In-person event in Singapore
How can cultural allusions and concepts be reimagined in a poem through a translation? When a poet relies heavily on cultural allusions or concepts to compose a poem, how would a translator move the same narrative to another linguistic context? Some concepts might not be easily translatable, like the Chinese concept of yuánfèn rooted in Buddhist philosophy or the uniquely German concept “Sehnsucht”—a compound word that relays a more complex longing than encapsulated in the English meaning of yearning. Rather than presenting concepts and cultural allusions—such as the dragon or plum blossom—as having one definitive meaning, the workshop encourages participants to engage with them more fluidly by moving beyond an understanding limited to the poem’s original context while remaining in dialogue with it.
In this two-hour non-language specific workshop, participants will be divided into groups to translate a verse from Dan Ying’s Taiji poem or Chinese idiom poem—poems loaded with cultural allusions and concepts—to experiment with sensory approaches in the interpretation of a cultural allusion or concept. We will spend the first 45 minutes exploring specific cultural allusions that participants bring to the workshop in their own languages (participants should be prepared to explain the cultural allusions they bring to the workshop in English), before working on one verse from Dan Ying’s poems for the rest of the workshop (a literal translation of the verse into English will be provided).
Huge thank you from PTC to our
Partner: Singapore Book Council
And
Major Sponsor: Singapore National Arts Council
Please note: All times shown are in Singapore Standard Time (SGT). If you are viewing this listing from another country, check the time difference before making plans. The event takes place in person in Singapore.
