How Important is it for a Translator to Translate into their Mother Tongue?

10 Feb 2023 07.30 PM - 09.00 PM GOETHE INSTITUT Alumni, Current Students, Industry/Academic Partners, Prospective Students, Public

RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/uetBrbcb0a

Drawing on her experience as a translator who has worked in both Singapore and Germany, Christina Ng discusses instances where a translator’s translation abilities are questioned solely because they do not fit into the definition of what a mother tongue is, or what institutions think their mother tongue should be. The talk will explore what it means for a translator to only translate into their mother tongue; how we could see translation as “a condition of life”—a  way to communicate and create understanding, rather than exclusion and gatekeeping—embracing our multicultural heritage and multilingual lineage as pathways to a more inclusive and enriching translation practice.

Bio:  

Christina Ng is a Singaporean writer, journalist and translator based in Berlin. Working between English and Chinese, she has interpreted for film and theatre productions, as well as written and translated essays and features on art, travel, culture and identity. She received a research grant in 2021 from the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe for an essay collection on Multilingualism. Her Chinese to English literary translations include poetry by Singaporean poets Liang Wern Fook and Dan Ying. Her English translation of Liang Wern Fook’s short story collection tentatively titled The Joy of Being a Left-Hander (Balestier Press) is forthcoming in 2023.

Programme:

TimeEvent
5.30pmRegistration
6.00pmSharing by Ms Renate Goh, Head of Language, Goethe Institute
6.45pmBuffet dinner for all participants
7.30pmSharing by Ms Christina Ng, MTI Part-time Lecturer, NTU
8.15pmQ&A
9.00pmEnd of Event

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