Free Translation Masterclass with ‘The Marilyn Booth’

Coming this April 27, the University of East Anglia is hosting a free translation masterclass with Man Booker International-winning translator Marilyn Booth:

The title of the masterclass is “Bringing the Source Language Inside,” and it’s set to take place east of Norwich.

Organizers write:

Concept: Bringing the Source Language Inside. The masterclass discussed challenges in negotiating the cultural and historical distances between source text and host language. How should cultural explanation and historical context be handled without overloading the reader? Also, how does one retain or deploy terms and expressions from the source text in the translation without using apparatus such as footnotes or glossary? In particular, how might one introduce vernacular terms and artifacts, and specific cultural-regional references and expressions, without either exoticising the work or leaving the reader puzzled? A broader issue within this is Arabic’s ‘place’ not only within a linguistic-literary globalized marketplace, but also within (mis)understandings and antagonisms generated by international politics and a long history of imperial relations, and the resulting sensitivity of translating or not translating certain terms. Approaches and strategies will be illustrated with reference to the speaker’s recent translations from the Arabic, considering works by Hassan Daoud, Hoda Barakat, and Jokha al-Harthi.

Places are limited, so, if you have a way to get there, you should sign up right away.