I am a Quebec artist currently on a creation residency at the artist center LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE.I am working on a project revolving mainly around the notions of interpretation and translation. Iam asking the following questions: will a message formulated in a specific language, keep it’s meaning after being translated in many other languages? And if the message is transformed through out the many interpretations, what exactly is the nature of these? 

In recent months, I have developed a website as an artistic proposal around these questions. My wish is to create a space allowing for short texts from Quebec (short-stories, parts of novels etc.) to get in contact with different languages so their poetry is in constant change over the translations. My proposal is for each of these texts to be translated between five to fifteen times  (e.g.: French to German, German to Czech, Czech to Russian, Russian to Mandarin, etc.) by several professional translators and finally translated back into their original language; French. This project is a way to discover what emerges from the transformation of these sentences passing through us and traveling throughout our different cultures and our individuality. Obviously, the project is based on the collaboration of enthusiastic literary translators willing to participate in this experience! I therefore appeal to your beautiful community to breath life into this idea by bringing together motivated people. You are invited to communicate your interest at: lestourneursdelangages@outlook.com. You have until January 24th 2014 to do so (the sooner the better. It will allow me to start mapping linguistic itineraries). Please, do not hesitate to communicate with me if you have questions! I seek to create or reveal privileged experiences between individuals, through a humanist and artistic approach. I would be honoured to have you collaborate in this project.

Yours truly 

 

Josiane Roberge 1.418-914-4114 

josyrob@hotmail.com http://josyrob.wix.com/josianeroberge 

 

A few details about the project and your involvement 

– I am aware that your time is valuable and that the involvement in this project is on a volunteer basis. Therefore, I asked writers to submit short texts that vary between 40 and 200 words to insure you a light workload. 

 

 

 

– To subscribe, please send an email including the following details: name, surname, phone number as well as the languages you work with to: 

 

lestourneursdelangages@outlook.com 

– The project will span over a three to four week period (dates to be confirmed). During that time, the subscribed translators will receive short texts assigned by email. 

 

 

– Translators will be able to upload their translations using simple software specifically created for this project. (It will be available for uploading on the Website). 

 

 

  • A BIG thanks for your participation!