Cada generación tiene sus mitos, y en el mundo de la ópera … hablar de Montserrat Caballé … es hablar de una auténtica leyenda.
Every generation has its myths, and in the world of opera … to speak of Montserrat Caballé … is to speak of a true legend. [1, translated from Spanish by me]
With a rafter-shaking voice, Caballé was one of a small handful of opera singers whose fame extended out beyond the world of opera into the public sphere. Born in Barcelona in 1933, she broke out in 1965 at Carnegie Hall to wide-ranging operatic acclaim. [1]
I interviewed Miriam, a Russian tutor here at Reed. You can visit her drop-in tutoring hours on Thursdaysfrom 6-8 PM in the Language Lab.
Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Miriam, otherwise known as Masha (in Russian); that name was given to me on my first day at Reed. I’m a senior Russian major, and I’m the Russian House HA (I’ve lived in the Russian house for three years (including this year)). I came in as a linguistics major, but I switched to Russian when I fell in love with it.
Throw on your dancing shoes and boogie down to the Language Lab (Library LL1) on Thursday, November 5, from 6:00-8:00 PM. There will be karaoke. And pizza! Sing your heart out in your dream solo, gather a friend or two to duet multilingual hits, or chill with some tea and good tunes from around the world.
My personal favorite jacket for the book; would you say these people are about to “kiss by th’book”?
Surprising as it may sound for someone who is in the ongoing process of learning 4 different languages (yes, I’m counting my native English) and “plays o’ th’ viol-de-gamboys” (that’s Twelfth Night for you), I’ve always been daunted by the prospect of learning individual characteristics of a language that I’m not currently studying. I’ve had to memorize the trees before I can even start looking at the forest. So when I saw the latest addition to my local library’s catalogue, Daniel Hahn’s If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, I was intrigued and yet daunted. We’re old buds, the Bard and I, and I wanted to hear him speak in other tongues; but how was I supposed to appreciate the travails of translating Shakespeare into Turkish? One curious look later, and I was standing next to the bookstand reading about how to treat Mark Antony’s prophecy that the spirit of Caesar will “cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war” (Julius Caesar 3.1. 280), when the nearest equivalent to the exclamation “havoc” in Portuguese is devastaçao, a word with an inconveniently large syllable count for a twelve-syllable sentence.
As a native Portuguese speaker and professional translator, Hahn may appreciate Antony’s use of matança in that particular translation, but he doesn’t know most of the featured languages, so he has to rely mostly on his colleagues from around the world and linguistic detective work such as noticing visual and vocal patterns in the translated text to understand and enjoy the translations. Since Hahn isn’t telling one story, each chapter is relatively stand-alone, only connected by how they bring up some of the literary, linguistic, and social components that make Shakespeare, well, Shakespeare. Each section has a certain topic, such as verse, alliteration, metaphor, rhyme, or humor, and each topic is allocated several examples from distinct languages. Hahn shares corresponding anecdotes, translation histories, and personal opinions on relevant topics in his field such as ‘fidelity’, ‘“literal” translation’, and of course, what kind of process translation really is.
In particular, I feel like his analogy of translation (itself a borrowed analogy), as a body that renews millions of cells over so and so many years’ time while remaining the same creature, is one that cuts to the quick of debates over the goal of translating creative literature. An instruction manual may be appropriately reduced to simply informing about a subject, but a play may involve poetry or prose, comedy or tragedy, songs and music, and a bevy of spoken and embodied devices that may shun even giving information at all for the sake of an effect. Honoring the writer/playwright involves recognizing what choices were made to achieve that effect and recreating them in the target language. And sometimes, in the case of works in Early Modern English, the target language is Modern English!
But I can’t cover all of the points Hahn makes, so I highly recommend you read his book and learn a little more about translation, especially if you enjoy Shakespeare’s plays or sonnets. Even if you find the Bard hard to understand or enjoy, I would still say check it out. Hahn’s writing is really approachable, and he doesn’t usually expect the reader to know the entire scene, play, or stanza that he covers, just as he doesn’t expect you to recognize all of the languages at play. Whether you go through the whole book front to cover or flip to a random chapter like I did, I’m sure you can delight in multicultural, multilingual Shakespeare.
Despite rising temperatures and rather sunny days, LangLabbies are still feeling the fall spirit approaching! In honor of our upcoming event we decided to share some of music recommendations that we believe would amplify your fall and help unwind from these academic routines
Send the pain below (Chevelle)
A traditional post-grunge and alternative metal, anything rock has become the fall anthem with its gloomy undertones yet loud lyrics. “Send the pain below” is undoubtedly Chevelle’s most beloved song, so it’s a must to give it a try!
2. Ozin Gana (Moldanazar)
A soft, lyrical and bone-crushing melody that’s is the total opposite of most songs in this list but perhaps it’s exactly what we all need in this cold weather full of dark days. A perfect song for slow mornings or cozy nights with barely noticeable notes of Turkic vocals.
3. Прочь из моей головы (Сплин)
The anthem of post-modern Russian rock that dominated the late 2000s and became a cult classic for all listeners of post-Soviet countries. The uncertainty of one’s future mixed in with a strong sense of hope and full acceptance and embracement of the state of the country is what made “Прочь из моей головы” such a popular hit for most teenagers and young adults of the former-USSR.
4. CORALINE (Måneskin)
Do we even need an explanation? It’s Måneskin! Just go ahead and play it.
5. La llorona (Chavela Vargas)
La llorona is the most famous Hispanic folklore character. If you want to learn more about it (in Spanish!) come to our event on October 8th from 6-8pm! More details in the next blog post!
Long ago in my salad days at high school, I remember using tv5monde for outside practice after I had watched all the French films my library had to offer (alas, not that many). Although you now need a subscription to tv5monde to watch shows, tv5monde edu and tv5monde info remain wholly accessible online for free; no subscription needed to engage your French. Additionally, its lessons are separated into several levels ranging from beginner (débutant) to advanced (avancé), so you can find exercises suited to you. And not all of the activities are multiple-choice blank fill-ins; little puzzles are thrown in to mix it up! My favorite part about the network is that it maintains an international focus, covering events around the world, especially, of course, francophone countries.
Whether you’re looking for news or try finding a new edutainment medium, check out the website!
It is so sad to see you go… or me go? Perhaps I’m glad and relieved that I’m graduating. I will sincerely miss this basement, with its lack of sunlight and abundance of candy. Before I leave, I would like to impart some sage wisdom (thank you Patricio for the inspiration) from someone who has taken an unreasonable number of language courses and still wants to learn more.
Shokan was famously “besties” with Dostoevsky sparking rumors about their homoertoic relationships.
Shokan Valikhanov the father of modern Kazakh history and ethnography and simultaneously the most-known Kazakh scholar, ethnographer, historian. As a Russian Imperial officer, he explored Central Asia, mapping regions like Kashgar and recording significant cultural, geographic, and historical data while advocating for his people which didn’t save him from being a target of post-colonial criticism. Lang Labbies are starting our weekly rubric of “not-so-Russian-Russian literature” focusing on literature written in Russian by not necessarily Russian personas.
Shokan Valikhanov was born in Kostanay, Eastern Kazakhstan and spent his youth in his father’s traditional nomadic yurt. Shokan’s family was very respected by the government of the Russian Empire, and Walikhanov’s father was awarded, during his life, six appointments as senior Sultan of Kushmurun region. Born into privelege, Shokan raveled extensively in Central Asia in the late 1850s after having graduated from the military academy in Omsk.
Walikhanov collected materials on Kazakh judicial practices in 1863. This was part of a government-backed project given by Duhamel, and led to the 1864 Memorandum on Judicial Reform. In 1864, Shoqan was assigned to help with Colonel Cherniaev’s continued conquest of Central Asia. Cherniaev’s forces marched west from the fortress of Vernoe (modern-day Almaty). Chernaiev advanced towards the Khanate of Kokand, planning to attack the fort at Aulie-Ata (modern-day Taraz). Shoqan unsuccessfully pushed for a negotiated result without violence.
Young Valikhanov was a big proponent of Westernization although was critiqued by his fellow ethnographers for “playing the double game” due to his primarily russian education and deep friendship with writers such as Fyedor Dostoevsky.
In spite of it, Shokan remained the face of Kazakh intelligentsia — his early death at just 29 years old left a large hole in the history of Kazakh ethnography written in Russian. One of Shokan works (in both Russian and English) I would recommend to our readers is “Chinese Turkestan and Dzungaria: Walikhanov and other Russian travellers”, The Russians in Central Asia, London, Edward Stanford, 1865.
Today we’re speaking with Qiuyi, our drop-in French tutor! We chatted about the experience of learning French from the beginning level, adjusting to intermediate classes, and Marguerite Duras. Meet Qiuyi in the Language Lab during her drop-in tutoring hours!
Leilani: Hi Qiuyi! To begin the interview, could you tell me a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been speaking French?
Qiuyi: Yeah! My name is Qiuyi, and I’m a sophomore majoring in Comparative Literature. This is my second year learning French, so I’m a new learner.
As we approach the end of the semester, I thought I’d recommend a for-funsies book to read over winter break: In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri (2015). Last semester, I wrote a blog post on journaling as an effective language-learning strategy. Jhumpa Lahiri’s memoir expands on this idea of writing in a second language (Italian), and also talks more on her experience living in Rome, Italy, to immerse herself in the language. Lahiri is the author of The Namesake (2003) and Interpreter of Maladies (1999), and this is her first nonfiction book.
