October 8, 2018 – Tsadra Conferences

Reflections on the Translation Process

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:09:37 +0000

Jules Levinson (Independent), John Canti (Padmakara, 84000), Dominique Townsend (Bard), Lama Jabb (Oxford), Sarah Harding (Tsadra Foundation), and Nancy Lin (84000) share their reflections about the process of oral and written translation from some of the first instances of Tibetan language being rendered into English in the United States through the first Lotsawa Translation Workshop in 2018. The discussion weaves through topics like facing the fear of “imposter syndrome” as part of the process of translation, the importance of “kindness to the reader”, and how translators relate to the concept of form. The speakers create a gentle, encouraging, and humorous tone, which appropriately reflects the mood of the entire first Lotsawa Translation Workshop on its final morning.

Balancing Form and Content

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:08:43 +0000

Jann Ronis (Buddhist Digital Resource Center) begins this session with a brief tour of evocative definitions of literature, form, and content from a variety of perspectives and muses that form is not the external shape, but the energy behind the making of a poem. And if this is so, can we also think of the form of a translation in the same way? He takes us one step further to consider the importance of intertextuality–when we approach translation by way of understanding the work as it was meant by the author, we can be supported by our own extensive contextual knowledge of the classics.

Then, Stephen Gethin (Padmakara, Tsadra Foundation) presents practical examples of attention to sophisticated intertextuality in his own work on the sixteenth volume of Jamgon Kongtrul’s Treasury of Precious Instructions. He speaks in detail about the choices affecting form and content while producing a translation of a poetic work. He describes how rhythm and resonance might inspire and the intricacy of choosing a form–one with which we feel comfortable–supports this process. Stephen expertly illustrates how content is then massaged to fit the chosen form. Participants contribute their own experience and expertise to the discussion as further examples of the art of balancing form and content in translation.

Devotion to the Guru, Loyalty to the Nation

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:07:10 +0000

Riga Shakya, doctoral student in history at Columbia University, looks at the relationship between history and literature and the making of an inner Asian empire, specifically the early Qing expanses into the Tibetan plateau. By considering autobiographies, biographies, and key historical sources of this period, Riga explores the “language of loyalty” and the role of lay elites in articulation of the relationship between empire and subject populations. Holly Gayley (University of Colorado, Boulder) extrapolates on the theme of “language of loyalty”, drawing attention to pop music of the twenty and twenty-first centuries that illustrates embodied acts of devotion through the expression of song. Both approaches stimulate and sustain consideration of different aspects of the orientation of faith, and contribute to the development of our ways of thinking about this important topic, while drawing attention to the rich field of Sino-Tibetan relations.

Ornamentation Shared by Poetry and Song

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:06:06 +0000

With humor and levity, longtime collaborators Nicole Willock (Old Dominion) and Gedun Rabsal (Indiana) present chapter three of Daṇḍin’s Mirror of Poetics (Kāvyādarśa) through the lens of twentieth century Tibetan scholar Tseten Zhabdrung (the Snyan ngag spyi don). The focus is the concept of “world-play” (sgra rgyan) and the various examples given in this section of the text. Nicole outlines the third chapter and delves into the “richness of the phonemic value of poetry” with focus on beat, rhythm, and alliteration using examples from one section of the commentarial text focused on “phonemic reduplication” (zung ldan). Professor Rabsal looks at examples from Longchenpa and other authors and provides some analysis of the differences he sees between poetry (snan ngag) and song (mgur) in Tibetan literature.

Textuality and Materiality

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:05:28 +0000

What is the physical basis of a work of art and how does its material existence represent the process of its creation? Ben Nourse (University of Denver) and Alexander Gardner (Treasury of Lives) meander through various examples of physical objects embodying abstract work in this breakout session. Discussion about the constellation of objects around a book or a text considers that community endeavor could be important in creating material culture and that the appreciation and exploration of a physical location can enrich a translation of a certain text.

Lotsawa Translation Workshop Closing Remarks

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:04:26 +0000

In this short session, Dominique Townsend (Bard), Holly Gayley (University of Colorado, Boulder), Marcus Perman (Tsadra Foundation), Janet Gyatso (Harvard), Kurtis Schaeffer (UVa) and Lama Jabb (Oxford) offer their gratitude and brief reflections to responders, participants, and sponsors. Four participants of the workshop share their impressions of the weekend including having developed a deeper understanding of what is at stake in, and the challenges of, the practice of translation, and the importance of one’s disposition as an ambassador of a text’s content and context. Overall, attendees expressed appreciation of the collaborative process and how the community of translators of Tibetan language literature is growing and developing in a warm, familial manner.