I am always looking for new ways to be a Generous Mind and recently I spotted a new one that I just had to share. Many times when we think of translation, we consider it to be "copying" or "reiterating" rather than creating. After all, aren't we just putting someone elses words into a new language?
But in reality, translation is an incredible act of creativity. You have to understand two cultures and two languages and build the concepts and ideas into a compelling presentation that crosses those cultures and languages. It's a big deal and it isn't easy.
So if we establish that it is a creative act that takes time and investment, then it stands to reason that you can be generous with your translation! I think this is an area of creative generosity that we have not really considered in the past. And the more I think about it, the more it seems that translation is an incredibly appropriate example of being a Generous Mind.
Every time a person translates they are using their multilingual skills to bring an idea to a new audience. What a wonderful gift.
Well, today I have an opportunity for you multilinguals out there to be generous. Many of you may have heard of the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town this October. Well, attached to that is an online groundswell of interaction called the Lausanne Global Conversation. It is a powerful platform on which hundreds of people are discussing the issues. They recently made the conversation multilingual and much of the translation efforts are powered by volunteers. If you would like to be a Generous Mind by helping translate key articles from the Global Conversation so that other language groups can benefit from them, click here and read more about the opportunity.
Maybe someone will even translate this blog post! :)
But in reality, translation is an incredible act of creativity. You have to understand two cultures and two languages and build the concepts and ideas into a compelling presentation that crosses those cultures and languages. It's a big deal and it isn't easy.
So if we establish that it is a creative act that takes time and investment, then it stands to reason that you can be generous with your translation! I think this is an area of creative generosity that we have not really considered in the past. And the more I think about it, the more it seems that translation is an incredibly appropriate example of being a Generous Mind.
Every time a person translates they are using their multilingual skills to bring an idea to a new audience. What a wonderful gift.
Well, today I have an opportunity for you multilinguals out there to be generous. Many of you may have heard of the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town this October. Well, attached to that is an online groundswell of interaction called the Lausanne Global Conversation. It is a powerful platform on which hundreds of people are discussing the issues. They recently made the conversation multilingual and much of the translation efforts are powered by volunteers. If you would like to be a Generous Mind by helping translate key articles from the Global Conversation so that other language groups can benefit from them, click here and read more about the opportunity.
Maybe someone will even translate this blog post! :)
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