Translations/Traductions

translations/traductions 291 university of toronto quarterly, volume 72, number 1, winter 2002/3 Translations/Traductions AGNES WHITFIELD Not all the ambivalence towards translation in Canada can be imputed to our own particular constitutional muddle. Our perceptions of translation and translated texts are rooted in more general cultural attitudes inherent in the hegemonic traditions within both our official languages. Perhaps the most striking paradox about translation is the persistent invisibility of such an ubiquitous phenomenon. At one point or another, most Canadian university students take a course dealing with the history of Western thought, the great books of the world, or the theory of sociology or political science, a course where the required readings are texts in translation. Every year I ask the thirty-odd students in my advanced theory of translation class if any issues concerning translation or language transfer were discussed. Inevitably, no more than three hands will rise. In two cases, at least, students remember being warned that translations cannot be trusted, and in a good year, there might be one neutral-style comment (it=s useful to compare translations). In one exceptional year, a professor of natural science had drawn students= attention to the positive role of translation in spreading scientific knowledge. Yet, translation has played a fundamental role in the exchange of information, and has not always been maligned. To learn about the history of translation, discover that translators have invented alphabets, provided the major impetus for the creation of national literatures, and contributed extensively to the diffusion of scientific and religious knowledge is profoundly mind-opening and personally validating for student translators. TRANSLATION EVENTS AND PRIZES Every year, translators= associations undertake various activities to increase public understanding of the complexities of translation and the skill required of professional translators. It is appropriate to start a survey of literary translation in Canada in 2001 by referring to at least some of these events. Celebrations were held across the country by some sixteen provincial, territorial, and national professional translation associations to mark International Translation Day, 30 September. It was an occasion for the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) to look back over its eighty years of accomplishments, including professional recognition through the 1989 ATIO Act. The Canadian Association for Translation Studies (CATS) chose the day to award its second VinayDarbelnet prize in translation studies to Michael Cronin for his book Across the Lines: Travel, Language and Translation (Cork University Press). Named xxxxxxxx 292 letters in canada 2001 university of toronto quarterly, volume 72, number 1, winter 2002/3 after two world-renowned Canadian pioneers in comparative stylistics, the late Jean Darbelnet and Jean-Pierre Vinay, the prize seeks to encourage research on translation and to improve recognition of translation studies as a discipline. Founded in 1987, CATS has the honour of being the first national learned society to be created in this field, followed by the European Society for Translation (EST) in 1990. Held in May at Laval University, the 2001 CATS Annual Congress was devoted to the theme: >Translation and Censorship.= Also in May, the 68 e Congrès de l=ACFAS, held at the University of Montreal, featured a colloquium entitled >Professions langagières et nouvelles technologies. Recherches, pratiques, formations.= In collaboration with the Literary Translators= Association of Canada, the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival, held in April under the dynamic direction of Linda Leith, once again highlighted its successful >translation slam.= The formula is simple. An English- and a French-speaking poet (Mary di Michele, Jean-Paul Daoust) are each paired with two well-known literary translators (Claire Dé/Émile Martel, Patricia Claxton/Hugh Hazleton) who independently prepare a translation of the same poems. Inevitably the two versions diverge considerably, offering the public numerous insights into the process and complexities of translation. The festival included two other translation events: >L=Atelier de traduction internationale= with Jacques de Decker, Ricardo Held, Marie-Andrée Lamontagne, Erin Mouré, and Michel Buttiens, and a panel, >Le Trafic des langues,= with Sheila Fischman, Roch Carrier, Robert Dickson, and Lola Tostevin. Robert Dickson and Lola Tostevin=s >cross-translating= situation is a fascinating example of the linguistic border criss-crossing that is becoming an...