Lama Jabb – Tsadra Conferences

An Act of Bardo: Translating Tibetan Poetry

Migmar Lama — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:15:09 +0000

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.

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.

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.