Have you seen posters, banners, and screens around campus, asking “How do YOU translate”? This question was projected in giant orange letters on the walls of 2435 North Quad, where students gathered on September 10 for a theme semester Open House. MTranslation Tweets traveled in red lights across the ceiling, while students ate pizza and lounged in plush chairs for a live demo of “That Translation Game Show.”
The Michigan Daily stopped by for interviews, and students had a chance to talk about getting involved with the theme semester. Many were surprised and excited to learn that there is funding available (up to $500!) for initiating their own events related to translation. Some also signed up as volunteers for The Language Bank, recently launched by the Language Resource Center.
This week we are pleased to feature two events that highlight the translation from one form of expression to another: from hip hop to academia on the one hand, and silent film into dramatic narration on the other.
On Thursday, September 13th at 7pm in Rackham Amphitheater, Hip Hop Congress will present “From the Breaks to the Books: A Lecture with 9th Wonder.” Grammy award-winning producer and DJ turned academic 9th Wonder will discuss hip hop as a form of “translating” between musical genres, and the “translation” of hip hop into academia. Click here to read more about this event in a post on our blog by History and DAAS student Korbin Felder.
The next evening, on Friday, September 14th at 7pm at the Michigan Theater, the Center for Japanese Studies Fall 2012 Film Series kicks off with a “translation” of the classic film I Was Born, But… (Otona no miru ehon – Umarete wa mita keredo, Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, 1932) by the visiting benshi artist Ichiro Kataoka. Benshi as a performative art developed in tandem with Japanese silent film. The benshi performer offers a live narration and interpretation of the film in front of the viewer. Billed as a “comedy of embarrassments,” I Was Born, But… shows the effects of the depression on the rapidly modernizing urban space of Japan, along with a curious class consciousness. Click here for more information, and see this poster for information about the CJS Film Series going on throughout the fall semester.
Please contact Patrick Tonks with any questions about the theme semester or any of the events listed here. If you would like to receive this weekly newsletter throughout the semester, you may sign up on this page (look to the right-hand column).
Upcoming Events, September 12-18
From the Breaks to the Books: A Lecture with 9th Wonder.
Thursday, September 13th, 7-9pm, Rackham Amphitheatre (4th floor)
Lost without Translation: Telling the Stories of a Silenced People – a colloquium with Professor Anushiya Ramaswamy (Southern Illinois University), translator of the Sri Lankan diasporic writer, Shoba Sakthi.
Friday, September 14th, 4-5:30pm, International Institute, Room 1636 (School of Social Work Building, 1080 S. University Ave.)
Translating Silent Film – Featuring a live performance by benshi artist Ichiro Kataoka, who will “translate” the silent film I Was Born, But… (Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, 1932). With introductory remarks by Professor Markus Nornes (Chair of the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures) about the tradition of Japanese Benshi performance as an approach to translating silent film. Also to be shown: The Cook (Buster Keaton and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, 1918). Admission: $15 for adults; $7 for Michigan Theater members/students/ seniors/veterans
Friday, September 14th, 7-9pm, Michigan Theater
North Quad Translation Mondays – In conjunction with the Global Scholars Program, we will be hosting a screening of the must-see documentary Speaking in Tongues. A discussion of the film will follow. Movie-themed snacks will be provided! See here for more information.
Monday, September 17th, 7-9pm, 2435 North Quad
