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Literary Translation Clinics

What Does It Take to Translate the Intangible?

December 16, 2021

A series of knowledge-sharing open sessions for literary translators and appreciators of translated works from all backgrounds and experience levels.

Much of what translators work on doesn’t involve “meaning” in the dictionary sense. How do practitioners handle intangibles like rhyme, alliteration and assonance, naturalness, concision, and other elements of both poetic and prose texts? The lyrical force and emotional impact of many texts require acrobatic feats to successfully exist in multiple languages. Kareem James Abu-Zeid and Alta L. Price explored approaches to prioritizing what’s most important when honing the vision for your translation.

In Conversation

  • Kareem_PEN_Prize_Profile_HighRes

    Kareem James Abu-Zeid

    Kareem James Abu-Zeid

    Kareem James Abu-Zeid, PhD, is a translator of authors from across the Arab world who translates from Arabic, French, and German. His work has earned him an NEA translation grant, PEN Center USA’s Translation Award, Poetry magazine’s translation prize, residencies from the Lannan Foundation and the Banff Centre, a Fulbright Fellowship (Germany), and a CASA Fellowship (Egypt), among other honors. His most recent translation is Najwan Darwish’s Exhausted on the Cross (NYRB Poets, 2021). He is also the author of The Poetics of Adonis and Yves Bonnefoy: Poetry as Spiritual Practice. The online hub for his work is www.kareemjamesabuzeid.com.

  • Alta_Price-Portrait_DonnellyMarks_Sept-2021

    Alta L. Price

    Alta L. Price

    Alta L. Price runs a publishing consultancy specialized in literature and nonfiction texts on art, architecture, design, and culture. A recipient of the Gutekunst Prize, she translates from Italian and German into English. Her translation of Juli Zeh’s novel New Year (World Editions, 2021) came out last month, and her forthcoming translations include Mithu Sanyal’s novel Identitti (Astra House, 2022).

    Photo Credit: Donnelly Marks