Special Issue, Bridges 14.2: The Bridge of Translation

Special Guest Editor Faith Jones

Translations from German, French, Hungarian, Hebrew, and Yiddish, as well as essays about translation and reflections on particular translation projects, come together in this collection to illuminate feminist Jewish practice. Translated material includes stories, poems, letters, diaries, and fables in a rich blend of genres, styles, and subject matter. This diverse collection speaks to the centrality of translation for creating an inclusive Jewish feminist movement. It explores a variety of ideas about the historical pressures resulting from the multilingual nature of Jewish culture, with careful attention to how women’s use of language(s) is marked and meaningful.

For twenty years Bridges has published translations in nearly every issue; this issue's introduction highlights the reasons for doing so.The desire to bring a particular woman writer to light; to make our vision of Jewish life more complex; to engage with painful or important histories; to honor women’s knowledge and participate in the transmission of women’s knowledge; and to recover what has been dismissed, minimized, or hidden from view are some of the reasons being explored in this issue.

Writers whose work are translated include historical women such as German feminist Bertha Pappenheim; Polish Orthodox poet Miriam Ulinover; Soviet writer Shira Gorshman; Hungarian Holocaust survivor Borbála Szabó; and Brazilian writer Rosa Palatnik. Contemporary women include French novelist Marlène Amar; and Israeli poets Nurit Zarchi and Agi Mishol. A series of Holocaust-era family letters show everyday people struggling to find the language to reflect their lives. Essays by translators from German, Hebrew and Yiddish each discuss the specific issues related to the language they work in and to their translation practices in the light of Jewish feminism. Original poetry in English and visual art explore themes of language, speaking, listening, disclosing new worlds, and excavating meaning from wordless experience. Book reviews of recent translations highlight the variety and complexity of work underway in this field, and provide a starting point for those wishing to immerse themselves further in this fascinating, emerging area of study.