The Synesthesiac

Author: Ashley Gamell and Maddie Oatman

"English literature lives on translation, it is fed by translations, every new exuberance, every new heave is stimulated by translations"- Ezra Pound

Art is a powerful universal language, especially when it evokes emotion that can be recognized by those in all walks of life. But visual art has a clear advantage over creative writing - it doesn't require translation the same way language does. And though it benefits from some visual techniques, such as in poetry, the written word demands linguistic comprehension for it to attain its artistic relevance. Enter "Words Without Borders," an online magazine dedicated to the translation of poetry and other genres from various languages into English. As the Web site announces, "In an increasingly interdependent world, rife with ignorance and incomprehension of other cultures, literature in translation has an especially important role."

Especially at a school as language-focused as Middlebury, "Words Without Borders" is an inspiring resource for anyone interested in the intersection between foreign language and creative writing.

An interesting fact garnered from the website shows that while 50 percent of today's translated books are translated from English, only six percent are translated into English. Even if the English world has produced a myriad of talented writers, it can hardly hope to account for this discrepancy when English isn't even the most popular spoken or read language in the world (that would be Mandarin Chinese). "Words Without Borders" hopes to introduce some of the most exciting international writers to the English world, and it also allows bilingual writers to try their hand at the art of translation. The Web site allows you to search by language, country, genre, topic or region, and also displays a central feature article or region every month. The organization also occasionally produces anthologies, such as Literature from the Axis of Evil, featuring writers from Iran, Iraq, North Korea and other "enemy nations."

The lack of translators who also appreciate literature as an art form has certainly been a concern for organizations such as this one. Luckily, Middlebury often produces well-versed linguists who have a passion for literature. For his senior thesis, Tyler Cotton '08 has decided to translate the 9th Century Chinese poet and essayist Yuan Zhen. Cotton focuses on the poet's "yanshi," or "poems of seductive allure," which supposedly contain parallels to the poet's own love life. His biggest obstacle so far, he says, is the time it takes to prepare to even begin translating the poems. He not only has to translate from the complicated Chinese characters into English, he also must deal with an ancient version of Chinese that contains alternative characters and obsolete expressions.

One of Cotton's main interests is in the balance between trying to stay true to the material and wielding some artistic license.

"One of the big tensions I'm dealing with is what is referred to as 'barbarizing' and 'naturalizing' - whether my translation comes off as exotic to the English-speaking reader or is naturalized into more 'comfortable' rhythms of English," explains Cotton.

For those who think translation might be simple, perhaps an example will dispel this assumption. Before he could begin to arrange it for the English-speaker's ear, one of Cotton's initial translations of Zhen's poetry read "no follow/catch up (sound-sound) my-/him/her-/itself follow charming/tender/delicate." Try converting that mayhem into meaningful poetry!

Cotton points to a Middlebury alumnus' own online journal of translation, Cipherjournal.com, as a great resource for those trying their hand at the tricky process.

And though he alludes to the reality that translation can be a frustrating, sticky, and time-consuming ordeal, Cotton still seems to enjoy the process.

"I really feel poetry is the most intimate form of expression, and when we can experience another culture's poetry, we can bridge the divisions to find our common humanity."

In an increasingly globalizing world, maybe we need more organizations like "Words Without Borders" and individuals like Cotton who will willingly dedicate their intellectual power to the perpetuation of the written art form, no matter what linguistic obstacle might stand in the way.



The "Words Without Borders" Web site can be found at www.wordswithoutborders.org.