Shangri La, in partnership with Native Books at Arts & Letters, presents a translation workshop with critically acclaimed author and scholar Dr. Mariam Rahmani, who is Shangri La’s summer Artist-in Residence.  

Did you read Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha in high school? Try to get through Homer’s The Odyssey in college? Ever dance to Shakira in both English and Spanish? As readers we depend on translators but often don’t stop to think about their work. This workshop offers an opportunity to try your hand at the art of literary translation. How does one honor the cultural and political context a work came from while ensuring that it speaks to contemporary audiences?  

Working in groups, you will translate a famous work of global literature, working from prior translations to learn the joys and difficulties of translation. You will then have an opportunity to translate your own favorite poem, song, nursery rhyme or excerpt from a novel or story in another language, if you wish—any language and any work of art is welcome; come prepared with a copy. Note that oral traditions are welcome, but writing your version down in transliteration (i.e., using the English alphabet) will help other group members follow along.  

No prior experience or any particular language skills necessary—just interest!  

This workshop takes place on Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea, Sovereignty Restoration Day in Hawaiʻi, a powerful occasion that commemorates the return of Hawaiian independence in 1843. Holding a workshop on literary translation on this day offers an opportunity to reflect on the power of language, the resilience of native voices, and the act of translation as both an artistic and political gesture. 

Dr. Mariam Rahmani is an award-winning translator from Farsi/Persian and writer in English. Her translation of Mahsa Mohebali’s Iranian cult novel In Case of Emergency was a New Yorker Best Book of 2022. She is currently working on translating scholars Farzaneh Milani’s biography of the mid-century feminist poet Forugh Farrokhzad.  

Space is limited to 25 guests. Advanced registration required.