Writing Co-Lab

Translated literature contains so much— as translators, we’re not just working on the craft of translation, the languages, we’re also working on expressing contexts, contradictions, and letting both the authors and translators’ voices be heard. The practice of translation is also about close reading, embodying the emotions, understanding our relationship with the languages, and learning to express them. How do we talk about our creative works with the publishers and audiences? What else can we build, to decolonize the “standards”, the conventions, and what didn’t make sense before, through publishing our works?

Every week, we’ll start with 1-2 readings and toolkit materials that contain nits and bits of how we can approach pitching and bring out more contexts that speak justice, or deepen the understanding of your works. Expect a mix of literary reading and practical essays. 

Starting from Week 2 or 3, we’ll workshop short translation practices or translation-in-progress from each student. What’s different from my other workshop is—if you have articles about translation that you wrote, or pitch materials that you hope to get workshopped and discussed, this is the space for you. This is a non-language-specific workshop and there is no limit with the genres to submit (poetry, hybrid works, graphic novels, and picture books are all very welcomed). Every translator will get to workshop once and have a 30-minute one-on-one meeting with me. If you are just starting a project, or already have a project in-progress, you’re more than welcomed to join!

Note for translators: For those of you who have taken my translation workshops, or other translation workshops before, and are seeking to deepen your practice in literary translation, getting more involved in the landscape, or think it would be helpful for you to first building up your toolkits with the field, this is the workshop for you.

Week 1: How to Be Different? On Sensitivity, Censorship, and Taboos  

Week 2: Translating Dialects, Slangs, Unwritten languages, and the “Irregular”

Week 3: Translating the Unvoiced–On Contexts, Visibility, and Representation

Week 4: How to Pitch to Publishers, Magazines, and Talk About Your Work

Week 5: Writing Our Own Pitches Together & Understanding Contracts

Week 6: On Translator’s Notes: Writing About Translation and Languages & How to Do Public Readings