In cooperation with “Beldash” publishing house, the American Space at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) organized a seminar on “Literary Translation: Art and Challenges,” where the poet, translator, and university professor, Dr. Haitham Al-Zubaidy, addressed an audience of AUIB community members and students at English literature and translation departments at various universities in Baghdad.
Literary translation is “the highest order of translation,” where words are “charged with meanings and connotations,” and where the translator’s mission exceeds the translation of these meanings and connotations, as deep and complex as they may be, to “translating the cultural and civilizational context of a given text,” according to Dr. Al-Zubaidy, who expounded on various approaches in translating Shakespearean sonnets, in content and form, as an example.
Dr. Al-Zubaidy touched upon the issue of Artificial Intelligence replacing human translators, a process underway that is costing increasing numbers of legal and other non-creative translators their jobs. He advised attendees to go for literary translation, “a safe haven for creators,” as metaphor makes it impossible_ at least in the meantime_ for AI to translate literature, rendering human creative talent indispensable in this field.