Michelle Hartman, who teaches Arabic and Arabic Literature at McGill University will present a talk on “Arab Women Writers in the World Market: the Politics and Ethics of Translation” at the next International Studies Colloquium at Williams College.
Though world markets are eager to consume certain kinds of images of Arab and Muslim women, literature written by women in Arabic has been very little translated and often translated in problematic ways. Many translated works have been so changed and distorted that the original Arabic versions of the texts are barely recognizable in English translation. All texts change when they move from one language to another language and this talk will explore some of the particularly gendered ways in which literary works by Arab women are produced in English to reinforce stereotypes. In addition to pointing out a number of the problems with translated works, in relation to the politics of translation from Arabic into English today, the talk will also argue for an ethics of translation drawing on practical experiences of translation from the speaker’s most recent translation, Always Coca Cola by Alexandra Chreiteh.
Tuesday, September the 25th at 2:45pm | Hopkins, Room 002