Pamela Allegretto's Blog - Posts Tagged "tourism"
How Translating One Poem Led To A Profitable Spin-off
How Translating One Poem Led To A Profitable Spin-off
Until I stumbled into this little side gig of translating Italian poetry, my idea of poetry didn’t go much further than, “Roses are red...” etc., etc. Occasionally, I read and reread and tried to understand some of the poetry published in The New Yorker, but first of all, it didn’t rhyme, so that threw me off. Then, on many occasions, even after a third or fourth read, I was still asking: “Say what?” I must have snoozed through the poetry segment in English class because all this free flowing thought was news to me. And now, I was being asked to translate it.
Fortunately, my first stab at translating Italian poetry was the poem “Attimo” (“Moment”) by Luciano Somma, Italy’s preeminent poet and two-time winner of the Silver Medal of the President of the Republic. After viewing my writing in various Italian literary journals, Luciano sought me out to translate the poem “Attimo.” His imagery of “the sun yawning between clouds and a dove dying in the snow” drew me into the truth that each “moment” in life is “merely a grain of history, a drawing in the wind.” I was hooked, and the seed was planted. That one free translation led to six (paid) dual-language poetry books, in collaboration with Luciano and two other poets.
So how do you go about finding foreign poets who want their work translated into English? Do some research. Use your “search-engine” and type in: poetry/French, poetry/German, poetry/Spanish, etc. Start reading various poets, find out if they are published, self-published is actually better than traditionally published, as traditional publishers usually have their own cache of translators.
Contact the poets: Always write in their native tongue, so they can see that you are truly fluent in their language and not just offering up your version of Google Translate.
Compliment their work: Don’t merely say, “I like your poetry,” pick out a phrase or a line that grabs you and comment on that.
Ask if they’re interested in having their poetry translated for publication on their website or eBook or print book.
Offer a free translation for their review.
List your credentials: Let them see that you are a serious writer with more than a pedestrian knowledge of grammar.
What to know: Translating poetry presents challenges not found when translating basic prose. You arm yourself with the same essential tools: dictionary, verb book, and thesaurus, however, for poetry translations, you also need to add creativity. Your aim is to maintain a line-for-line translation while sustaining the author’s “voice.” Given the differences in sentence structure between languages, this can be tricky, and occasionally no matter how you hard you try, a line-for-line is impossible. Other problems occur when you overuse the thesaurus to a point where the word takes on a new meaning. This happens when you think your word fits the “idea” better than that of the poet. A good translator needs to put ego aside and keep the poet in mind at all times. If you think you can do better, write your own poetry. Don’t rewrite the work of someone who has trusted you and paid you to do a worthy translation.
Many people assume that translating is little more than looking up each word and writing down its English equivalent. If you believe that’s the case, you need only go to Babel Fish, Google Translate, or one of the other on-line translation sites, paste a small amount of text in another language and then “hit” translate. More often than not, the translation, although in English, is almost as difficult to understand as its foreign counterpart.
There are times when a poem is so encumbered in idiomatic nuance and ambiguous metaphors it can take as long, or possibly longer, to translate than it took the poet to write it. I’ve experienced this on a few occasions, where even after extensive conversations with the poet, I’m still scratching my head and wondering how he got “this” idea out of “that.”
Even though many poets on the Internet are amateur writers, believe me, there is some real talent out there. An unknown today could end up to be the next Pablo Neruda. And if you get in on the ground floor, Pablo#2 might very well take you and your translations along for the ride.
Here's some fun news: The Italian poetry anthology "Da Ischia L'Arte," written by Bruno Mancini and Roberta Panizza, in which several of my translations appear, was featured at EXPO Milano 2015, where over 20 million visitors attended.
http://www.emmegiischia.com/wordpress...
Until I stumbled into this little side gig of translating Italian poetry, my idea of poetry didn’t go much further than, “Roses are red...” etc., etc. Occasionally, I read and reread and tried to understand some of the poetry published in The New Yorker, but first of all, it didn’t rhyme, so that threw me off. Then, on many occasions, even after a third or fourth read, I was still asking: “Say what?” I must have snoozed through the poetry segment in English class because all this free flowing thought was news to me. And now, I was being asked to translate it.
Fortunately, my first stab at translating Italian poetry was the poem “Attimo” (“Moment”) by Luciano Somma, Italy’s preeminent poet and two-time winner of the Silver Medal of the President of the Republic. After viewing my writing in various Italian literary journals, Luciano sought me out to translate the poem “Attimo.” His imagery of “the sun yawning between clouds and a dove dying in the snow” drew me into the truth that each “moment” in life is “merely a grain of history, a drawing in the wind.” I was hooked, and the seed was planted. That one free translation led to six (paid) dual-language poetry books, in collaboration with Luciano and two other poets.
So how do you go about finding foreign poets who want their work translated into English? Do some research. Use your “search-engine” and type in: poetry/French, poetry/German, poetry/Spanish, etc. Start reading various poets, find out if they are published, self-published is actually better than traditionally published, as traditional publishers usually have their own cache of translators.
Contact the poets: Always write in their native tongue, so they can see that you are truly fluent in their language and not just offering up your version of Google Translate.
Compliment their work: Don’t merely say, “I like your poetry,” pick out a phrase or a line that grabs you and comment on that.
Ask if they’re interested in having their poetry translated for publication on their website or eBook or print book.
Offer a free translation for their review.
List your credentials: Let them see that you are a serious writer with more than a pedestrian knowledge of grammar.
What to know: Translating poetry presents challenges not found when translating basic prose. You arm yourself with the same essential tools: dictionary, verb book, and thesaurus, however, for poetry translations, you also need to add creativity. Your aim is to maintain a line-for-line translation while sustaining the author’s “voice.” Given the differences in sentence structure between languages, this can be tricky, and occasionally no matter how you hard you try, a line-for-line is impossible. Other problems occur when you overuse the thesaurus to a point where the word takes on a new meaning. This happens when you think your word fits the “idea” better than that of the poet. A good translator needs to put ego aside and keep the poet in mind at all times. If you think you can do better, write your own poetry. Don’t rewrite the work of someone who has trusted you and paid you to do a worthy translation.
Many people assume that translating is little more than looking up each word and writing down its English equivalent. If you believe that’s the case, you need only go to Babel Fish, Google Translate, or one of the other on-line translation sites, paste a small amount of text in another language and then “hit” translate. More often than not, the translation, although in English, is almost as difficult to understand as its foreign counterpart.
There are times when a poem is so encumbered in idiomatic nuance and ambiguous metaphors it can take as long, or possibly longer, to translate than it took the poet to write it. I’ve experienced this on a few occasions, where even after extensive conversations with the poet, I’m still scratching my head and wondering how he got “this” idea out of “that.”
Even though many poets on the Internet are amateur writers, believe me, there is some real talent out there. An unknown today could end up to be the next Pablo Neruda. And if you get in on the ground floor, Pablo#2 might very well take you and your translations along for the ride.
Here's some fun news: The Italian poetry anthology "Da Ischia L'Arte," written by Bruno Mancini and Roberta Panizza, in which several of my translations appear, was featured at EXPO Milano 2015, where over 20 million visitors attended.
http://www.emmegiischia.com/wordpress...
ITALIAN POETRY
IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE/SEPTEMBER FIRST by Luciano Somma
On this first day of September, I felt it appropriate to share the poem SEPTEMBER FIRST written by Luciano Somma. As in all of Luciano’s poetry, we feel the sentimental spirit of one of Italy’s foremost poets. I am always honored to translate his works. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/f...
You can find Luciano Somma at:
http://www.partecipiamo.it/Poesie/Luc...
http://www.scolastica2000.it/MUSICALM...
Per il primo settembre Vorrei offrire la poema IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE scritto di Luciano Somma. Come tutte delle sue poesie, sentiamo lo spirito sentimentale d’un poeta molto noto in Italia. Si può trovare Luciano Somma a: http://www.partecipiamo.it/Poesie/Luc...
http://www.scolastica2000.it/MUSICALM...
IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE
L’ultimo sogno d’Agosto
Si sveglia col primo Settembre,
questa sera è un incanto!
Il cielo è amaranto, uno spiffero di vento
dolce come la carezza d’un bene
amaro come il fiele del pianto
mi porta una ciurma di pensieri
Che affollano la mente
e mettono in croce questo cuore.
Vorrei che piovesse e non piove…
Vorrei tante nuvole intorno
ma la luna è d’argento .
Vorrei che un sogno tornasse
ma il sogno non torna.
Questo sogno è partito
sulle onde
dell’ultima sera d’Agosto
lasciandomi
un grappolo di stelle
lassù nel cielo amaranto
in questa sera incantata
del primo Settembre.
Luciano Somma
SEPTEMBER FIRST
The last dream of August
awakens with the first of September,
this evening is enchantment!
The sky bleeds red and purple, a light breeze
soft like a lover’s caress
bitter like malicious words
brings me a band of thoughts
that crowd my mind
and torture this heart.
I wish it were raining and not rain…
I’d like a cloud-filled sky
yet view a silver moon.
I wish the dream was ending
But the dream doesn’t end.
This dream has departed
on the waves
of the final August evening
leaving me
a cluster of stars
far-off in the bleeding sky
in this enchanted evening
of September first.
Pamela Allegretto (translation)
On this first day of September, I felt it appropriate to share the poem SEPTEMBER FIRST written by Luciano Somma. As in all of Luciano’s poetry, we feel the sentimental spirit of one of Italy’s foremost poets. I am always honored to translate his works. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/f...
You can find Luciano Somma at:
http://www.partecipiamo.it/Poesie/Luc...
http://www.scolastica2000.it/MUSICALM...
Per il primo settembre Vorrei offrire la poema IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE scritto di Luciano Somma. Come tutte delle sue poesie, sentiamo lo spirito sentimentale d’un poeta molto noto in Italia. Si può trovare Luciano Somma a: http://www.partecipiamo.it/Poesie/Luc...
http://www.scolastica2000.it/MUSICALM...
IL PRIMO SETTEMBRE
L’ultimo sogno d’Agosto
Si sveglia col primo Settembre,
questa sera è un incanto!
Il cielo è amaranto, uno spiffero di vento
dolce come la carezza d’un bene
amaro come il fiele del pianto
mi porta una ciurma di pensieri
Che affollano la mente
e mettono in croce questo cuore.
Vorrei che piovesse e non piove…
Vorrei tante nuvole intorno
ma la luna è d’argento .
Vorrei che un sogno tornasse
ma il sogno non torna.
Questo sogno è partito
sulle onde
dell’ultima sera d’Agosto
lasciandomi
un grappolo di stelle
lassù nel cielo amaranto
in questa sera incantata
del primo Settembre.
Luciano Somma
SEPTEMBER FIRST
The last dream of August
awakens with the first of September,
this evening is enchantment!
The sky bleeds red and purple, a light breeze
soft like a lover’s caress
bitter like malicious words
brings me a band of thoughts
that crowd my mind
and torture this heart.
I wish it were raining and not rain…
I’d like a cloud-filled sky
yet view a silver moon.
I wish the dream was ending
But the dream doesn’t end.
This dream has departed
on the waves
of the final August evening
leaving me
a cluster of stars
far-off in the bleeding sky
in this enchanted evening
of September first.
Pamela Allegretto (translation)
MATERA
None of us the US are allowed inside the EU right now, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming of better days to come.
For those adventurous artists who have squeezed the last drop from your yellow ochre and burnt sienna while painting Tuscan sunrises and sunsets, head south. I’m not talking Rome or Naples or Salerno, I mean the Deep South that Carlo Levi wrote about in Christ Stopped at Eboli.
In 1935, The Fascists exiled Levi to this region as a political prisoner. For persons unfamiliar with this book, it has nothing to do with religion or of Christ making a weekend get-away to the Basilicata region. It refers to the idea that if Christ was traveling south in Italy and doing his Godly thing along the way, then he stopped when he reached Eboli. Levi wrote: “upon my arrival, the peasants said, ‘we are not Christians, Christ stopped short of here, at Eboli.’ Christian, in their way of speaking meant human being.” This “God-forsaken" region remains today a land outside time.
So, what do I like about this earthy and primeval region? Just that. It’s earthy and primitive. In addition, the architecture is fun and challenging to paint. And the citizenry are as warm as the Southern Italian sun.
The original watercolor has been sold, but giclee prints from greeting cards to posters, tote bags to pillows, yes, even masks, are available at:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/m...
WORLD FOOD DAY
Hunger won’t wait for the pandemic to end. There is no justification for children to go hungry in this country. But it’s happening every day, in every community. The USDA states that more than 11 million children in the United States live in "food insecure" homes.
Since this poor excuse for a president is unwilling to share even the meager crumbs from his Big Mac, it’s up to all of us to keep our food banks supplied. Let’s treat each other the way we would like to be treated. Don’t think it could never happen to you. But this is not the only reason to contribute food, do it because it’s the moral thing to do.
Best wishes for happier days ahead.
Read about WORLD FOOD DAY and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations at: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/the...
Quality Giclee prints of this painting: “TROPICAL HARVEST” are available at: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/t...
Since this poor excuse for a president is unwilling to share even the meager crumbs from his Big Mac, it’s up to all of us to keep our food banks supplied. Let’s treat each other the way we would like to be treated. Don’t think it could never happen to you. But this is not the only reason to contribute food, do it because it’s the moral thing to do.
Best wishes for happier days ahead.
Read about WORLD FOOD DAY and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations at: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/the...
Quality Giclee prints of this painting: “TROPICAL HARVEST” are available at: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/t...
“HAPPY EARTH DAY”
In celebration of EARTH DAY, I thought I would post my painting of FALL IN NEW ENGLAND. I know it’s Springtime now, but my feeble attempts at landscape painting are limited, and I wanted to post something appropriate to celebrate EARTH DAY.
Cheers to Mother Earth for bestowing us with this awesome vista. I hope I did it a semblance of justice. Mother Earth provided us with clean water to drink, pure air to breathe, and non-polluted crops to eat. All She asks in return is that we take care of these gifts and keep them that way.
We are one, all Mother Earth’s children. I still have hope that in my lifetime I will see everyone, despite their race, ethnicity, religion, lack of religion, economic situation, sexual orientation, etc., treated with dignity. How hard is it, really, just to treat people the way you want to be treated?
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
The original acrylic on canvas has been sold, but quality Giclee prints are available at:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/f...
Cheers to Mother Earth for bestowing us with this awesome vista. I hope I did it a semblance of justice. Mother Earth provided us with clean water to drink, pure air to breathe, and non-polluted crops to eat. All She asks in return is that we take care of these gifts and keep them that way.
We are one, all Mother Earth’s children. I still have hope that in my lifetime I will see everyone, despite their race, ethnicity, religion, lack of religion, economic situation, sexual orientation, etc., treated with dignity. How hard is it, really, just to treat people the way you want to be treated?
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
The original acrylic on canvas has been sold, but quality Giclee prints are available at:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/f...
