Class Description
In the act of writing, in any genre, we are constantly negotiating between experience and imagination in order to capture both through language. Writers work as much between languages as translators do. While the writer works between the language of silence and what comes after it, the translator works in the opposite direction, from utterance toward the silence from which the original author began. In both cases, the writing process is one of discovery, of stringing, to borrow from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “the best words in the best order,” and each skill only enriches the other. If you’ve been curious about what literary translation is, or if you’re already familiar with it but are looking for new challenges and practice on the subject, or if you’re interested in learning how it can make you a better writer and creative writing workshop participant, then this class is for you!
We will compare various English translations of the same text to evaluate diction. We will translate a text from a language of your choice and/or translate a text from a language you're not familiar with, and we will then workshop one of the translations you complete. Knowledge of a second language is preferred, but not required.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.