February workshop: "Why Translation Matters"

One of the biggest concerns voiced during January's workshop on the future of the translation and interpretation industry was that translation jobs which dwindle in the future or continued to be poorly paid because many people did not value good translations. This month's workshop is an answer to that concern. Using Edith Grossman's book, "Why Translation Matters," we will examine our profession from a historical, social, political, and economic point of view to find the arguments we need to increase our profile and our prestige in the marketplace--and our fees! Reading Ms. Grossman's book is not a requirement to come to the workshop, however, I strongly recommend it. She is an award-winning translator and she's a New Yorker. You may have a chance to run into her sometime and it would be good for you to be familiar with her work as you mingle with other literary translators in New York. I also recommend reading "Is that a Fish in Your Ear?" by David Bellos for another take on the theme of the difficulty of translating. I will make a formal presentation in the style of the November workshop, but I hope all of you will come prepared to discuss your own experiences and, perhaps, to discuss some books by other famous translators that you have read and recommend for us to learn from.