The Poetry Translation Centre (PTC) is an organization dedicated to translating poetry from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. It was founded by the British poet
Sarah Maguire in 2004. Its work has been championed by such British poets as
Nick Laird, and it is one of the
Arts Council England's regularly funded organisations.
The PTC's website currently includes translations of 521 poems by more than 100 poets from 21 countries written in 19 different languages – from
Amharic to
Zapotec. The poems are given in three different versions: in the original language, as a basic "literal" translation and as the final version in English, thus giving a valuable insight into the translation process. The site also features recordings of poems read in English, Arabic, Kurdish, Portuguese, Somali, Tajik and Urdu, together with videos and podcasts of readings.
The PTC has organised several World Poets' Tours. The first, in 2005, introduced
Partaw Naderi (Afghanistan),
Gagan Gill Gagan may refer to:
Given name
*Gagan Bhagat, Indian politician and member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
*Gagan Biyani, Indian American serial entrepreneur, marketer, and journalist
*Gagan Singh Bhandari, Nepalese General
*Gagan Bul ...
(India),
Toeti Heraty (Indonesia), Coral Bracho (Mexico),
Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac "Gaariye" (Somaliland) and
Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (Sudan) to UK audiences. In 2008,
Corsino Fortes
Corsino António Fortes (14 February 1933 – 24 July 2015) was a Cape Verdean writer, poet and diplomat. He served as the first Ambassador of Cape Verde to Portugal from 1975 until 1981 following his country's independence.
Biography
Forte ...
(Cape Verde), Gaariye, Al-Saddiq and
Farzaneh Khojandi (Tajikistan) took part in the Centre's second World Poets' Tour, which also featured the poetry of
Kajal Ahmad (Kurdistan) and Noshi Gillani (Pakistan), who were unable to travel to the UK. In 2017 its collection ''The Sea-Migrations: Tahriib'' by
Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf, was named by the ''Sunday Times'' as the best poetry book of the year. It was translated from Somali by
Clare Pollard with Maxamed Xasan "Alto" and Said Jama Hussein, and is published by
Bloodaxe Books. In 2018 the Georgian poets Salome Benidze and
Diana Anphimiadi toured the UK.
British poets who have contributed translations include
Maura Dooley
Maura Dooley (born 18 May 1957) is a British poet and writer. She has published five collections of poetry and edited several anthologies. She is the winner of the Eric Gregory Award in 1987 and the Cholmondeley Award in 2016, and was shortlis ...
,
Carole Satyamurti
Carole Satyamurti (13 August 1939 – 13 August 2019) was a British poet, sociologist, and translator.
Personal life
Satyamurti grew up in Kent, and lived in North America, Singapore and Uganda. She lived in London until her death on 13 August ...
,
Choman Hardi,
David Harsent
David Harsent (born in Devon) is an English poet who for some time earned his living as a TV scriptwriter and crime novelist.
Background
During his early career he was part of a circle of poets centred on Ian Hamilton and forming something of a ...
,
Jane Duran,
Jo Shapcott
Jo Shapcott FRSL (born 24 March 1953, London) is an English poet, editor and lecturer who has won the National Poetry Competition, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Costa Book of the Year Award, a Forward Poetry Prize and the Cholmondeley Awa ...
,
Katherine Pierpoint
Katherine Pierpoint (born 1961) is an English poet. She is best known for her book ''Truffle Beds'' which won a Somerset Maugham Award and was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize.
Life and career
Pierpoint was born in Northampton in 1961. ...
,
Lavinia Greenlaw,
Mark Ford,
Mimi Khalvati,
Sarah Maguire,
Sean O'Brien and
W. N. Herbert.
References
External links
Website for the Poetry Translation Centre
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Poetry organizations
British writers' organisations
Literary translation websites