First thing first, I have officially chosen to talk about ‘‘Literary Translation’’. It was quite tough to decide but I have been passionate about translation since high school, so here I am diving into this subject.

Let us get started!

Translation is a broad and complex subject. One could spend days talking about it. The sub-genre however that I am Interested in is Literary Translation.

Translation is the process of translating a piece of work from one language to another. In the case of Literary Translation, it is the same thing but purposely focused on the proses of past and modern authors of different languages and cultural backgrounds so that people all around the world can have the chance to appreciate those literary artworks in their own language.

Now, why literary translation important?

Well, it just is, point blank period! Ok, I am joking, or am I!?

No in all seriousness literary translation has an Importance of grand magnitude and it touches us all even when we do not realize it. For example, for us students all the manuals used to teach us had needed a translation so we can learn about philosophy, history, politics and so on. Readers can enjoy different types of literature and the great minds of foreign authors.

Not only that but it is important to be aware of all the literary works from all around the world we would not have access to without Literary Translation. There would be no way to know of ancient works or authors, the views back then, how people lived, what were their aspirations. Translation allows you metaphorically the chance to go back in time and relive moments and events but as well make connections between our modern-day and the past.

Today I am shedding light on why Literary Translation matters.

We live in a world filled with great authors but sadly not every author has the chance to be celebrated internationally depending on where they come from or the language that writes in and that is why they are renowned authors that we know from the western world but not much from the east. And all of that is because certain countries did not have the same level of translation exposure.

As was said in the previous post. Translation gives a new look into the world of others, the culture, their views, things that would not be known if Translation did not exist. All this gives us a new perspective and helps us understand one another. In the end, Translation encourages sharing and solidarity and who knows where we would be without it. Literary translation opens us to the rest of the world and vice versa. Gaining global awareness is a gift that we cannot do without.

While one could view Literary Translation as unnecessary, it is nonetheless an important field because we would not be able to properly understand the world, we live in without it. We get to discover the lives of others and we get to have access to works from all around the world, ancient and new despite the language barrier.

What have you learned so far from the reading/research that you have done?

I’ve learned in more detail what is Literary Translation and Translation in general. I learned about why this field exists, why is it important. How much you can learn as a person from it. I learned about the amount of work and effort that it put behind each project. I learned about this field affects us more than we know.

How far have you come with your work?

I was able to find articles, videos, and books about my subject. It is a broad subject, so it means that I must make sure to be precise in my research to find all the information I need. I think I have come far. When I read back to my first post, It feels so far away and different. it is like discovering my work even though I am still working on it. It is like a little journey which I enjoy.

Does it meet the requirements that are described in the course outline?

It almost does. At this point in time, I have 2 or three more sources that I need to reach my goal. Now although I flunked my outline. I will make sure that my blog, the written assignment, and presentation really represent my work the way I want it.

Have you consistently added new material and improved your blog?

I think I did. It is true however and I will not lie that there have been times when I did not add as much as wished but I always tried to make do in the next week. My objective was to not lose my focus and have the discipline to be consistent with my work during this project. I wanted to always be advancing no matter how slow but at least not to be stagnant.

The two sources are a great introduction to what Literary Translation is and how it shapes us as individuals.

Day Translations. “Literary Translation: Important but Quite Challenging.” Day Translations Blog, Day Translations, 13 Sept. 2019

www.daytranslations.com/blog/literary-translation-challenging/.

British Centre for Literary Translation, director. What Is Literary Translation SD. YouTube, YouTube, 9 Oct. 2014

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogmvoZfum0E&ab_channel=bcltuea.

For these sources, we dive into the complexity of Literary Translation, the role it has and its challenges and how important translators are.

“Why Is Literary Translation Challenging?” Wordminds, 25 Apr. 2019,

https://wordminds.com/blog/why-literary-translation-challenging

Buchmesse, Frankfurter. “Literary Translation: Somewhere between Manic Precision and Unbridled Playfulness.” Medium, Medium, 26 Jan. 2018,

medium.com/@Book_Fair/literary-translation-somewhere-between-manic-precision-and-unbridled-playfulness-b099404cbd52.

This source underneath gives details on the importance of this field and how it is a crucial tool of communication.

“Translation Essentials: Why Literary Translation Matters.” Ulatus Translation Blog, 16 Nov. 2017,

www.ulatus.com/translation-blog/why-literary-translation-matters/.

This is an article in which International Booker Prize-longlisted translator Sophie Hughes offers some early advice for people who would like to start a career in translation. No matter the career it is always difficult to just start so I find it interesting to know what should be done if one wants to get started.

The advice talks about not focusing on the publishing part from the start. How to not just throw away your day job at the first opportunity. Finally to focus on the craft itself by joining a community of translators and owning your skills by being proactive and reading a lot in the source and target language. So, these pieces of advice were really on the nose because it is things that one may not necessarily think about and yet it is so obviously relevant.

Hughes, Sophie. “Five Great Tips for Getting Started as a Literary Translator.” National Centre for Writing, 4 May 2020,

nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/five-great-tips-for-getting-started-as-a-literary-translator/

Koster C. (2014) Literary Translation. In: House J. (eds) Translation: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Palgrave Advances in Language and Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan, London

This is an authentically enriching book about Translation but especially in the 8th chapter which is dedicated to Literary Translation. It verbalizes how with like any form of translation, literary translation is a multifaceted, hybrid, phenomenon which it clearly is when we take to time to study it. It dives in to remind us that it is a field that can be looked upon as a concrete form of literary reception and cultural mediation, as a form of the cultural link taking place within a concrete environment in the interface between two literature and cultures. Both these contexts force their constraints upon the people within that space which are the literary translators. As we know a literary translator has a concrete role within the chain of literary communication between the pristine author’s work and the ultimate target text reader. This book could not have put in better words the need for Literary Translation. I encourage anyone who is interested enough, to read it.

Washbourne, K., & Wyke, B.V. (Eds.). (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Literary Translation (1st ed.). Routledge.

Another book that I, however, have not yet completed the reading, my little disclaimer. Nonetheless, I felt it was needed for me to mention. The title of this book is one could virtually verbally express self-explanatory because of the number of resources within the book that can accommodate anyone fascinated with that field. This publication gives an accessible, diverse and extensive overview of literary translation today. This book brings together the principles, case studies, precepts, histories and knowledge from practitioners in sixteen different countries. Divided into multiple parts, that covers many of literary translation’s most urgent concerns today. This book is in a way like a guiding tool if I can so myself. I enjoy learning through it very much. Especially as someone who wants to study in that field, I am glad this handbook exists.

Aksyonova, Elena Ye., and Roman Akhtambaev. “Literary Translation Learning as an Aspect of Intercultural Communication.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Elsevier, 5 Dec. 2014,

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814056092.

Here we have an article that I founded deeply insightful because it rejoins what have said in previous posts about Literary translation being a means and tool of communications between cultures which brings understandings and helps avoids sensitive and/or problematic situations. This article talks as well about how globalization’s impact people’s lives and cultures but in this case of translators as well because of how it developed that field as a result. Literary Translation was considered as a form of art mostly but more and more it becomes a field that needs to be taught. It’s a way for people studying to be properly trained in this field to be well equipped and understand what it entails to translate from a language to another because they need to understand the implications, nuances, so the message from the original work is understood the same way in the target language. This article made me want to jump in and attempt some exercises and see for myself that's how good it is.

In this article, although yes there is again this explanation of Literary Translation, I love how I got to learn what it really is not just for novels but in this case, for poetry and theatre. It is so much information on style and form. I liked that I could learn about the nitty-gritty stuff and technicality of it all. It is not just about translation the meaning but how as well to bring the words to life to a point when you can almost forget the language that is being used and focus on the message of the piece of work.

Bazzurro, Laura C. Some Thoughts on Literary Translation: April 2015: Translation Journal. 2015, translationjournal.net/April-2015/some-thoughts-on-literary-translation.html.

Katan, David. "Translating the “literary” in literary translation in practice." Lingue e Linguaggi [Online], 14 (2015): 7-29. Web. 28 Apr. 2021

In this blog, I spoke so much about translation but what about the literary portion in all this. And this is where this article is a gem because it investigates the term "literary" in the context of literary translation. It starts with a discussion of what makes a text literary, with an emphasis on a few well-known literary works that did not (and still do not) fit into what is commonly considered the literary canon. The book then goes on to explore how translation theory and practice are evolving, highlighting key points with quotes from translators and scholars in this book and elsewhere.

Bassnett, S. (2002). Translation Studies (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203427460

This book in which Professor Bassnett addresses critical translation issues and provides a history of translation theory, starting with the ancient Romans and extending to key twentieth-century structuralist work. It is an easy-to-understand guide to translation studies. It is an excellent book to recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about Translation Studies. All in all a fantastic resource for more reading.

I can't believe this is my last post. This has been quite a ride. My last semester during a global pandemic.

It's been an intense three months but I pulled through. I've learned a lot with this blog not only about my topic but myself as well. It was an enriching project and I'm quite grateful for it because it opens my eyes

to a lot of things. So I don't know how to end this but if you read this whole thing, just know that you are awesome. Ok, I'm done! See ya!