Day 11
Tues. Nov. 29
Discussion of Han Dong poem translations
Discussion of 我的妈妈是精灵
Annotated version of Darkness Starts (click to download)
Homework:
➤ Read and Translate “Darkness Starts” by ChristiaN Wiman
Read this very short English poem, along with my annotations. In my annotations I explain all the things the poem suggests to my mind—what images it evokes and what symbolic or metaphorical connotations they have. (If you can’t see my annotations, please let me know!)
Please note that this is just one’s person’s reading of the poem (mine) but I do attempt to give as many possible different perspectives on the poem’s layers of meaning as possible. Not only will different readers perceive different things in the poem, but the same reader may simultaneously perceive different meanings.
Then, translate the poem into Chinese. Try to translate it in such a way that a Chinese reader might imagine some of the same kinds of things as I describe in my annotations, while also not limiting the reader to a particular reading or single understanding of the poem. In other words, try to translate it such a way that leaves the reader as much room for imagination as possible.
Upload your translation to Sakai. Don’t put your name on it—I will share these translations anonymously with the class.
➤ Read “Feed” translations, vote on a favorite！
Click here to read the 8 different new translations of a passage from Feed, and vote for one that you like the most (or find the most interesting) and leave a note explaining why you chose that one.
➤ Read classmates’ translations and prepare for discussion
Read your classmates’ translations of the Peloton website text and of Lawrence Yim’s academic article about Qian Qianyi. Please also don’t forget about 我的妈妈是精灵—I’d like to begin next class by wrapping up our discussing about that text.
Come to next class ready to discussion these questions:
1) About 我的妈妈是精灵: Are there any cultural elements to this story that are significant? How important is it that this story is happening in Shanghai in the 21st century (and not someplace else, at some other time)?
2) About Peloton:
Does the style fit the genre? Does the translation read like advertising language in Chinese?
Does the style of the language convey anything about the brand identity of the product or company? In other words, does it convey the personality of the company or product? If so, how? Can you give a specific example?
3) About Lawrence Yim:
Does the style fit the genre? Does the translation read like academic writing in English? Does it read like writing in a specific discipline?
Is the writing in the original Chinese hard to understand? If so, should the translation also be hard to understand? What is the difference between writing that is hard to understand and writing that is just doesn’t make sense? If a translation is hard to understand, how do we know whether it is a problem with the translation or whether the original is just by nature hard to understand?
4) About both Peloton and Lawrence Yim:
Are there any examples here of ambiguity that are important from the translator’s perspective? Are there places where it’s important that the meaning be unclear / open-ended / leave the reader lots of room for imagination?
➤ If you haven’t yet, Tell me your plan for the final and write your scenario (if necessary)
Some of you still haven’t done this, even though it was due last class. If you haven’t decided on a text yet, message me on WeChat and tell me what you’re thinking about. If you haven’t written your scenario yet, please add it directly to this document and upload your text to the folder “Final challenge texts and scenarios.”
Note: It’s possible to work as a team for the final project! If a classmate is doing a project that interests you, you could always ask if they’d like to team up!