Translation(s): Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Presents

Abstract

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o présents on the topic of translation(s).

Translation(s): This panel discusses the impact of translation on the conceptualization and circulation of literatures and oratures in the world, historically and in the present. Questions shaping this discussion include: How are the challenges and benefits of translating literatures of the world into English different from translating Samoan literature into Hawaiian or Arabic into Turkish? How has translation done violence to the people and literatures of colonized nations and how does it contribute to decolonization and cultural revitalization? Should everyday, oral translation practices all over the world impact our understanding of the value of translation as a social and literary process? How can translation practices contribute to resisting a globalizing pedagogy of "world literature"?

Moderator: Cristina Bacchilega Panelists: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Yung-Hee Kim, Bryan Kuwada, S. Shankar