Can we write creatively in a foreign tongue? How to write (about) the ill body?
Consortium for Wellbeing and the Arts, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 8-9 October 2019
Testimonials:
Dr Arnaldi’s workshop was extremely significant and interesting, and I deeply enjoyed the way she teaches. We had group discussions about the poems we wrote during the class and reflected upon their transformed meanings in translation. We also focussed on poetry and autobiography with an emphasis on bodily experiences. Dr Arnaldi told us that in her work she combines music, dance and poetry, and this gave new depth to the discussion.
Marta Arnaldi had a clear orientation during the lessons and the backbone she gave for the workshops directed our group towards openness and a guided inspiration. I noticed that during her lessons we were relaxed and at ease as a group, despite the difficulties and challenges of speaking and writing in a foreign language.
During Marta Arnaldi´s workshops we focused on translating poems not only from one language to another, but also from an artform to another. What is the difference between an image and a poem? And between a dance and a song? One of the things that struck us during Marta´s writing workshops was that we were writing in English. Suddenly the way to express ourselves was totally different. We were using a foreign language creatively, that is that we were pushing ourselves to the extremes, scared yet accompanied, as our limited lexicon and knowledge of English forced us to find other ways to express what was most dear to us. Thank you, Marta
translatingillness.com 