Poetry in Translation Group

Information

This is a new area on Write Out Loud to demonstrate the work we have done in getting poetry translated over the past few years. It is a temporary arrangement until we get our online community translation workshops underway. We are developing a wiki-based community translation feature, open to anyone to add their translations and to discuss alternatives, and the nature of poetry in translation. Here is a copy of a poem translated by a group of amateur poets around the table at the Cambridge Arms, Marché des Chartrons, Bordeaux. It is my own poem, written about my journey to Kraków in Poland, seeking some connection with my father who had been born there but never returned. He left our family when I was seven years old. Other tranlsated poems appear as blogs, with opportunities for adding your own comments about the translations. The picture shows a French amateur poet, June, who worked on the translation, here reading the French version.

What we do

Write Out Loud’s prime aim is to create opportunities for anyone who has a mind to to share their writing, particularly poetry, with other people. In Bordeaux, during November 2007, this aim was extended to trying to remove language barriers. Usually an individual takes on the work of translating a chosen poem into their native language, endeavouring to understand the poet’s intentions. Obviously this is the only approach with dead poets, short of a séance. In France we worked on translating English to French, and vice versa. Out of that grew our desire to open up the nights and the website, not just to poetry in translation, but to the discussions that can take place around that; the cultural understandings – and misunderstandings - that emerge, as well as the challenges that translation gives to the poet to try and explain the subtext of their own work. Sometimes these are subtexts of which the poet was previously unaware, as these round-the-table, or crowd, translations proved to all who participated. We are looking to create our online crowd translation wiki to open up translation for everyone, and are seeking funding for that. In the meantime, we have decided to post some examples, and welcome any suggestions or poems. Julian’s poem, Mr Grabowski was translated by a group of French teachers, working with Julian, around the a table at the Cambridge Arms in Bordeaux. Others joined the group as a small crowd formed, chipping in with their ideas. Thus was crowd translation born. We also have an example of two poets working together. Fatima Al Matar is a Kuwaiti-born poet who we met when she took the Tudor House Hotel crowd by storm, winning one of our poetry slams there. Fatima worked with Fred Holland on translating his work into Arabic, and has translated into English 'I wish I can live life' by Tunisian poet Abu Al Qassim Al Shabbi (1909 – 1934). As you can see, Fatima has also added notes giving insight into the translation process and cultural differences. We have also worked with the Gujarati Writers’ Guild UK and participated in two of their Mushairas (poetry festivals). Work by Bolton-based Gujarati poet, Siraj Patel is included in the blogs associated with this profile. Our work with francophone African poets has resulted in translations of their work, too. Oh Ma Ville Natale (Oh town of my birth), a poem by Wenceslas-Kapesa Chanda (translated by Julian Jordon & David Andrews) appears here also. Please feel free to add comments to the blogs but if you have any specific questions and/or ideas for developing this project further, join the group and message me please. Julian

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.

Blog entries by Poetry in Translation Group

Mum's Dream - حُلْمُ أُمْ (العربية / (23/04/2013)

Poetry in translation migration situation (11/11/2012)

testing (05/11/2012)

Giving the world to Venus (27/04/2011)

I wish I can live life by Abu Al Qassim Al Shabbi translated by Fatima Al Matar (06/04/2010)

Unsuited by Fred Holland translated by Fatima Al Matar (02/04/2010)

Oh ! Ma ville natale (22/03/2010)

Eye of the Beholder (17/03/2010)

Blog link: https://www.writeoutloud.net/blogs/poetryintranslationgroup

Audio entries by Poetry in Translation Group

Poetry in translation migration situation (11/11/2012)

I wish I can live life by Abu Al Qassim Al Shabbi translated by Fatima Al Matar (06/04/2010)

Unsuited by Fred Holland translated by Fatima Al Matar (02/04/2010)