To translate, you must have the correct skin color

[Jarhyn]

Anyone fluent in more than one language and/or just minimally aware of the nature of language itself would not have any problem understanding the clear and valid point in that post. All language and meaning is highly contextual, not just it's use but the very creation, emergence and evolution of the individual words, which often have no 1:1 equivalent word in other languages. This is exponentially true in poetry and figurative language where the standard word meanings and syntax are often deliberately violated to elicit in the reader subjective experience/perspective/tone/emotion rather than communicate a concrete concept.

You're making an excuse for this shit?

I'm discussing the objective and scientific realities of language of which you are clearly very ignorant, and which support the idea that translation of the intended meaning and recreation of the intended experience of poetry about one's cultural experience would very likely be less accurate if done by a person who lacked a similar background and cultural experience that generated the figurative imagery in the original poem.

Yeah, like, I wouldn't hire a christian translate a poem about being a wizard, a church wouldn't hire a atheist to be a pastor, a Mexican probably shouldn't hire a republican to translate a poem about ICE abuses, and it really doesn't make sense to hire any person of the majority to translate a poem about living as a minority, because in each case, there is a conflict of interest on top of a lack of personal context.

 

[Jarhyn]

As long as I can get a black superman movie I agree.

Man, that just has me going now. Like, the social discussion would have been entirely different! Like if the original superman had been black...

He would probably have been expelled as a kid for "starting fights" in his small town, from a fist breaking against his face.

He would never have gotten that job at the Bugle.

It would have been a lot harder to hide his identity.

Half (or more) of the villains he actually ran into would be dead set on tearing him down because he was black. People would be trying to legislate that this "vigilante" would need to be placed under government control (not that they didn't in Superman comics already, but moreso).

I bet there would even be a bunch of folks who would tell him to keep flying and not help because they don't need help from a "black man", and then regardless of whether he saves or doesn't save them, finding a reason to accuse superman of causing the problem they find themselves in (Superman just didn't help - despite the fact you told him not to; superman stole the credit and didn't let me solve my problem - despite the fact you couldn't have actually solved it)

 

[Gospel]

Jarhyn you got me cracking up. For real, it would be very interesting. With the ight director it would be a masterpiece labelled as an Action/Thriller/Drama/Sci Fi/Documentary/comedy.

 

[TomC]

I'm discussing the objective and scientific realities of language of which you are clearly very ignorant, and which support the idea that translation of the intended meaning and recreation of the intended experience of poetry about one's cultural experience would very likely be less accurate if done by a person who lacked a similar background and cultural experience that generated the figurative imagery in the original poem.

Yeah, like, I wouldn't hire a christian translate a poem about being a wizard, a church wouldn't hire a atheist to be a pastor, a Mexican probably shouldn't hire a republican to translate a poem about ICE abuses, and it really doesn't make sense to hire any person of the majority to translate a poem about living as a minority, because in each case, there is a conflict of interest on top of a lack of personal context.

This makes no sense to me. If the author is happy then she is. Honestly, for most of the thread I assumed she was dead as her opinion didn't seem to matter.

But seriously, common life experience with the author is of negligible importance if the author is around. Far more important is a shared experience with the audience. That way the translation can best get the ideas across effectively. A professional translater can work with the author to best express her intent to the intended audience. Unless you're familiar with that audience, you won't really be able to explain what the words will convey to them.

If I wrote a work about my life as a gay white male American, and wanted it translated into Chinese, I'd prefer a good translater over someone like me. A heterosexual female Chinese national could well be the best choice. Because she knows how my ideas can be translated into Chinese language that best matches my intent. If I trust her to accurately do the job, which includes explaining Chinese idiomatic language to me so I can get my intent across, I don't care how different her life experience has been.
Tom

 

[Metaphor]

Barcelona publisher removes white translator for Gorman poem

https://thehill.com/policy/internat...sher-removes-white-translator-for-gorman-poem

A white, Catalan translator who had been commissioned to work on transcribing National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem said Wednesday that he has been removed from the role because he did not have the right “profile.”

Agence France-Presse (AFP) first reported that the translator, Victor Obiols, said he had been asked three weeks ago by Barcelona publisher Univers to translate Gorman's praised poem, “The Hill We Climb,” into Catalan, which is spoken in both Spain and Andorra.
However, Obiols, who AFP noted has translated works by William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, said that after he completed the translation, Univers was told by the U.S. that he was “not the right person.”

"They did not question my abilities, but they were looking for a different profile, which had to be a woman, young, activist and preferably Black,” the translator said.

Stunning and brave to replace him, but somebody must be fired for hiring Obiols in the first place.