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UP Tacloban opens National Arts Month celebration with poetry translation symposium

16 February 2025

On 12 February 2025 the Division of Humanities, in collaboration with the Leyte Samar Heritage Center (LSHC), hosted a symposium on translation featuring a book talk on “Húbad: Ester Tapia” by Professor Emeritus Merlie Alunan. The symposium, which was held at the LSHC main gallery, is the first in the Division of Humanities’ Panuratan Series.

Professor Emeritus Alunan discussed her translation of Ester Tapia’s poetry collection from Cebuano to English, which was awarded Best Translated Book in English in the 42nd National Book Awards.

Reflecting on the project, Professor Emeritus Alunan said that she strived to make the poems sound like poetry, not just a translation. Tapia’s genius, said Alunan, is her ability to extend a narrative beyond itself and transform folklore into metaphors. The translator must “own the poem…as if [they’re] the one writing it, but not violate the process of the poem.” Alunan also emphasized opportunities for translation from English to Waray, and from one Visayan language to another.

Around 50 UPTC students enrolled in literature and creative writing courses attended the symposium.

Through the Panuratan Series, the BA Literature program of the Division of Humanities aims to help promote and invigorate literary history, translation, and production in Eastern Visayas.

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