Translation remains inseparable from the study of comparative literature, but also, more broadly, the study of human culture. Far from a simple  attempt to transfer meaning from one language to another, literary translation is a form of hermeneutics and an act of literary creation, grounded in the translator’s particular reading of the source text. Because the translator occupies the unique position of critical interlocutor, discussing the craft of translation itself can generate ways of reading both the translated work and the original. Reflecting the crucial importance of this field of study, Harvard’s Department of Comparative Literature is launching Paraphrasis, a podcast dedicated to the art and practice of literary translation. Each episode will focus on an established translator or a graduate student, asking them how they fell in love with their source text. This simple question results in insightful, at times profound, conversations about moments of encounter, acts of interpretation, and perspectives on foreign literary traditions that lie behind published translations of works from a diverse range of languages.

Join us for pizza and find out about opportunities for involvement in the podcast production team. These opportunities include editing, script writing, recording, and sound production. They are open to all students, irrespective of concentration or field. So come find out more!

Paraphrasis is supported by the Provostial Fund for the Arts and Humanities and produced in conjunction with the Department’s new graduate secondary field in Translation Studies and offers graduate students across Harvard, from Comp Lit to Computer Science, an opportunity to share their work and gain valuable training in public humanities. We expect the first episode to be broadcast in mid-October 2023 on all your favorite podcasting channels including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The series producers for 2023-2024 are Jess Jensen Mitchell and Lara Norgaard, working in consultation with Jeffrey Schnapp and Zachary Davis.