Often when I write (or speak) about the poetic translation process, which I have done in two posts above quite recently, I have mentioned the necessity of sympathetic or collaborative translation processes. The two links in question will be added in at the end of this short post; UBUWEB and Homad , Ethnopoetics and Translation (i) and Translation and Linguistic Rights (ii)., make mention of the process involved in translation and dissemination of literature, in the face of some problems such as digitisation and author property rights. (including appalling clunky non-collaborative online translations).
Delighted I was this morning to find an old copy of the PIR (Poetry Ireland Review , Ed. Liam Ó Muirthile. publ 1996) in which Thomas Kinsella discusses ‘Translations from the Irish’ . I do know that the PIR is available Via Poetry Ireland Online, so its worth a search to look at some of the writer and writing process interviews that occupy a quantity of space in the review.
The Kinsella interview is quite short but does discuss some of his projects in detail including the process of translating one of my favourite books , An Duanaire, Poems of the Dispossessed 1600-1900. (there’s a link to that attached at the end of this post).
Kinsella also discusses translating Táin Bó Cuailgne , which many people are familiar with due to the work of Le Brocquy in illustration. These books, in translation comprise my recommended reading for this Wednesday.
Chris Murray 