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read write prompt #110: no, not literally — (trans)literally

by Dana Guthrie Martin

I am going to let you in on a little secret about my own writing process this week: The prompt I am about to share is one of my favorite ways to write. It’s called transliteration.

What the heck is that, you ask? Transliteration is the process of selecting a text in a language you don’t know and then doing a faux translation of the work based on what you think the words mean. The key is not knowing the language you are translating from so that your faux translation won’t be sullied by knowing what the words actually mean.

Some people get very scientific with their transliterations, looking at letter groupings and repeated words, and trying to make sure the words they are creating from the original language match up with those groups and repetitions. For example, a word like the Old English “wrecen” would be translated as the same word wherever it appears in the text being transliterated.

That’s a great approach, and I applaud anyone who attempts such a degree of accuracy. I am, however, far less scientific with my approach. What I tend to do is read a word or a group of words and think about the effect they have on me. What do those letter combinations feel like in my mouth? If I were coming up with words in English based on the way those strange words feel when I say them, what would those words be?

Another way I transliterate is to make the foreign words into a similar-looking or similar-sounding English counterpart. I know that’s a bit of a stretch in terms of transliterating, but it can yield interesting results. For example, one of my poems, “Old Ladies,” opens with the following line:

We hate the gardenias        in the garden.

That line is a transliteration of the following Beowulf line:

Hwæt we Gar-Dena        in gear-dagum.

You can see the connection between the two.

If you feel transliterating an entire poem is too daunting, no worries! Simply transliterate a few phrases and see how you might work them into your poem. “Old Ladies” works in that manner. I think that, in the end, about half the poem was based on transliteration, and the other half was what I needed to write to create the connections and context I felt the poem needed.

Stumped about where to find poems in a language you don’t know? I’ve already revealed one source — texts written in Old English. Why not try your hand at transliterating sections of Beowulf? It’s worked well for me as a source text. You could also transliterate Latin or Greek poetry if you don’t know those languages, or from any contemporary language you don’t know. Why not look at collections in bilingual editions of poetry you own or that are available at your local bookstore or library?

Another great way to create source texts is to take a poem — yours or someone else’s — and drop it into an online translator. The translator will churn out a terrible translation of the poem in whatever language you select. Since this is an exercise in transliteration, not translation, it doesn’t matter if your source material is translated well. You just need something in a foreign language to get you started.

That about covers it. I can answer any questions in the comments section of the post, and feel free to share ideas for source material and additional takes on ways to transliterate. I can’t wait to hear what you all come up with.

Dana Guthrie Martin is the founder of Read Write Poem. She resolves to focus on process and craft in 2010, both in terms of poetry and classical music. She also resolves to join a flute choir and to dream only in music and verse.

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Posted by Read Write Poem under Dana Guthrie Martin, Read Write Prompt

42 comments to read write prompt #110: no, not literally — (trans)literally

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    The Read Write Poem NaPoWriMo Anthology is still in production. Selection, placement, layout and copyediting are taking longer than anticipated. Thank you for your patience. I hope to have the piece completed in July. For those who have emailed asking if they can be included, the May 7 deadline for submission of work stands. Those who met that deadline will be included. Please check the post on this site listing who I received submissions from by that date. If you submitted your work by the May 7 deadline in accordance with our guidelines and your name is not listed, send an email to info (at) readwritepoem (dot) org.

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    May 5, 2010 | 3:09 pm

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    *I initially said “tomorrow,” but I meant to say “Friday.”

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