The Observer, April 22, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 26
Participants declare first TranslationFest a success
Sponsored by the Program in World Literature, the first TranslationFest featured translations of poems and readings by Case students and professors. The event took place on Friday, April 15 in the Parlor of Guilford House.
A short introduction from William H. Marling, Ph.D., kicked off the occasion. He explained that the TranslationFest was a "culmination of a class in the theory of translation." "This new class in the World Literature program has been successful and we hope TranslationFest becomes annual."
The pieces chosen were from a wide range of countries that included France, Spain, Poland, Italy, Russia and Japan. "When I was looking through the readings to be presented, I wanted there to be variety. That was my main aim. I actually agreed with the majority of the student's first choices of work; they reflected what is going on in the language program well," Marling said.
As well as being culturally diverse, the excerpts translated depicted several varying universal themes, such as love and war, and also reflected cultural issues unique to a particular region. Marling said that through the class "students get to see what's going on in the world."
For each translation, the poems were read in the author's native language, followed by translations of the work by students. The first poem read by Chris Molnar was written by French author Rabelais. Titled "Get High," the poem focused on the theme of escaping from the toil of everyday life. An effective contrast followed in the form of a dark poem written by the French author Claudel.
During the first half of the TranslationFest, works presented included a poem by the Spanish poet Rosenmann-Taub, which personified Jesus as a woman, and a love poem by the French poet Rosemonde Gerard. The last piece read was a poem written by Ernest Hemingway by Katie Vulakovich. Hemingway's poem, "Along with Youth" conveyed a loss of innocence and youth.
Case faculty also participated in the multicultural event. Spanish professor Laura Tartakoff had the opportunity to read her own work at the event and gave some personal background on the poems. Tartakoff's pieces were translated by sophomore Matt Wholey.
Most of the works from the second half of the readings were relevant to cultural issues around the world. Magda Lewandowska read the work of Izabela Filipiak, a revolutionary writer for women. The prose extract detailed a lady's journey through a city and her amusing description of a dog she comes across, whom she portrays as having personality traits. Lewandowska has had experience in professional translating in Poland.
Liz Bell read a piece written by Mu-Kien Adriana Sang. "Sang was part of a group of three sisters that stood up to a Dictator in the Dominican Republic for women's rights," Bell said. The audience was also shown a video screening of this selection.
Rebecca Calvetti's interpretation of Italian writer Roversi's "Un Mazzo di Fiori," meaning "A Bouquet of Flowers," was read with background music in relation to the piece. "I tried to pick something that is not well known in America. Roversi is my favorite modern Italian poet, so I enjoyed reading the poem and bringing it to a small part of America," Calvetti said.
Arnaud Gerspacher chose to translate an unpublished work of Proust's, "In Search of Lost Time." Students learned that Proust's work had a huge impact on French philosophy, and this intellectual piece focused on impressionist art.
Another issue encompassed in the readings was the topic of war: Justin Locsei and Professor Toman read from an un-translated round-table discussion concerning public intellectual Paul Vieille. The translation was a comment on the tension in American society with regards to the war on Iraq.
Overall, the first TranslationFest was deemed as a successful learning experience. "[TranslationFest] gave everyone a chance to perform, and brought in professors from different departments to see what this class is offering students. We are hoping next year to expand and include African Literature," Marling said.
