{"id":3797,"date":"2015-03-01T08:37:57","date_gmt":"2015-03-01T13:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=3797"},"modified":"2015-03-01T08:37:57","modified_gmt":"2015-03-01T13:37:57","slug":"translating-the-experience-of-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2015\/03\/translating-the-experience-of-the-moment.html","title":{"rendered":"Translating the Experience of the Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"winter_spring\"<\/a>Whether we know it or not, we are all amateur translators. Instead of translating a poem from one language to another we put into words what previously existed without words: we translate experience into language. Mostly, we are unaware of this process and mistake our verbal productions for a ironclad truth.<\/p>\n

If we cling to the “truth” of our translations, then we are bound to feel stress, dissatisfaction, and even suffering, especially when we don’t account for the enormous gulf that separates experience and language.<\/p>\n

Translation is difficult and it is more an art than mechanical process. A good translator tries to inhabit the mind of the subject and represent the words in way that has an emotional as well as literal truth. Different translators make different choices. Take for example the following three translations of Rilke’s poem, The Swan.<\/em><\/p>\n

This laboring through what is still undone,
\nas though, legs bound, we hobbled along the way,
\nis like the awkward walking of the swan.<\/p>\n

And dying\u2014to let go, no longer feel
\nthe solid ground we stand on every day \u2013
\nis like his anxious letting himself fall<\/p>\n

into the water, which receives him gently
\nand which, as though with reverence and joy,
\ndraws back past him in streams on either side;
\nwhile, infinitely silent and aware,
\nin his full majesty and ever more
\nindifferent, he condescends to glide.<\/p>\n

Translation by Stephen Mitchell from The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

This clumsy living that moves lumbering
\nas if in ropes through what is not done,
\nreminds us of the awkward way the swan walks.<\/p>\n

And to die, which is letting go
\nof the ground we stand on and cling to every day,
\nis like the swan, when he nervously lets himself down
\ninto the water, which receives him gaily
\nand which flows joyfully under and after him, wave after wave,
\nwhile the swan, unmoving and marvelously calm,
\nis pleased to be carried, each moment more fully grown,
\nmore like a king, further and further on.<\/p>\n

Translation by David Whyte from his book, Crossing the Unknown Sea<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

This toil and struggle\u2014passing on, ponderous
\nand as if bound, through what remains undone,
\nis like the makeshift walking of the swan.<\/p>\n

And dying\u2014this letting go
\nof that ground we stand on every day,
\nis like his uneasy letting himself down–:<\/p>\n

into the water, which receives him gently,
\nand which, as if happy in its passing,
\nwithdraws, beneath him, wave on wave;
\nwhile he, quiet and infinitely assured,
\nwith ever greater majesty and freedom
\nand serenity is pleased to glide.<\/p>\n

Translated by Edward Snow (1984) from New Poems<\/em><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As you can see, each poem makes different choices about language. The differences are not merely synonyms in every case. Each poem expresses a different mood, a different sense of the swan as he walks down to the water and then moves within it. The each describe the same event, yet with a unique character. No one translation is more right and even if we were to read Rilke’s original german, we as readers are making our interpretations of the meanings conveyed in the poem.<\/p>\n

I came across this quote by Proust recently:<\/p>\n

Every reader as he reads is actually the reader of himself. The writer\u2019s work is only a kind of optical instrument he provides the reader so he can discern what he might never have seen in himself without this book. The reader\u2019s recognition in himself of what the books says is the proof of the book\u2019s truth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We are readers and translators of ourselves in every moment of existence. Here are some guidelines for making the most of these translations.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Know that we are engaged in a translation task and make our best effort. We are aiming for the best approximation we can muster in this particular moment.<\/li>\n
  2. Seek to improve our craft by getting to know our subject matter. In this case, the subject matter is our moment-to-moment lived experience that resides before and without language in our bodies, senses, and minds. To become experts, we practice. In other words, we improve our craft by cultivating an intimacy with our experience through mindfulness meditation.<\/li>\n
  3. Be humble and recognize the limits of what we are doing. We are not producing truths but our best approximations of truth. Translations are always subject to revision. There is no final word, only the living process of breathing and translation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We are well-served by this humility and commitment to the process. Mindfulness is integral to knowing ourselves well enough to make decent translations. We can also spend more time on the experience side of things and forego the compulsion to translate everything into words. Our goal, as Proust pointed out, is to read ourselves and to find an emotional truth in the moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Whether we know it or not, we are all amateur translators. Instead of translating a poem from one language to another we put into words what previously existed without words: we translate experience into language. Mostly, we are unaware of this process and mistake our verbal productions for a ironclad truth. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3797"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3802,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797\/revisions\/3802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}