A Workshop on Poetry in Translation
with
Saturday, November 6, 2021
2:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Virtual Event
Free and Open to the public
RSVPs required
(Request a spot)
As part of Poetry@Tech's Community Workshop initiative, join us for a unique Workshop on Poetry in Translation with noted Chinese poet Ming Di on Saturday, 6 November 2021 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm Eastern Time.
This event is free and open to the public. However, due to space constraints, please RSVP for the event so we may save you a spot. You can request a spot by clicking the link below:
For more information and directions, you may contact Travis Denton, at travis.denton@lmc.gatech.edu .
Here's more about Ming Di's primary topic of discussion:
Workshop Synopsis
Do you have to know the language in order to translate poems from it? Poetry existed long before there was any language. Poets are detectives when it comes to deciphering a poem. However, even with Google Translator, we, as poets, need to listen to the internal voice after we've figured out or are given the literal meanings of words. But then, how do we shape the poem after we've got everything in our mind?
A few short poems in Chinese with English transliteration will be used as translation exercises followed by discussions. An ancient writing script from southern China will be introduced through a short poem as group exercise at the end.
About the Poet
Ming Di is a Chinese poet based in the US with six books of poetry in Chinese and four in collaborative translation. Her poetry has been translated into several languages: River Merchant’s Wife (Marick Press, 2012), Luna fracturada (Valparaíso/Spain, 2014), Histoire de famille (Transignum/France, 2015), Livre de sept vies (Recours au Poème éditeurs/France, 2015), and Distracción (forthcoming in Costa Rica).
Ming Di co-founded Poetry East West journal and serves as the China editor for Poetry International Rotterdam. She has edited and co-translated New Cathay: Contemporary Chinese Poetry (Tupelo Press, 2013), The Book of Cranes (Vagabond Press, 2015, with Neil Aitken) and Empty Chairs – Poems by Liu Xia (Graywolf Press, 2015, with Jennifer Stern), which was a finalist for the Best Translated Book Award in 2016.
Ming Di attended Boston College and Boston University and taught Chinese at BU before moving to California.