An Act of Bardo: Translating Tibetan Poetry
Lama Jabb (Oxford) delivers this ground-breaking keynote lecture at the 2018 Lotsawa Translation Workshop. He weaves the extended metaphor of liminal space (bar do) throughout and softly punctuates his illumination of the translation process with insights from highly respected poets from numerous cultures while diligently considering the challenges and opportunities presented by the de- and reconstruction of languages. As he guides the audience through his translation choices, he explains his aims of preservation of cultural identity while delivering, with kindness, artistic richness to the reader. Ultimately questioning how translators can communicate in words that which is ineffable, Lama Jabb encourages the stalwart–those who struggle for the sake of human expression. His talk is an act of fortification, and encouragement for those brave enough to approach the arduous and meticulous task of translation to persevere despite the possibility that the poetic consciousness might remain lost in the bardo.
Event: Lotsawa Translation Workshop – Keynote Lecture
Date: October 6, 2018 – 9:00 am
Speaker: Lama Jabb
Topics: Poetry, Tibetan Language, Translation, Transmission
Lama Jabb
Oxford University
Lama Jabb was born and brought up in the Dhatsen tribe, a nomadic community from Northeastern Tibet. He completed his primary education in Tibet. Midway through the secondary education he left Tibet to attend a Tibetan refugee school in India. Since 1995 he has lived in United Kingdom. Lama Jabb received BA Honours degree in Political Science and MSc in International Relations from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He completed his D.Phil in modern Tibetan literature at the University of Oxford in 2013. He is currently a Junior Research Fellow in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at Wolfson College. He has recently been awarded a prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship in Tibetan Literature at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Lama Jabb’s research interests are in, among other things, modern Tibetan literature, traditional allegorical tales, the interplay between the Tibetan literary text and oral traditions, and the theory and practice of translation. Adopting a keen historical consciousness and an interdisciplinary approach he explores Tibetan creative writing alongside national identity and other socio-political issues embedded within it. He also teaches Tibetan language and literature to graduate students at the Faculty of Oriental Studies. He participates in scholarly discussions on contemporary Tibetan issues in both academic and public forums. His publications include his book Oral and Literary Continuities in Modern Tibetan Literature: The Inescapable Nation (2015).
