Roots and Branches

The Arts House and Interlexis organised the inaugural Singapore International Translation Symposium 2013, the first major public translation-related event to be held in Singapore. The Symposium gathered foreign and local practitioners, researchers and language-enthusiasts to discuss the art and craft of translation based on the theme, Translation Matters.

The main objective of this symposium was to raise awareness about the role of translation in society, take stock of the current state of the translation industry and market, and exchange experiences and best practices with translators and translation organisations in other parts of the world.

Haresh Sharma, together with Quah Sy Ren and Jeremy Tiang, served as a panellist for Roots and Branches: Translation & Theatre, moderated by Clarissa Oon. They spoke on how translation has always been an integral part of theatre, and what is the role and function of the translator in relation to the playwright, director and actors if one sees a performance as a collaborative enterprise. Also discussed by the theatre practitioners, translators and scholars was what it means to “maintain the integrity” of a play in translation.