July 06, 2021
Linda Blaser
Kripper’s translation students work with Argentine poet
Assistant Professor of Spanish Denise Kripper provided her students with a hands-on opportunity to work with an Argentine poet on their translations of her work and participate with her in a bilingual reading.
The students’ translations were published in Latin American Literature Today magazine and a video of Gabriela Clara Pignataro reading her poems in Spanish—and Foresters reading their English versions—is featured on the magazine’s website.
Yanna Glaspy ’23, a double major in Spanish and education, appreciates the opportunity that Kripper, a respected literary translator, arranged for her students.
“It was cool to meet with the author, talk about our translation, and ask her questions,” Glaspy said. “Professors at Lake Forest are not trying to manage 400 students, so we’re able to do collaborative work like this and have an opportunity to meet the author and read with her.”
Kripper brings to class many guest speakers who work in translation so students can discuss different parts of the translation process, from translating to editing and publishing.
“It’s really great to work with a professor who is so clearly a part of the translation community,” Glaspy said.
Kripper’s introductory course to translation studies in the fall is more theoretical. In the spring, she gives her students real-life translation experience in a hands-on workshop-style class.
“The experience goes beyond actually translating to include understanding the publishing industry, how to work with authors and editors, and how to pitch translations,” Kripper said. “Many of my students are interested in pursuing a career in translation after college. Thanks to this class and to Latin American Literature Today, where I am translation editor, they now have a published translation they can include in their CV.”
Participating in the translation and bilingual reading were: Lindsey Contreras ’21, Yasmin Corrales ’22, Shaye Gauthier ’21, Glaspy, Cassidy Herberth ’21, Nathaniel Kregar ’22, Jared Peterson ’21, Stephanie Salgado ’23, and Teagan Wolf ’21.
