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Free Online Arabic-poetry Translation Workshop

The magazine Modern Poetry in Translation has launched an online translation workshop focused on Adil Latefi’s poem “Debate”:

They write, at the website:

After publishing Adham Smart’s translations of Moroccan poet Adil Latefi’s work in the Summer issue of MPT, The Illuminated Paths: Focus on Poets of the Maghreb, we are looking forward to hearing Adil read during our mini-tour of Maghreb poets in September, in London and at the Contains Strong Language festival in Hull. We have been asked to run a ‘Translation Lab’ workshop in Hull on Saturday 28th 13:00 – 15:00, with our editor Clare Pollard and Adil Latefi working with participants to create a new translation of this poem, ‘Debate’. It would be wonderful to see you there, but if you can’t make it to Hull there is also a chance to participate online. The translator John Peate has very kindly given us this literal translation along with notes so that you can have a go yourself beforehand – we’ll be sharing the best during the workshop, and hope to talk about them on The Verb that weekend. Or you can participate in ‘real time’! Our digital editor Ed will also be tweeting live from @MPTmagazine at the event on the 28th at from 13:00 – 15:00, so if you have any questions for Adil do send them to us on Twitter.

And indeed they add, over Twitter: “This workshop will have the same structure as others we’ve done – though we’re also planning a live stream from our Translation Lab on Saturday 28th, looking at the same poem, which may alter the kinds of conversations that come out of it.”

They provide not only the original and a rough-draft “literal” translation, but also “notes from the translator” and “help on translating the poem.”

You can submit your own translation on the MPT website before October 1, 2019.