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Authenticity or Erasure: Translating with Nazry Bahrawi

A masterclass with Dr Nazry Bahrawi on translation, authenticity, and how colonial-era ideas can shape what counts as a faithful English rendering of Southeast Asian literature. He discusses the tension between fluency and cultural erasure in translating Malay texts.

When: Saturday 14 November; Time not listed; Add to calendar
Where: The Arts House at the Old Parliament — Blue Room; 1 Old Parliament Ln, Former Parliament House and Annex Building; Singapore 179429; Directions
Who it's for: Good for adults
SG Culture Pass: You can pay with your SG Culture Pass credits; See it on sgculturepass.gov.sg

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About it

Can a polished translation ever really be faithful? Or is it merely erasure dressed up as fluency? After spending years translating Malay literature into English, Dr Nazry Bahrawi has written pointedly about what he calls the “gentrification” of Southeast Asia’s vernacular literature in translation. In this masterclass, he unpacks how colonial power still shapes what counts as an “authentic” text today, and why smoothening a translation into standard English can quietly flatten the very cultures it claims to carry across.

Details from SG Culture Pass.

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