Translation-lovers rejoice! April is not yet done bringing fabulous events your way. Behold!
Thursday, April 16:
Performance, Technology, Translation: a panel discussion and a performance. I’m listing this event even though no actual translators are involved, because it’s translation-themed and co-sponsored by Barnard’s Center for Translation Studies. Finnish playwright Otso Huopaniemi used several passes of Google Translate to transform the language of his latest play, now known as “love.abz,” and now it’s being given an American production. There’ll be a panel discussion presented beforehand in conjunction with the show, with talks on “Algorithmic Translations” (Rita Raley) and “Theatre Technicity” (W. B. Worthen). The panel will be held at 2:00 p.m. in Sulzberger Parlor, Barnard Hall (and followed by a reception); the performance itself will be at the Glicker-Milstein Theatre, Diana Center at 6:00 p.m., followed by a conversation with speakers, director, and performers at 7:00 p.m. Both events are on the Barnard Campus; enter through the main gate on Broadway at W. 117th St. More information here.
Friday, April 17:
Lecture by translation scholar Wensheng Qu: “Translations of Early Sino-British Treaties and Masked Western Legal Concepts.” Yes, another event without an actual translator, but this sounds really interesting. Wensheng Qu is a professor and Vice Dean at East China University of Politics and Law. Lecture to be held in Kent Hall, Rm. 403 on the Columbia University campus, map here. 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 23:
New Arab Dramaturgy – three playwright/translators from the Arab world – Hassan Abdulrazzah, Abdullah Alkafri, and Amahl Khouri – all three of whom are having work presented soon in NYC and who have been involved with translating plays from English to Arabic will talk about their work and the process of moving plays back and forth between the Middle East and here. Organized by Catherine Coray, moderated by Leila Buck. NYU, RSVP requested, information here. 19 Washington Square North, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday, April 24:
Over your lunch break, take in the Catalan Translation Slam at NYU as part of the annual Saint Jordi “Books and Roses” celebration. Two teams of translators will go head to head in translations of poems selected by novelist Albert Forns. Participants include Adrian Nathan West and Mary Ann Newman. NYU Great Hall, ground floor, 19 University Place (SE corner of 8th St. and University), more information here. 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Also Friday, April 24:
“Where I’m Reading From”: Translator and essayist Tim Parks discussing his new collection of essays, Where I’m Reading From: The Changing World of Books, in which he takes on, among other things, the rise of the “global” novel, the disappearance of literary styles that do not travel well, and the increasingly paradoxical effects of translation. More information here. Book Court, 163 Court Street, Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m.
Günter Grass: A Retrospective: featuring his translators Krishna Winston and Breon Mitchell, joined by scholar Friedrich Ulfers, moderated by John Torpey. CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave., Room c203, more information here. 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29:
Launch event for Hospital Series by Amelia Rosselli, translated by Deborah Woodard, Roberta Antognini, and Giuseppe Leporace. Readings and discussions by and with translators and poets Deborah Woodard, Yvette Siegert, Montana Ray, and Caitie Moore. More information here. Unnameable Books, 600 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 30:
A Celebration of Time Ages in a Hurry, with author and translator Lynne Sharon Schwartz in conversation with translators Martha Cooley and Antonio Romani. More information here. Community Bookstore, 143 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m.
Also Thursday, April 30:
Prominent German novelist Martin Walser and his translator David Dollenmayer present their latest collaboration, A Gushing Fountain. More information here. Goethe-Institut, 30 Irving Place, 6:30 p.m. (cancelled, alas)
Grimm’s Fairy Tales! Fairy tale scholar and translator Jack Zipes joins Drawing Center curator Claire Gilman and art historian Linda Nochlin for a panel apropos of the Natalie Frank exhibit at the Drawing Center. The conversation will be followed by readings of select Grimm’s tales by Michael Cunningham, Bill T. Jones, and Ariel Levy. More information here. Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.