Translation: Fidelity vs Innovation

Marcus Perman2022-11-16T23:34:11-07:00

As translators we create new texts while striving to transmit the authenticity of the original. What constitutes an authentic translation? Throughout the history of Buddhism in Tibet and across Asia, adaptation, assimilation, and innovation have been essential to the persistence and continued relevance of texts and the contents they transmit. As translators, do we bear responsibility for fidelity to our texts? To our readers? To “the tradition”? To what degree may we innovate in the work that we do? In sum, what are the ethics of representation in our translation work, and how do we balance our fidelity to the […]

Translation: Fidelity vs InnovationMarcus Perman2022-11-16T23:34:11-07:00

Approaches to Translation & Transmission

Marcus Perman2022-11-16T23:34:12-07:00

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 […]

Approaches to Translation & TransmissionMarcus Perman2022-11-16T23:34:12-07:00

Approaches to Transmission in the West: A Discussion with Contemporary Shedra Students

Marcus Perman2022-10-26T05:38:18-06:00

There are significant barriers to western people looking to study at the highest level in the Tibetan Buddhist world. Would you enroll in a Tibetan monastic college in India or Nepal? Meet four westerners who did just that, many of whom still continue their decade of rigorous study today. This public session was facilitated by Robert Miller, who was director of education at a monastery in India, and features four western students from Tibetan monastic colleges: Katrin Querl (Drikung Kagyu College, Dehra Dun), Simon Houlton (Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dharamsala), Matt Weiss (Sera Je Monastic University, Bylakuppe), and Gerd Klintschar […]

Approaches to Transmission in the West: A Discussion with Contemporary Shedra StudentsMarcus Perman2022-10-26T05:38:18-06:00

Using Technology Skillfully: Resources for Translators

Marcus Perman2018-05-31T23:34:40-06:00

This special session will be of interest to translators looking to learn more about current resources available for Tibetan translation, including digital libraries, databases for canonical research, computer assisted translation tools, SmartCAT, Tibetan OCR, and other Tibetan text resources.

Resources described in the session are:

Timeless Treasuries, a Tsadra Foundation Initiative;
The Rinchen Terdzo Chenmo collection, a Tsadra Foundation project;
The Damngak Rinpoche Dzo collection, a Tsadra Foundation project;
Paul Hackett’s Columbia University Buddhist Canons Research Database;
SmartCAT for Tibetan translators: ten minute demo from Dirk Schmidt of Esukhia;
[…]

Using Technology Skillfully: Resources for TranslatorsMarcus Perman2018-05-31T23:34:40-06:00