The process of translation of “Ithaka” by Cavafy.
The initial idea was just a video of me talking about the process of translating this greek poem into english, however, my creativity came in the way. It felt right to include some greek music, pictures and readings of the poem- however it took up from the time that I could have been talking about translating the poem.
Translating a poem from one language to another is far more complicated than it seems. Every poem is product of a culture, of an idea, of a country’s history and of what it stands for- it is written in the context of greek culture and history thus translating the words to english may still hold the general message of the poem but it won’t be rooted or natural. I unfortunately came to the conclusion that when a poem is translated it loses most of its original value, however a translator must try the best he or she can to imitate the author’s ways and intentions as well as try to create the illusion of the effect of the original poem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRwgRdUi3dk&feature=youtu.be
