The Art of Yiddish Translation

Class starts Jan 3 10:30am-12:00pm

Tuition: $360 | YIVO members: $270**

This is a live, online course held on Zoom. Enrollment will be capped at about 25 students. All course details (Zoom link, syllabus, handouts, recordings of class sessions, etc.) will be accessible in Canvas. Students will be granted access to the class on Canvas after registering for the class here on the YIVO website.

Instructor: Rose Waldman

What is a translator’s task, and how do they make stylistic and connotative decisions? What are particular challenges when translating from Yiddish to English? How important is it to have a thorough understanding of “yidishkeyt” in order to translate from Yiddish? To answer these questions, we will read texts by literary translators and discuss the choices they made and possible reasons behind these choices. You will also practice the art of translation through various exercises.

Yiddish Level:
This course, conducted in Yiddish, is designed for upper-intermediate and advanced Yiddish students, such as those who took Intermediate III Yiddish (Sunday or Monday), Intermediate IV Yiddish, Intensive Intermediate III&IV Yiddish, Intensive Advanced I&II Yiddish, or Intensive Advanced III&IV Yiddish in the Fall 2023 semester, and all higher level classes.

Course Materials:
The instructor will provide all required course materials digitally throughout the class on Canvas.

Questions? Read our 2024 Winter Yiddish Seminars FAQ.

Rose Waldman's translation of S. An-sky’s Pioneers: The First Breach was published by Syracuse University Press, and Chaim Grade’s The Rabbi’s House is forthcoming from Knopf Doubleday in 2024. Other translations have appeared in various journals and anthologies, and a translation of a chapbook, I. L. Peretz’s Married, was published by Back Pages Books. She has been awarded fellowships for translation by the National Endowment for the Arts and twice by the Yiddish Book Center.

**Become a member today, starting at $54 for one year, and pay the member price for classes! You’ll save on tuition for this course and more on future classes and public programs tickets.