Cross-cultural Translation of Exile Literature: How Would Ovid Lament in Mandarin?

Dr. Jinyu Liu of DePauw University will present the Antiquity in the New Millennium Lecture: "Cross-cultural Translation of Exile Literature: How Would Ovid Lament in Mandarin?"

Abstract: A crucial task of translation concerns the transmission of the network of concepts in the source text. In Ovid's exile poetry, the theme of lamentation is intricately intertwined with his portrayal of power relations under Augustus as well as the themes of life and death. This talk, therefore, will focus on how the linkage that Ovid constructs between lamentation, power relations, and living and dying can be fruitfully conveyed in Mandarin. The emphasis will not revolve around what is lost in translation, but obstacles, strategies, gaps, and gains in translation will all be discussed.

Dr. Liu is a translator of Ovid and is involved in a multi-year project that aims at translating all of Ovid's works into Mandarin with commentaries. (See The Art of Translation: An Interview with Jinyu Liu.) 

Ovid was a Roman poet during the reign of Augustus and is one of the best-known poets of Latin literature.

Contact Dr. Kirsten Day, Augustana associate professor of Classics, if you'd like to be sent a calendar invitation for this virtual lecture.