Writing Workshops

Translation for Writers with Bonnie Chau

$345

4 Sessions

Out of stock

Once a week Tuesdays, 6:00 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT May 6 to May 27, 2025

The Center for Fiction

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Curious about literary translation but don’t know where to start? Think there’s no way you can do a translation because all you have is high-school-from-ten-or-thirty-years-ago Spanish or heritage-household Korean? This is an introductory course to literary translation for writers of all levels and genres, with language knowledge of all kinds.

We’ll be reading and discussing texts about translation and language, as well as looking at comparative translations. Participants will also have the opportunity to select literary texts of any genre/language to translate into English, which we’ll share with each other and discuss in class.

Course Outline:

Readings for weekly discussions will include works from a selection of the following writers and translators: James Baldwin, Khairani Barokka, David Bellos, Jorge Luis Borges, Lydia Davis, Keith Donnell Jr., Anton Hur, Ursula K. Le Guin, Marie Mutsuki Mockett, Haruki Murakami, Octavio Paz, Damion Searls, Amy Tan, Olga Tokarczuk, Eliot Weinberger, Emily Wilson, Chantal Wright.

Week 1
- What is literary translation? How do you do it?
- How to find and select a text to translate, and how to begin?
Week 2
- Who translates, and why?
- Looking at comparative translations
Week 3
- How might personal and cultural context affect translation? What sorts of politics, ethics, and power dynamics are involved?
- Sharing/discussion of participants’ translations
Week 4
- What makes a good or bad translation?
- Sharing/discussion of participants’ translations

Led by

Bonnie Chau

Bonnie Chau

Bonnie Chau is a writer and translator from Southern California, and is the author of the short story collection All Roads Lead to Blood. She edits at 4Columns, the Evergreen Review, and Public Books; teaches creative writing and translation; and serves on the boards of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) and Art Farm Nebraska.

About this series

Writing Workshops

We strive to make our classes the most inviting and rewarding available, offering an intimate environment to study with award-winning, world-class writers. Each class is specially designed by the instructor, so whether you’re a fledgling writer or an MFA graduate polishing your novel, you’ll find a perfect fit here.

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