UTS: Cultural Producers Interview Series

UTS: Cultural Producers Interview Series

Literature is a key mechanism for the transmission of culture. The globe’s myriad cultures are often first experienced through literature—often times mediated by translation. While translators provide ready access to the literary texts themselves, it is rare that readers of literature from around the world can directly access the authors themselves.

“World Literature: The IIS Interview Series” provides access to audio files of interviews with prominent authors in multiple different languages. In addition the site hosts transcriptions of the interview in its original language and its translation into English. Academic articles on the significance of the author and the context of the interview may also accompany the text and audio files.

Translations of the literary texts provide the avenue for local literatures to become truly global. The work of translators in transmitting an author’s text is crucial to expanding its audience reach. The website aims to provide a portal through which the work of literary translation is explored and enhanced.

The archive will expand over time to include as wide a range of authors from as many countries around the world as possible. It aims to promote knowledge of literature and also of translation as a cross-cultural medium and process with increasing importance in the current trans-national epoch.

Hundreds of UTS students live and study in 14 countries each year as part of their year-long program of In-Country Study and are encouraged to extend their understanding of their host-country’s culture through broad literary readings. Many IIS researchers draw on their expertise in multiple languages to publish widely in the field of literary criticism and translation.

Interviews currently available:
Rafael Alberti in conversation with Aleksandra Hadzelek
Jia Pingwa in conversation with Dr Wang Yiyan
Chen Ran in conversation with Lin Songyu

Literary Translation
Translators Roundtable (30 May 2007):
Hear eminent translators John Minford (Chinese), Julie Rose (French), Harry Aveling (Indonesian) and Jeff Browitt (Spanish) debate the key issues and unpack translation as linguistic, political and trans-cultural process -- in conversation with Paul Allatson at UTS.
The event page is at: http://www.nobel.uts.edu.au/programs/panel.html
And you can listen to the audio file here.

Mabel Lee and Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian (23 May 2007)
Listen to a lecture by Mabel Lee on the artistry of Nobel laureate, Gao Xingjian.
The event page is at: http://www.nobel.uts.edu.au/programs/lee.html
And you can listen to her lecture here.