A good translation experience

Hello Charlie,

Saturday the 14th, I took part in the "Prix Atlas Junior",  a translation competition taking place in Arles.
It was created by the association ATLAS, an association which promotes literary translation. This association created prices like the "Prix Atlas Junior" to sensibilize students to the literary translation. Indeed, translator and literary translator aren't the same profession at all. The translator's job is to translate a language into another language, but the literary translator's job is to translate a literary piece from a language to another.
They don't only organize this competition in English, but also in German and Italian, among other languages, and even "provençal".

I highly recommend you take part in it next year because it's a great linguistic experience.
So, if you want to participate next year, here is a quick guide, based on my experience there:

The competition takes place in the "Espace Van Gogh", which is a lovely place, with a small garden, composed of flowers, and a small fountain. There, I went to a library where a member of the association welcomed me, gave me the texts, and explained to me the theme of this year: infidelity.
After that, all the participants ate together. I sat in a room, took some paper, a pen, a dictionary, and my translation adventure began.

The little garden at the entrance of the "Espace van Gogh"

I stayed three and a half hours translating the two texts, which were two songs ("lipstick on your collar" by Connie Francis, and "Miriam" by Norah Jones, if you wish to listen to them), and I realized that translating a text isn't just translating the sense of the text, it is also about rhythm, and more generally about the way that you ear the language. This is what I spent the most time on: trying to figure out how to say "du rouge à lèvre sur ton col" in only six syllables.

The library where we were welcomed, and where some students translated.

If by miracle I am one of the two winners, I will tell you about the awards ceremony.

Here is the link to the Atlas's website if you are interested:  http://www.atlas-citl.org/

Lino

Hi Charlie!

I took part in a translation competition in Arles last month. It was created by the association ATLAS that promotes translations of literature pieces. They organise many other activities like introductions to the work of translators, or reading of poems from all around the world. The members are very nice, they really want to share something with you! They organise the "concours Atlas-junior" every year and I advise you to take part in the next one, they have almost every language going from "provençal" to German!!

You might wonder how the competition went, as I am telling you to participate too. Well, I had to go to Arles, but the competition took place in the Espace Van Gogh which is beautiful just as the city! Then I was kindly welcomed by association members. They gave me a text in English, and I sat in a library in the middle of other students. I borrowed a dictionary, and started to read the text. It wasn't a difficult text, nevertheless you realize that translating is not only about words, but also about the atmosphere, the personality of the characters, the writing style etc, when you find yourself in this situation. I stayed two hours, in which I translated the text, trying to find the best way to share the writer's work in French. The theme of the texts was a bit similar to our post-colonialism theme this year!
Anyway it was an interesting experience, and I would do it again! Translating really gives you the feeling to create something, as well as helping to make culture accessible to everyone.

Here's the link of the competition page : http://www.atlas-citl.org/concours-atlas-junior/
And the association : http://www.atlas-citl.org

Hope it will encourage you to do it!
By the way, the prizes are of 250 and 150 euros in "bons fnac" so it is worth it ;)
Agathe M.

New Year Card competition

Dear Charlie and all the OIB students,

 Here we go with another creative competition.

Reason for this competition. 
A. I know all of you are very talented and creative
B.  I was about to send our wishes for the new Year to our partners.  (Better later than never ) I realised that it would be even better if I could attach an OIB-made card.
C.   It's much better if the OIB card is done by students than teachers and me in particular. (As you know, visual arts is not necessarily my forte)
D. The OIB needs you ! I hope that you will once again rise up to the challenge

I hope I've managed to convince a few of you. You have 5 days max to do so. Sorry about the last minute but then let's say that the  short time deadline ought to boost your creativity.

 Draw, paint, use photos, collage, whatever strikes your fancy. But remember that it will be sent by email so it has to be computer-friendly and that you can only use personal visuals.
I would like the results to be personal and reflect our Section. This is an official card.  Here's our logo if you want to use it.

 


 I'll be delighted to post the results on this article so that all can enjoy your creations.


 Thank you and have fun!
Mrs. C. 

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE POEM!

Dear Charlie,

Here are the poems written by our 2de students for the first Asiba poetry competition.

Impressive, isn't it? 

It's no easy feat to select one to represent the Seconde class.

Could you help me?

 Please vote for your two favorite poems (posting a comment on the blog or sending me an email)

Beware, the voting closes on April 10 at 4:00 p.m!

Beware, poem 2 does not qualify because the poem cannot exceed 20 lines and/or 60 words. But I'm sharing it because I find it  beautiful. 

Poem 1: WINNER

In the endless night dipped in dark ink

I could see numerous sparkles, shining bubbles

Yellow, green, blue, purple, red and pink.

Flying landscapes of my memories, a struggle

Between the cloudy sky hiding a field of ice

And the mountains covered in pine trees and green grass.

The deep blue sea and the light rocks of the dry plains.

All melting into a perfect painting.

Some darker spots come along, cluttering like stains

To join the dance of remembering.

Poem 2:

Patches of illusions

Behind the curtain appeared a mountain,

Whose limits seemed blurred by the plain.

From the mist, falling all parallels,

Gravels, part of a birth, like the rain.

How the mountain from the clouds,

Grew to weigh upon the crowds

Or how it finished displayed, lost,

Sinking in the sea, from Now to ghost.

Rest of Images with halo of mysticism

Thin and striking as flashing thunders,

Intense and possessing as roaring waves.

Vagueness as a part of lyricism.

The reminiscence of an eternal past

Circling upon reality

Consistant, perpetual, vast,

Casting doubts on duality.

A recollection of symbols, 

Given sense out of emotions

Objects subjects to paraboles

From pieces into proportions

Trans-

Form-

Oceans.

Listen to the stillness.

Feel the nothingness.

All skeletons of living shadows

Imprisoned in a dimension of movements

May the sky even float

On this sea like a boat

As time is passing through

You, sitting in a car, catching

Glimpses of a vivid world

That has surreptitiously already gone.

Poem 3  

A memory

You can watch hundreds of movies

And read thousands of stories

You can visit hundreds of places

And imagine smells and noises

But you can’t take their memories

Their pain, their bliss and their wishes

Pieces of old lives which have left

But still there in our minds, our regrets

Our shame and our demons

Our mistakes and our ghosts

Our hell-fired History

Our common patrimony

The unerasable side of Humanity.

Poem 4

Industrial memories

Memory spaces are made all the time.

They're made in factories,

They're sold in shops with labels on them,

Five hundred gigabytes, a terabyte or two,

Disks and hard drives, sticks and cards,

All can store, all can remember.

We rely on them, we rely on photos and videos,

They remember for us, they remember everything we tell them,

When we just forget.

Poem 5: 

In this beautiful world,

terrible things happened.

November 11^th  is a special day

To honor and never forget

the people who died in wars

We created Remembrance day.

Significant of a lot of pain,

but also hope, relief and reconstruction.

Hope that this anamnesis teaches the future generation,

to never repeat the mistakes that caused their ancestor.

Poem 6:  

I remember seing you for the first time 

I got lost in your eyes 

I was hypnotized by your gaze 

I was carried away by the sound off your voice 

Your blue eyes were deep and magical like the sea

Your voice was a sweet caress to my ears

When you looked at me my heart rushed my and eyes glittered

When you first took me in your arms I never wanted to leave you again 

Being in your arms is like a baby in her mother's arms.

Poem 7:

1918

War is hell

War is violence 

Nonsense 

War is crime 

War is death 

Depressing 

Mothers crying 

Children weeping 

Sad

Hate

Suffering 

Misery 

Victory 

Freedom 

Peace 

Happiness 

Lest we forget 

Here's the one selected to represent the Premières:

A warrior’s last strike

She was feeling her last breath
Going down to her lungs.
She was feeling her heart beat
For the very last time.
She was gripping her sword
And blood dipped from her hands
And then she closed her eyes.
She was back in her home where she always felt safe
She remembered it all :
The well in which she threw cherry blossoms in spring
The rivers where she swam naked, during summer
And the great bonfire that kept her from winter
Even the tree that waved like the sea, during fall
When she opened her eyes, she saw her sword shining
And she was standing up facing her greatest fear
And it was with her past torrenting through her hands
That she thrusted her sword through the barbarian's throat.
And then there was nothing.

Here's a reminder of the rules below!

ASIBA POETRY COMPETITION RULES

Remembrance

1.    The competition is open to lycées preparing students for the OIB (British option) who are full members of ASIBA

2. The theme of the competition for 2015 is ''Remembrance''
3. You may enter one poem for every 20 students in 3ème, 2nde, 1ère and Terminale in your section.
4. Poems should not exceed 20 lines and/or 160 words.
5. Poems should be typed in Times New Roman typeface
6. Please save each poem as a separate A4 page in  .pdf format.
7. Poems should be listed on the school entry form attached, with the poet's name and class.
8. Each poem should have its title and number clearly marked at the top, but no other details (do not include the author's name, school etc)
9. Please send all the poems as attached documents by email to asibapoetrycomp15@gmail.com accompanied by the completed school entry form.    We will confirm receipt of the poems.
   
   

10. Entries must be forwarded by the designated teacher in each school.

11. Prizes of books donated by W.H. Smith will be awarded at each lycee level, Seconde, Premiere and Terminale and at Troisième level in Collège.

12. You cannot send amendments or further drafts once your poems have been submitted.  Once submitted, poems cannot be revised or re-submitted in other forms.

13.  The closing date for submission of poems is Friday April 10^th 2015

14.  The initial judging period opens on Monday May 11^th 2015  and closes on June 1^st 2015.  Judging panels will be comprised of volunteer members of the OIB / ASIBA community.

15.  No panel will contain judges from the same school.  Panels will not judge poems from their own schools.

16.  Each panel will draw up a shortlist to be forwarded to the overall adjudicator.

17.  Winners will be announced by the overall adjudicator on June 22^nd.

18.  The designated teacher in each school will be informed of the results.

19. The decision of the judges is final and incontestable and no correspondence will be entered into.

20. You cannot use a pen name or enter poems for or on behalf of another person, living or dead. You cannot submit entries as the guardian or parent of the author.

21. Entries must not have been previously published or submitted for publication or for other competitions.    

22. The poem must be the original work of the entrant submitting it. By entering the competition, entrants warrant and undertake to the organisers that (i) their work is original (ii) does not contain any third party copyright material or quotes without appropriate permission having been obtained and identified to the organisers when the entry is submitted.

23.  Poets submitting their own original material for the competition retain copyright to their work but will be deemed to have given unconditional permission for its publication including authorship to promote or publicise ASIBA or W.H. Smith. 

24. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them when entering the competitions.

 Best,

Mrs. C.