Plenary Session – Tsadra Conferences

Literary Perspectives from Tibetan and Himalayan Women Writers

Gwen Witt Dorring — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:00:01 +0000

Dynamics of Devotion

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:14:53 +0000

Andrew Quintman (Wesleyan), Lara Braitstein (McGill), Heidi Nevin (Independent), Anne Klein (Rice), Holly Gayley (University of Colorado, Boulder), and Annabella Pitkin (Lehigh) take on the topic of devotion in translation. Annabella Pitkin skillfully facilitates discussion focused on three themes: literary and embodied devotion, translation as an act of devotion, and the cultural translation of devotion. Regarding the first, the group considers what terms are particularly difficult to unpack in English, posing questions like, “How does language serve to dictate devotion?”, and, “How does literature and its utterance help mediate the distance between subject and object?” While translators are positioned as well-intentioned authorities, translation as an act of devotion relates to the ethos of the translator approaching the translation of devotional literature and how translators might perform their craft in service to particular communities of practice. Finally, the panel discusses how to translate a concept like devotion across language communities and cultural differences acknowledging the role of the translator to guide or teach based on his or her choices. These topics elicit enthusiastic participation from the audience and a lively discussion ensues.

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.

Translators and Intention

Marcus Perman — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 04:54:14 +0000

This first panel on the first day of the conference addressed questions related to translators and intention and the discussion ranged from Karl Brunnhölzl’s investigation of the art of “non-dual syntax” to Heidi Nevin’s insightful reflections on lineage and why we translate. Wulstan Fletcher of Padmakara Translation Group discussed the needs of target readers and the larger question of why and for whom do we translate, while Anne Klein shared her thoughts on the resonance and sometimes apparent tension between translation and transmission.

Approaches to Translation & Transmission

Marcus Perman — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 13:41:23 +0000

In this session, two world-renowned specialists in the area of translation and translation theory engaged in discussion with Buddhist studies scholars Luis Gomez and Jonathan Gold. Luis Gomez begins the session with a wide ranging and detailed speech on translation theory and practice, including challenges faced by the translator of a family of discourses that try to be both specialized and inspirational, as well as translation into more than one language and what that may reveal about the nature of the “source” and the “target” texts. Jonathan Gold then provides a short discussion of Sakya Pandita’s insights on translation. In his [Sapan’s] view, it was never intended that the translations should stand on their own as words on a page; they could be passed from generation to generation and from context to context, but only as long as they were transmitted through an intellectual community of knowledgeable experts. This conservatism was not the result of linguistic realism or essentialism, which would have been anathema to this great philosopher of emptiness. It is simply an extension of the pragmatic assumptions implicit in the Buddhist tradition that the dharma always needs to be carried forward by the community of practitioners, the sangha. Susan Bassnett continues the discussion by offering thoughts on ‘culture bumps’, those points in a translation where meaning is so culture-bound that it poses problems for a translator. David Bellos discusses the difference between names and nouns and concludes that using xenisms (such as those used by Buddhist translators in many cases) is tantamount to treating concepts as names, which has many advantages—but also falls short of the ideal, if not the very idea, of translation.

Translating: What and How?

Marcus Perman — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 06:00:21 +0000

On the second day of the conference, the nuts and bolts of the craft of translation became the focus and the main questions asked in this session were: What tools are in your translation workshop? What skills should one cultivate to be a good translator? How do we cultivate those skills? Elizabeth Napper begins the session by looking at the perennial issue of literal vs. aesthetic translation from a practical standpoint of needing to adjust to the intended audience of the translation. Thupten Jinpa continues this discussion of the tension between fidelity to the text and consideration of the reader and begins by making note of the paradoxical nature of translator and translation and highlights the need to have competency in the target language. Kurtis Schaeffer uses humor and intelligence to bring up core issues for translators, all the while presenting a four-fold rubric for analyzing Tibetan poetry: form (lus), content (srog), figure (rgyan), and feeling (nyams). Janet Gyatso discusses her idea of ‘referential resonance’ and the ability to let the text speak to you, the place from which translators make key decisions about how to translate, and the importance of quieting oneself and learning to pay attention to the relationship with a Tibetan teacher trained in a text when reading and translating.

Translations in Transmission

Marcus Perman — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 04:40:58 +0000

In this panel a diverse group of experienced practitioner/scholar/translators discuss the idea of transmission and the use of translations in the transmission process. Sarah Harding discusses the many complications of language that have entered into our understanding of “transmission,” and suggests that we make clearer what we mean when we talk about transmission and limit ourselves to things we can actually talk about. Ringu Tulku presents the meaning of “transmission,” in the context of this conference, as being about the whole system of study and practice. He highlights the importance of khrid over and above dbang and lung. He says that translation itself is transmission and translators are transmitters and makes note of a quote he remembered reading: “*Translation at its best is like the other side of the brocade, all the thread, but no design*.” Yeshe Gyamtso (Peter O’Hearn) shared his feelings and eloquent thoughts on transmission and translation having been primarily an oral translator and shifting over to being focused on written translation. He makes important note of Wittgenstein’s idea about meaning coming from usefulness, and the importance of choosing terms that touch the heart of the reader. He says that what translators need is not only competence, but love: Love of the language(s), love of the meaning, and love of the reader. Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo presents a series of questions and some of the visual tools and teaching techniques that she uses when teaching to different kinds of students in schools around the world. She asks: What is the relevance of transmitting ancient Buddhist texts in our current age? How can we transmit the dharma in appealing and relevant, yet authentic and educational ways? What are our responsibilities as individuals and organizations in this transmission process? How can we be sure that authentic Buddhadharma will survive in the modern world?

The Editorial Process Throughout Creation and Completion Stages

Marcus Perman — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 04:37:38 +0000

In this final session of the 2017 Translation & Transmission Conference, editors from different publishers and projects discuss a number of useful ideas and tools (such as the all important Chicago Manual of Style) that translators who wish to publish their work should know about and pay attention to. Key themes presented in this session are: 1) Types of editors and “editing”; 2) Process/timing of editing; 3) The view of the editor/publisher and the importance of communicating that view to the translator; 4) Translating, editing, and publishing; 5) Editing as integral to translation and transmission.

Translation: Theory and Praxis

Marcus Perman — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 03:16:50 +0000

In this first plenary panel of the 2014 conference, Translation: Theory & Praxis, Thupten Jinpa shares a bit about what Tibetans themselves have thought about and written about translation. Roger Jackson discusses some of the projects he has worked on over the years and gives examples of the problems that translators face. Sarah Harding delves into problems of intention and layers of interpretation, as well as the importance of translation and translators.

Traduttore, Traditore: The Role of the Translator

Marcus Perman — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 03:13:11 +0000

“Traduttore, Traditore” is an Italian adage that means “translator, traitor.” In this panel on the roles of translators, translators of the Tibetan tradition mingle with scholars of Buddhism and discuss a range of topics from the possibility of the invisibility of the translator and the role of real-time interpreters to philosophical ideas about representation.