Reflections on Translating Women’s Lives and Teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition
Gwen Witt Dorring2022-12-07T21:37:39-07:00
The State of the Field
Migmar Lama2022-11-16T23:40:41-07:00Kurtis Schaeffer (University of Virginia) begins a reflective conversation about the State of the Field of Tibetan translation by acknowledging Janet Gyatso’s book Apparitions of the Self (1998). Kurtis notes that the work has fueled discussion about embodied engagement with literature that takes form and style in literature seriously. Since its release, it has inspired workshops and served as the basis of other significant work on the impact of thought, philosophy, and devotion on literary production.
The two scholars continue by contextualizing a major theme of current translation work: the fact that we can now focus on Tibetan literature as literature. […]
Lotsawa Translation Workshop Closing Remarks
Migmar Lama2022-10-26T05:24:17-06:00In 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 […]
Translating: What and How?
Marcus Perman2022-11-16T23:34:13-07:00On 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 […]
Questions about Transmission and Translation
Marcus Perman2022-11-16T23:37:00-07:00Professor Gyatso, one of the most creative thinkers in Tibetan studies, reflects on translation, transmission, tradition, and authenticity, while discussing a range of topics including the particular joys of translating Tibetan. Janet has been a pioneer in Tibetan Studies in so many ways starting with her early work on Terma and opening that area up to the inquiry of other scholars and to the general public. She is likely best known for her pioneering and groundbreaking work on autobiography with the publication of Apparitions of the Self and her recent book Being Human in a Buddhist World, winner of the […]
