The Many Weis of Translation :)

The last few weeks of this class on translation have been challenging in many ways. I struggle with what it means to maintain fidelity to the original author, their voice, and the original language. Where does a translation slip into an adaptation? This question leads into the conversation of the purpose of translation and whether or not there is space for the broad range of translating practices and beliefs. Is translation to improve? To help a new audience understand what the original author is trying to say? To understand and convey the original intent of the author (I think of the conversation on Friday with Nicholas Glastonbury)? There seem to be so many possibilities and no general consensus, which is why I found the "Nineteen Ways of Looking at Wang Wei" to be so refreshing. Weinberger's approach to translation is not one of addition but of understanding the original intent of the author and trying to remain faithful to their writing and purposes. He had a clear sense of what makes a good translation, but also an understanding that the act of translation is living, in a way, and he notes that a perfect translation will never exist. If a work continues to be translated, someone will always try a slightly different approach, whether to the benefit or detriment of the original work (which gets into an interesting conversation about the pride of translators, but we can save that exploration for another day). 

There is something fascinating about continually returning to a poem in its many forms, ranging from literal to adapted, which helps to elucidate the original poem much better than any single articulation of it may try to do. Noticing the moments where translators failed and succeeded helps me to understand more about the original poem and become very aware of its impact. I will most likely never be able to enjoy one of Wang Wei's poems in its pure form (as this would require probably years of study of the Chinese language and poetry customs). I could hear the sounds without understanding or notice the pictures within the characters, but I will never experience that as one cohesive moment. Which is an unfortunate thing, but I feel grateful for the ability to not only read it in a language I understand, but also to study the poem and its context in a way that might get me closer than I ever could without the unceasing pride of a translator to continue trying to make it better. 

Another quick note- I feel like the close look at the different translations has led to a broadened perspective of not only the Chinese language but also other languages. It is so fascinating how other languages function and how English can be limiting its structure. Thinking about these discrepancies has helped me to start working through creative solutions to the linguistic issues presented within translation practices. 

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