The ATA Conference in San Francisco is right around the corner,
so the PLD blog is featuring speaker profiles
for our readers to learn more about
the upcoming sessions and start organizing their schedule.
Interviews conducted by
Elenice Barbosa de Araújo, member of the PLD Leadership Council
Place and Space in Translation:
Machado, Noll, and O. Henry
Find Their Way in English and Portuguese
Literary Translation ― P1 (with Jayme Costa-Pinto and Karen Sotelino)
Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm; Advanced
Presented in: English and Portuguese
Literary translators often face the challenge of dealing with spatial descriptions that rely on readers’ historical and geographical knowledge. This session will analyze the literary role of physical surroundings in translated works by O. Henry, Machado de Assis, and João Gilberto Noll. Going beyond the domestication-foreignization paradigm, attendees will explore various techniques, including: expanding the semantic field in the original to evoke similar effects in the target reader’s imagination; modifying the original character placement in order to translate unfamiliar places and spaces; and re-examining the effects of point-of-view as an historically specific literary feature.
Adam Morris has a PhD in Spanish and Portuguese from Stanford University. He has translated authors such as Hilda Hilst, Machado de Assis, João Gilberto Noll, and others. His writing and criticism have appeared in various publication, including CR: The New Centennial Review, The Luso-Brazilian Review, Parallax, Criticism, Music & Literature, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Times Literary Supplement.
MEET THE SPEAKER
What made you choose this theme?
I was invited to contribute on my experiences translating Noll.
How long have you been working in your area of specialization?
At least ten years.
How many times have you presented at an ATA Conference?
This is my first time.
How will the audience profit from your session?
I will discuss specific challenges pertaining to translating a postmodern author.
What did you want to be as a child?
An author.
What was your first career choice?
Professor
What is your favorite book/movie?
I’ll restrict this to the past two years and say that Under the Skin and Boyhood were the best films I saw in that period.
What is your favorite hobby?
Swimming
What/who inspires you in the profession?
Ann Goldstein
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