http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2009/03/soaking_in_the_sounds

This is an article from the State News about a 2-day event I helped create and organize with the Center for Poetry at the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH). The goal was 2-fold: education and entertainment.

The first event was a poetry translation workshop with students in Anita Skeen’s poetry workshop at the RCAH. Anita is the head of the Center for Poetry. Participants recited poems in non-English languages, and it was followed by a conversation about the importance of translation to each 1 of us.

I have not written much poetry, but translation has been a big part of my life since I have lived in various places (for reference, look at the bio section!). I have often been in situations where I spoke 4 languages with 4 people, and my mind has grown accustomed to switching comfortably between languages rapidly.

Being able to travel a lot has given me insight into subtle cultural differences that would appear insignificant on the surface, but they are not. Even the use of the English language varies in meanings, depending on which country 1 is speaking it. When people tell me “Good for you!” in the US, I still have to get over a feeling of alienation. In my culture, we usually rejoice with someone who has had a stroke of good fortune, and never having heard this phrase outside the US, I thought it meant people didn’t care or acknowledged what I shared but had to go on with their lives. I learned that it could mean people could care less, but at the same time, it is an impersonal way of saying that “I am happy that something good has happened to you”. Intonation matters; what words are stressed matter. Stressing “good” is more positive to me than stressing “you,” which might give me the impression that someone is blocking my attempt to share news by not involving themselves through the use of the word I. I’ve grown accustomed to it now! One question I am trying to answer is (and you can help me with that): when someone tells me”good for you” is it an invitation to go talk more about the issue? My experience so far has been a lack of depth in discussion when I hear this phrase.

But think about this: “Good for you.” What if I were some influential person in a defense department in some powerful country??

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I like to use “I.” I am not afraid to use this word anymore, now that I have learned to identify and face my ego when it is out of place. I am not independant from nor dependant on the world – the word interdependant is vague, but I think it matches my vague knowledge about what truly constitutes me and what does not. My hunch is that there is not much that separates me from the world, if anything at all.

“I” is an admittance that “you” have value and that I may not know what your experiences or perceptions are. Using “you” incorrectly projects “I” and what I constitute on “you”. I cannot perceive what you have perceived; I have not experienced your life. On the other hand, I can draw conclusions, for if our perception couldn’t overlap at some level, there would be no chance for community!

Nowadays, the use of “I” is a fiction.

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1 activity that the workshop had was translating a poem in a language none of us could understand without listening to what it sounded like. We had some hilarious results, and our life experiences produced significantly different results.

How did we go about this? Some people guessed what the words sounded like and tried to make connections with a language they were comfortable with. I did that. Others just gave up and based their “translation” on the design that decorated the page, thinking that it might have a connection with the poem. I thought about that, but discarded the idea, assuming that it was just eye candy. The recurring pattern is that something matters to me once I have made it my own, and experience is the key. Direct or indirect experience? I think both.

There is a lot I learn about the world and about myself by being exposed to the unknown, and when that unknown is human in nature, it is slightly more mysterious and intriguing because I see and hope for another corner to be lit in my soul, a stone someone else has turned before. And that’s what keeps me growing! When the Muslims have 100 synonyms for “God” or 1 specific word for playing music, or when the Inuit, if I am not mistaken, have around 40 words for snow, it tells about what matters in different contexts.

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I can connect ideas about education I mentioned in my first post to this workshop’s goals. The activity of learning through experience, art and reflection – whether solitary or in groups – is stimulating to the mind. Although that can be said about any situation I can imagine, there is a difference when people are voluntarily present to learn or do together (although there is a lot to be said for “forced” situations that don’t seem seductive at first). The added bonus is that it was such a relief to sit in a room sharing with people who have experienced life, and through POETRY, the highest level of language! And when I choose to make something my own, I am convinced to learn deeply. That is a good lesson for the classroom setting and for community in general!

The Festival of Languages was held 3 days later at the RCAH, and 14 people read poems in various languages. I’ll leave the rest for the article link I posted. I think the event went well! A bit too long, but that can be done better the next time. Yup! People asked us whether this was going to be an annual event and we all agreed the answer was yes!

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There are 2 articles on translation I could share if anyone is interested. They are very insightful and the poems are a delight to read.

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Why do I use numbers in this post? Check out Kurt Vonnegut!