共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • művészet, az empátia • Уметност емпатије -Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost em • فطاعتلا نف • cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela patije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • El arte de la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • یلدمه رنه • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da empatia • National Endowment for the Arts Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • -Arta de em • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност емпатије Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya • فطاعتلا نف • patie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης El arte de la empatía • ang sining • یلدمه رنه • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da empatia • ng makiramay • Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност емпатије -Arti i Em • فطاعتلا نف • Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela • patia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη El arte de • یلدمه رنه • της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da empatia la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • емпатије • Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • فطاعتلا نف • Uzwela The Art of Empathy: Celebrating Literature in Translation L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da em- El arte de la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • یلدمه رنه • patia • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, -Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Tai • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • az empátia • Уметност емпатије Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공 • فطاعتلا نف • teen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela 감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst El arte de la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • Искусство • یلدمه رنه • der Empathie • A arte da empatia сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati San- Arta de empatie • Nghệ • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • at • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност емпатије • Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • فطاعتلا نف • thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela Umjetnost empatije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης • Kun- El arte de la empatía • ang sining ng • یلدمه رنه • sten å empati • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da empatia makiramay • Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството یب یدردمه زا رنه • на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност емпатије Arti i • فطاعتلا نف • Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela • هبئاش Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη El arte de • یلدمه رنه • της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da empatia la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • емпатије • Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공감의 예술 • Umění empatie • فطاعتلا نف • Uzwela L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst der Empathie • A arte da em- El arte de la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • Искусство сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • یلدمه رنه • patia • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati Sanat • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, -Arta de empatie • Nghệ thuật của đồng cảm • Tai • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • az empátia • Уметност емпатије Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • Umjetnost empatije • 공 • فطاعتلا نف • teen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela 감의 예술 • Umění empatie • L’arte di empatia • Η τέχνη της ενσυναίσθησης • Kunsten å empati • Die Kunst El arte de la empatía • ang sining ng makiramay • Искусство • یلدمه رنه • der Empathie • A arte da empatia сопереживания • 共感の芸術 • Sztuka empatii • L’art de l’empathie • Изкуството на емпатия • Empati San- Arta de empatie • Nghệ • هبئاش یب یدردمه زا رنه • at • 同情的藝術 • A művészet, az empátia • Уметност емпатије • Arti i Empatia • Sanaa ya uelewa • فطاعتلا نف • thuật của đồng cảm • Taiteen empatiaa • Ubuciko Uzwela The Art of Empathy Celebrating Literature in Translation National Endowment for the Arts August 2014 August 2014 National Endowment for the Arts 400 7th Street, SW Washington, DC 20506 Telephone: 202-682-5400 arts.gov Produced by the NEA Office of Public Affairs Editor: Don Ball Designer: Kelli Rogowski Thanks to Amy Stolls, Eleanor Billington, and Mohamed Sheriff of the NEA Literature program for their assistance in editing and assembling the material. The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. 202-682-5496 Voice/TTY (a device for individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired) Individuals who do not use conventional print materials may contact the Arts Endowment’s Office for Accessibility at 202-682-5532 to obtain this publication in an alternate format. This publication is available free of charge in PDF format at arts.gov, the website of the National Endowment for the Arts. Table of Contents Preface by NEA Chairman Jane Chu ............................................... i Introduction by NEA Literature Director Amy Stolls ...................ii I. “Hearing Voices” by Angela Rodel ................................................. 2 A translator’s journey begins with a love of Bulgarian music. “Choosing a Twin” by Gregory Pardlo ........................................... 5 On kinship, mental yoga, and the rebirth of a poem. “Work of Purpose, Work of Joy” by Charles Waugh .................... 9 Giving voice to the invisible and forgotten in Vietnam. “Living with Translation” by Howard Norman .......................... 13 A writer’s deep and enduring immersion in the joys of translation. II. “The Collaborative Approach” by Sylvia Li-chun Lin and Howard Goldblatt ........................................................................... 18 A married couple explains how two translators make one work of art. “By the Light of Translation” by Natasha Wimmer ................... 22 How the slowest kind of reading leads to an act of seeing. “An Act of Imagination” by Philip Boehm ................................... 25 The commonalities between a translator and a theater director. “Daring and Doubting” by Russell Scott Valentino .................... 29 The translator’s claustrophobic, questioning mind. “The Sharable Rightness of Meaning” by Esther Allen .............. 33 An ode to the magnificent Michael Henry Heim. III. “The Myth of the ‘Three Percent Problem’” by Chad W. Post ....... 38 What the statistics on translated books in America really tell us. “A Universe of Layered Worlds” by Olivia E. Sears ................... 42 The unexpected journey from the exotic to the universal. “Recovering the Culture” by Nicolás Kanellos ........................... 46 Reaching the Latino community in two languages. “The Value of Publishing Translation” by John O’Brien ............ 50 How one publisher found support from other countries. “Toward an Understanding of Translation” by Rainer Schulte .............................................................................................. 53 A reflection on how we communicate and translate in modern-day life. “Engaging the World” by Susan Harris ....................................... 57 The value of writers’ firsthand perspectives. IV. “Brokers of Babel” by Edward Gauvin ......................................... 62 An argument against fidelity. “A More Complex Occasion” by Pierre Joris ................................ 66 Enriching poetry through the imperfect nature of languages. “Carrying Words Through Time” by Kazim Ali ......................... 70 The transformation of a poet who translates. “The Art of Empathy” by Johanna Warren .................................. 73 Learning how to listen. Preface Though I grew up in Arkansas, I spent my childhood straddling two cultures. My parents emigrated from China and spoke mostly Mandarin in the house, but they wanted me to assimilate in America and encouraged me to speak English. So I spent a great deal of my time translating from