Translator – Tsadra Conferences https://conference.tsadra.org Buddhist Conferences Thu, 17 Nov 2022 06:37:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.11 Evening Event with Donald Lopez Jr. and Thupten Jinpa https://conference.tsadra.org/session/evening-event-with-donald-lopez-jr-and-thupten-jinpa/ Mon, 30 Apr 2018 05:19:54 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14989 During the opening banquet, the tone of the conference was set by an intimate conversation between Professor Lopez and Geshe Jinpa discussing their love of Tibetan language and textual translation, as well as several book projects they have worked on together: Grains of Gold: Tales of a Cosmopolitan Traveler by Gendün Chöpel, The University of Chicago Press, 2014; The Treatise on Passion Dispelling the Darkness: A Jesuit’s Quest for the Soul of Tibet, Harvard University Press, 2017; and The Treatise on Passion by Gendun Chöpel, forthcoming.

]]> Translators and Intention https://conference.tsadra.org/session/translators-and-intention/ Sat, 28 Apr 2018 04:54:14 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14985 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.

]]> Who Gets to Be a Translator? Qualifications and Questions of Authority https://conference.tsadra.org/session/who-gets-to-be-a-translator-qualifications-and-questions-of-authority/ Tue, 24 Apr 2018 13:39:15 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14947 An open discussion about qualifications and questions of authority related to translating and being a translator. Who decides what to translate? How and why? How do translator’s learn from each other? What qualities seem most important to cultivate as a translator? What are the qualifications of a translator? What trainings were the most important in your development as a translator? Or what was lacking? How does one measure the qualifications of a translator and how does one improve? How do you take ownership and responsibility for your work?

]]> Using Technology Skillfully: Resources for Translators https://conference.tsadra.org/session/using-technology-skillfully-resources-for-translators/ Tue, 10 Apr 2018 06:00:14 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14972 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:

  1. Timeless Treasuries, a Tsadra Foundation Initiative;
  2. The Rinchen Terdzo Chenmo collection, a Tsadra Foundation project;
  3. The Damngak Rinpoche Dzo collection, a Tsadra Foundation project;
  4. Paul Hackett’s Columbia University Buddhist Canons Research Database;
  5. SmartCAT for Tibetan translators: ten minute demo from Dirk Schmidt of Esukhia;
  6. The Annotated Corpora of Classical Tibetan and
  7. A Part-of-Speech Tagged Corpus of Classical Tibetan, both from Nathan Hill of SOAS;
  8. Nitartha Digital Library from Lama Tenam and Gerry Wiener.
]]> Translation for the Sake of Self and Other https://conference.tsadra.org/session/translation-for-the-sake-of-self-and-other/ Mon, 09 Apr 2018 04:59:53 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14986 In the search of where the true text resides and how translations will be transmitted to students and practitioners in the future, Professor Cabezón notes the importance of the social, economic, and political contexts in which Buddhist text arose and the contemporary circumstances in which we find ourselves as it relates to study and practice of Buddhism in the West. Then with characteristic humor and levity, Professor Cabezón encourages translators to embrace the art of decision-making in the unique method of self-study that is translation. Thanks to Maitripa College, you can read a transcript of the speech here.

]]> Be Kind to Your Reader https://conference.tsadra.org/session/be-kind-to-your-reader/ Tue, 27 Mar 2018 03:26:39 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14968 In this first keynote speech of the Translation & Transmission Conference series, we hear from internationally renowned scholar and translator David Bellos on a wide range of topics including his approach to translation, uses and misuses of xenisms, translationese, translation history, and an important reminder to “be kind to the reader.” In discussing the history of translation in the western world, Professor Bellos describes two, almost simultaneous, historical origins for translation in the middle of the third century B.C.E., where, for the first time, two texts were brought from one language into another, not just rewritten, or re-encoded, re-elaborated, they actually purported to be the same book in another language. His speech is engaging and funny, as well as full of interesting historical details and examples that became a touchstone for discussions throughout the 2014 and 2017 conferences.

]]> Traduttore, Traditore: The Role of the Translator https://conference.tsadra.org/session/traduttore-traditore-the-role-of-the-translator/ Sun, 25 Mar 2018 03:13:11 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14965 “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.

]]> Scholars, Translators, Practitioners: What Is Our Role in Transmission? https://conference.tsadra.org/session/scholars-translators-practitioners-in-transmission/ Fri, 16 Mar 2018 03:05:27 +0000 http://conference-wp.tsadra.org/?post_type=session&p=14963 The theme of translator as cultural broker emerges in this plenary session as panelists discuss how lineage is transmitted through both written translation and oral interpretation. Karl Brunnhölzl outlines the formal elements of a modern translation pointing toward the need for standardization of practical skills based on understanding the intended audience of a translation. Asserting the skills of practice and reflection as two essential tools for translators, Willa Miller brings forth the importance of how meaning is embodied and not merely a cognitive process. Richard Barron speaks about finding the right word to evoke meaning and context, and Larry Mermelstein brings to light the essential quality of fluency in both the source and target cultures in order to be an effective translator. Alexander Berzin rallies the translation community to utilize internet and multimedia resources to enhance study and practice.

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