Page 23 - Luce 2014

News & Events

Prof Lilit Thwaites

On the promise and perils
of translation
Heather Seymour, Bishop Ian George,
Our 2014 Literature Dinner posed the Margaret Harper
Ann Blainey & Alex Mathew question:
¿Qué se pierde y qué se gana cuando se New Vestments for
Nellie Melba traduce una novela de un idioma a otro? College Chapel
If there is nothing like a Dame, there is [What is lost and what is gained when a In June the Principal joined members
certainly no Dame to rival Nellie Melba. novel is translated from one language to of the Canterbury Fellowship for the
Her fame was unequalled in her lifetime another?] dedication of a beautiful new stole
within the concert halls of Australasia, and chasuble, made especially for
Europe and America, prompting the As the internationally acclaimed the Chapel of Trinity College and
phrase ‘Melba mania’. In a wonderful translator of books from Spanish into Janet Clarke Hall, and donated by Dr
account of Melba’s life and influence, English, Prof Lilit (Šiš) Thwaites is in a Margaret Harper (Lush, 1962) and Dr
Ann Blainey (Heriot, 1953) took alumni unique position to explore this question, Heather Seymour AO (Munro, 1962).
and friends into Melba’s world – a world and she took listeners along with her Both spent five years together in College
explored with masterful historical insight in her fascinating journey of translating before graduating in Medicine in 1967,
in her biography I am Melba. Rosa Montero’s Tears in Rain. Heather progressing to a distinguished
career as an Obstetrician and Margaret
The gathering was made the richer by Drawing on one of the earliest kinds to an equally distinguished career as a
soprano Alexandra Mathew (2006) who of translation work, involving the Holy Psychiatrist.
sang beautifully from Melba’s repertoire, Bible, Šiš explained that the purpose
and by the extraordinary links between of translation is to open up a work Among other interests, Heather is a long
Melba and members of the audience as to a larger audience. Šiš’s intimate time embroiderer (a family tradition),
Ann opened up conversation about the understanding of both Spanish and having made vestments for St Paul’s
iconic singer. Elizabeth Meredith (1950) English allowed her to capture the Manuka in the ACT, and the cope
remembered her father accompanying nuances of each language, which served and mitre for Bishop Sarah Macneil,
Melba and working to keep up with her well as she translated Montero’s Australia’s first woman diocesan bishop.
her trills, while Patricia Fullerton novel. Šiš acknowledged that something Margaret joined the Otira Icon School
(1962) was able to shed light on (her will inevitably be lost in any kind of within the Uniting Church in 2005. Two
great uncle) Hugh Ramsay’s portrait of translation. Thus, her rendering of Tears of her works have featured on the front
Melba – a portrait she had rescued from in Rain from Spanish into English is very page of The Melbourne Anglican while
destruction by a family dog when she much a work of re-interpretation as well. an icon hangs in the Trinity Theological
was a child. School.
In order to be as faithful as possible to
the original, Šiš revealed that she had The design for the new stole and
interviews with Rosa Montero while she chasuble (worn here by Bishop Ian
worked on translating the novel. Šiš’s George) features JCH and Trinity colours
talk is unique in our series of Literature and incorporates the wattle of the JCH
Dinners, not least because it gave voice crest with Trinity’s fleur de lys.
to an important craft that is often not
sufficiently acknowledged. (We note that
Šiš’s name is nowhere to be seen on the
cover of the novel she translated).

J anet Clarke Hall 23