I'm excited to see so much discussion on the topic of translation recently. There is a new initiative, the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative, introduced in two blog posts, from YALSA's The Hub:
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2016/06/08/the-global-literature-in-libraries-initiative/
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2016/06/08/the-global-literature-in-libraries-initiative/
and from a site for translators: https://literarytranslators.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/the-global-literature-in-libraries-initiative-call-for-responses/
There is also a panel at ALA on Sunday morning, June 16th, with Rachel Hildebrandt, Doris Gebel, Marc Aronson and Annette Goldsmith:
Conversation Starter: Other People's Voices: Using Global Literature in Translation to Reimagine Diversity in Libraries
Sunday, June 26, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W414CD
This Conversation Starter session seeks to be a springboard for a collaborative initiative between librarians, translators, and publishers to raise awareness of the significance and accessibility of literature in translation - not just adult fiction, but also children's and YA works, scholarly publications, and poetry. This session will provide an introduction to literary translation as a process and to the unique significance of global literature in today’s world. Most importantly, we intend to discuss a variety of concrete, collaborative project ideas, ranging from searchable databases to reading guides.
Through this dialogue, we wish to explore how we can increase the general visibility of international works in English translation and specifically the diversity that is embedded in these books and the perspectives they present. Whether an academic librarian or a YA blogger, a rural library director or a programming librarian in a large city, we would welcome your insights as we examine the various ways that librarians and translators can collaborate to encourage readers to diversify their perspectives by thinking beyond the boundaries of their own cultural and linguistic constructs.
There is also a panel at ALA on Sunday morning, June 16th, with Rachel Hildebrandt, Doris Gebel, Marc Aronson and Annette Goldsmith:
Conversation Starter: Other People's Voices: Using Global Literature in Translation to Reimagine Diversity in Libraries
Sunday, June 26, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Orange County Convention Center, Room W414CD
This Conversation Starter session seeks to be a springboard for a collaborative initiative between librarians, translators, and publishers to raise awareness of the significance and accessibility of literature in translation - not just adult fiction, but also children's and YA works, scholarly publications, and poetry. This session will provide an introduction to literary translation as a process and to the unique significance of global literature in today’s world. Most importantly, we intend to discuss a variety of concrete, collaborative project ideas, ranging from searchable databases to reading guides.
Through this dialogue, we wish to explore how we can increase the general visibility of international works in English translation and specifically the diversity that is embedded in these books and the perspectives they present. Whether an academic librarian or a YA blogger, a rural library director or a programming librarian in a large city, we would welcome your insights as we examine the various ways that librarians and translators can collaborate to encourage readers to diversify their perspectives by thinking beyond the boundaries of their own cultural and linguistic constructs.
Author Jane Kurtz discusses translation in this article from the Ethiopia Reads blog: http://www.ethiopiareads.org/blog-date/2016/4/8/jane-kurtz-translation She notes the real need for books in one's native language when learning to read and the dire lack of these types of books in Ethiopia (as well as other African countries. She looks closely at English, French and Spanish translations of a picture book set in Tanzania and notes differences -- translation isn't simple a matter of word choice (also rhythm, culture, natural phrasing, idioms, etc.)
A recent article in Publisher's Weekly covered the Franco-American Children's Book Publishers conference on June 9, with fascinating information about children's publishing in France and America, challenges and differences, including translation.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/70644-a-tale-of-two-cultures-children-s-publishing-in-france-and-america.html
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/70644-a-tale-of-two-cultures-children-s-publishing-in-france-and-america.html