Initially, I reasoned that the process of translation was most ethically done in a vacuum: free of any emotions that would impose upon the translation an added tone or meaning. Yet, as I worked on the Community Engaged Project components, I could not help but feel at once inspired, engaged, and challenged by the assigned texts. All through Dra Maria’s delivery of SPAN 401, I appreciated engagement with the text as an integral factor of the foundation of a good translation. By meeting the founders of the collaborating organisations, working on the translations as a group, and discussing relevant theories and their applications in class, I saw that the value of a translation – that is, the physical product of experiences and interpretations – lies in the genuine acknowledgement and interaction with not only the text, but also its purpose. In effect, this course’s most rewarding aspect was that we worked towards a tangible cause, not a grade.

 

PS. Here’s a photo of Bamsı, who I think might secretly be an owl if his dedication to supporting me through my all-nighters this (online, long-distance-learning) term is anything to show for it.