tamil literary texts” | |
| Discussant: Mr.Kannan.M , IFP, Pondicherry | |
| 19:00 | Cocktail Dinner (IFP Garden) |
Organizers and Funding
- United States Education Foundation in India (USEFI)
- French Institute of Pondicherry
Coordinators
- Jennifer Clare, Research Scholar, University of California, Berkeley
- Kannan M., Researcher, Indology Department, French Institute of Pondicherry
Participants
- Ms. Kamini Mahadevan, Editor, Penguin
- Ms. Mini Krishnan, Editor, OUP
- Ms. V. Geetha, Translator and Editor-in-Chief, Tara Publishing
- Ms. Subashree, Translator and Editor, EastWest Publishing
- Mr. D.Dilip Kumar, Translator
- Mr. V.Sriram, Translator
- Dr. Mangai, Stella Maris College
- Dr. Archana Venkatesan, University of California, Davis
- Ms. Preetha Mani, University of California, Berkeley
- Dr. Layne Little, Translator
- Dr. Arshia Sattar, Translator
- Dr. A.Manavalan, Retd., University of Madras
- Dr. Arasu, University of Madras
- Ms. Gita Krishnankutty, Translator
- Dr. Prema Nandakumar, Srirangam
- Mr. V.Nataraj, Vitiyal, Coimbatore
- Mr. Balachandran, Vitiyal, Coimbatore,
- Mr. Govindha Samy, Vitiyal, Coimbatore,
- Mr. V.Rajesh, IIT, Chennai,
- Dr. S.A. Vengada Soupraya Nayagar, Post graduate center, Pondicherry
- Dr. Jeyasankar, Eastern University, Srilanka.
- Dr. Vasuki, Eastern University, Srilanka.
Venue
Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, Pondicherry
* If this be treason, make the most of it - Patrick Henry
Latest addition : 6 May 2008.