http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/azimuth/editorials/introducing-samovar/
"Samovar aims to open up a meeting place between worlds.
Stories tell us who we are, and let us see who other people are. We already
have access to an enormous wealth of speculative fiction in English, but we
want to know more. We know that even as stories shape culture and language,
culture and language shape stories. We want to know what worlds are being
conjured in Finnish and Yoruba, what spells are cast in Japanese, and what
futures are imagined in Mexican Spanish—because we know that each of these
imaginings carries with it its own knowings.
Our plan is to publish respectful English-language translations of
speculative fiction stories and poems from around the world alongside the
originals, and to provide readers with a closer view of different traditions
through podcasts, reviews, interviews, and articles.
Translation is a difficult task. No single human utterance means the same
thing to all of us, because we each understand the world through our own
different framework, and the magic of words and language is loose and
contextual. But translation can be a powerful creative act, recognizing and
celebrating these differences. Translation brings readers and writers together;
it moves meaning across borders and through gradients of cultural identity,
something which seems more vitally important than ever in today's world.
But it is hard, painstaking work. Often, the translator believes that they
have done their job best if they disappear, if the reader is barely aware of
their presence. Yet the realities of publishing can make them vanish twice,
erased from the covers of books, and absent from reviews.
Samovar wants to make them visible, to shine a light on the work they do. If
even established writers and translators find it hard to gain recognition for
their work, emerging writers and translators face an even greater challenge. So
we want Samovar to be a place for new voices to share and explore new worlds.
There are exciting things going on already: Rachel Cordasco is carrying on
the work of Lavie Tidhar's World SF Blog, with a site featuring reviews,
interviews, and a bibliography of translated works; Clarkesworld's Chinese SF
project is showing what international collaboration can do, by working with the
Chinese company Storycom to enable the translations and throw a spotlight onto
exciting new works; and in so many other venues translators and editors are
working together to bring new work in translation to larger audiences. We hope
that Samovar will add yet more voices to this conversation.
As we write this, the Strange Horizons fund drive is underway. If it reaches
its stretch goal of US$21,000, Samovar will become a regular bi-annual special
imprint of the magazine. We are sharpening our pencils and drafting our first
calls for submissions. We are putting on the tea (we're called Samovar, after
all—tea is a vital part of our work). We are forming an advisory board and are
delighted to be working with the Reading the Fantastic project at the
University of Leeds, and the proposed new Centre for Science Fiction and
Fantasy at Anglia Ruskin University."
--Ahrvid
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