Tracing the Online Translations of Syrian “Poetry of Witness”: 2011-2016

Abstract

With the rise of “the sociological turn” in translation studies and its emphasis on translation agency, a good deal of research over the past two decades has focused on the translator’s involvement in ethical questions relating to human rights, political engagement, and the future of humanity (Inghilleri, 2008; Pym, 2001; Tymoczko, 2000; Wolf, 2014). However, little attention has been paid to the role poetry translation might play in shaping translation agents’ engagement in times of conflict. Given the view that poetry translation may serve as an ethical action (Meschonnic, 1999/2011), this research study has attempted to probe translation agents’ responses to the Syrian crisis by examining a set of online translations of the poetry coming out of it. For this purpose, a collection of poetic texts translated from Arabic into English was analyzed to reveal the various modes of suffering of civilians who were caught up in the lines of fire, the dynamics of dissemination of poetry translations on the Internet, and translation agents’ ethical responses to the victims of the Syrian crisis. A special focus was placed on the communicative effects associated with the selected poetic texts, the strategies used to communicate the suffering of victimized agents, the websites featuring online translations of poetry from Syria, and the motivations underpinning translation agents’ responses to the Syrian crisis events. The results of this study yield insights into the value of poetry in interpreting sociopolitical crises, the ways poetry translations circulate on the Internet, the ethical role of translation in responding to conflict events around the world, questions that still need further research in translation studies. The results also have implications that highlight the potential role of translation in raising awareness about the suffering of humanity in dire situations.