Introducing a new translation resource list (podcasts) and re-sharing some earlier ones for newer readers.
Being a self-taught literary translator has meant hunting down all kinds of materials to educate myself and improve my knowledge and skills. From time to time, I also get questions about such resources from newsletter readers, social media connections, and readers of my books. Besides books, journals, and essays, there are also some terrific podcasts out there. Here are some of my favorites.
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Podcasts about Literary Translation, Language, and Linguistics
This is not an exhaustive list. But all of them have rich, wide-ranging conversations that are often like mini-masterclasses.
I’ve also been fortunate enough to be featured on a couple of these for my 2022 translation, The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories by Dhumketu.
If I’m missing your favorite podcast, please let me know in the discussion area below.
New to my work? Check out my books and publications.
Books about Literary Translation, Language, and Linguistics
I’ve shared this list before. While it consists of books published in the US only right now, I intend to create other standalone lists of notable books from other parts of the world. Particularly, there are some terrific books on literary translation, multilingualism, and more from South Asia that I would like to spotlight because they approach these disciplines with decidedly different models and traditions. I wish western experts would take these different modes and practices into consideration too because we’d all be intellectually richer for it.
Resources for Reading and Reviewing Translations
I shared this list earlier when discussing reading and reviewing translated works. Again, this is not an exhaustive list, and I do keep adding links as I read/find new resources. And while I’m glad to see, over the last few years, how reviews of translated books are no longer about what’s been “lost in translation” or how “faithful” a translation might be to the original, I wish more book reviewers would read some of these works. What we need more is conversations around the reception, position, and effects of a translated work on the receiving culture. We need to understand better how a translated work might be facilitating (or not) the flow of cultural information across geographical and linguistic boundaries.
General Literary Translation Databases & Programs
These are not my lists but I’ve found them helpful. They are more western-centric so I might create my own smaller, curated versions at some point with other regions included. But, for now, these are certainly worth looking through.
DISCLAIMER: I take no responsibility for the accuracy or validity of any of these resources. Please do your own homework and use them at your own risk.
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That’s all I have for now. And because there’s plenty to browse above, I’ll share the usual “interesting links” in next week’s edition.
