The Translator as Bridge: Politics, Poetry, and Persona

Is the translator a bridge — or a boundary? We often imagine translation as a generous act of connection, a bridge built between cultures. But what happens when that bridge carries unequal weight from both sides? What if it doesn’t connect at all, but divides? In this five-part video series, translator and writer Shelly Bryant takes a critical look at the comforting metaphor of the “translator as bridge” — and invites us into the deeper tensions that shape every act of literary translation. Drawing from personal stories, cultural analysis, and close readings of works by Su Shi, W. H. Auden, and more, she explores three overlapping lenses through which translation must be understood: 🔹 Politics – How ideology and power shape what is translated — and how. 🔹 Poetry – What we lose (and gain) when we try to carry music, image, and ambiguity across language. 🔹 Persona – Why there is no such thing as a neutral translator — and why that matters. Highlights include: • A deeply personal exploration of defamiliarization and political awakening • A poetic journey from Mount Lu to modern English verse • A quiet dismantling of the bridge metaphor itself — with a surprising twist in the final episode Also included: 📝 The Bridge Journal (Downloadable Companion PDF) 📄 Bonus Article: Rivet or Wedge: On Translation and Manipulation in a Politicized Media Landscape 🎥 Live Session Replay: Whose Voice Is This? Rethinking Faithfulness in Translation Whether you're a translator, reader, writer, or thinker navigating cross-cultural work, this series offers a space for thoughtful questioning and deep reflection. Sometimes, what we thought was a bridge turns out to be a parting. And that, too, is something we must learn to translate.