The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Arts March 2, 2007

Translated Texts Transcend Language Barriers

“A Reading For Many Voices and Languages,” held on Sunday at the Cat in the Cream, was the conclusive event for the “Margins & Spaces: (Re)presentation & Responsibility in the Arts” conference. The event welcomed writing from all languages, with English translations optional. The reading attracted various kinds of writers and readers from many majors and disciplines.

The event was divided into two sections, with space reserved at the end for anyone else who wanted to participate.

The first section was for those for whom English is a second language. The second section was for native English speakers.

All seven of the readings were insightful — whether they were translated or read in foreign languages — because they pointed to the simultaneously playful and limiting effect that becomes evident when languages collide, combine or intersect with each other. 

Senior Kevin Chen was the first to perform. He explained that English was really his first language, but that after living in Taiwan for six years, he could speak Chinese. His reading, which was mainly in Chinese, was absurd and funny.

Occasionally, Chen would bark out a few seemingly disparate words or phrases in English, such as “9/11 Committee,” “chronic obesity,” and “nuclear ice cream storage.” The performance seemed to draw upon the fact that most of the audience did not know Chinese. 

In the second section, sophomore Sam Goodman read his translation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “The Most Beautiful Drowned Man in the World.” It was an admirable translation awash in humorous and poetic details. 

According to junior Kara Carmosino, one of the organizers, the event fulfilled its overall purpose, which was to “create a space where everyone felt comfortable and not pressured to use English.” Many Oberlin readings are assumed to be English-only spaces.

She went on to say that “The idea of two sections&hellip;[came] after speaking with members of the MRC and thinking of how we could emphasize the reason for the reading.” 


 
 
   

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