This workshop invites conversations surrounding the interdisciplinary field of Translation studies as it pertains to the transcultural analysis and translation of Armenian Literature. Seeking to move beyond purely prescriptive applications of translation, interpretation, and the localization of national literatures –and the mere translation of a “minor” literature into a major language –this workshop asks invited participants to explore question pertaining to their translations of Armenian literature, under the umbrella of larger, non-compartmentalized cultural and theoretical frameworks and disciplines such as comparative literature, Mediterranean studies, Post-colonial and Diaspora studies, across all periods. This workshop also considers questions pertaining to the ethics of semiotic and cultural translation, and what ways (if possible) cultural nuances transform and translate across linguistic, political, and literary mediums.

Friday, February 19

2609 International Institute, 1080 S. University

10:00 – 10:15 am Opening Remarks
Tamar Boyadjian, Michigan State University

10:15 – 12:00 pm “The Witness and the Translator”: Part I
Lecture and Discussion with special invited guest Dr. Marc Nichanian
Discussant: Tamar Boyadjian, Michigan State University

12:00 – 1:00 pm Break

1:00 – 3:00 pm translatio: Translating Genre Beyond Nation
Discussant: Anton Shammas, University of Michigan

Myrna Douzjian, University of California, Los Angeles; California State University, Fresno
World Literature and the Translation of Drama

Vahram Danielyan, Yerevan State University; American University of Armenia
Translocal Wanderers: The Case of Khachatur Abovyan's “Wounds of Armenia”

Hayk Hambardzumyan, Yerevan State University
Some Features of English Translations of the Epic “David of Sassoun”
Saturday, February 20

2609 International Institute, 1080 S. University

10:00 – 11:30 am untranslatable: Crafting a Translation
Discussant: Christi Merrill, University of Michigan

Lilit Keshishyan, University of California, Los Angeles
Translating Intent

Talar Chahinian, California State University, Long Beach
Untranslatability and Beledian

11:30 – 1:00 pm “The Witness and the Translator”: Part II
Lecture and Discussion with Dr. Marc Nichanian
Moderator: Tamar Boyadjian, Michigan State University

1:00 – 1:10 pm Closing Remarks
Tamar Boyadjian, Michigan State University