Following the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, Tibetan Buddhism and culture was scattered to the four winds. Now, 50 years later, the last Tibetan-born Buddhist teachers are dying. The translation of a religious and artistic tradition from one culture to another generally takes 100s of years. Dr. Jules Levinson, a leading Tibetan Buddhist translator, talks about ‘Light of Berotsana,’ a leading translation group that’s trying to preserve a culture…with time running out.
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Great interview. Good to hear about translation and sobering to hear about the perils facing the Tibetan language.
For those who don’t know, Dr. Levinson is hosting a conference for translators this fall in which these topics will be further discussed. There is a link for the conference, including public events, at http://berotsana.org/conference/index.html.
Eric Savage | Sep 15, 2008 | Reply
I love Jule’s quote about the translator giving their mind to the teacher like: “Here, take it!”. I think more than a few of us have been there!
Thanks for letting us into the thoughts and strategies of an experienced translator.
Great interview.
Chime Drolma | Aug 30, 2008 | Reply
Jules is great, as always–charming, sincere, knowledgeable and straightforward (”we’re not going to get everything”). Wow, the audio’s rough on this one. Gotta have two mics at all times.
Waylon "Brat" Lewis | Jul 22, 2008 | Reply