Asymptote is the only literary magazine I’ve ever worked for (or even heard about) that has the editorial and translatorial brainpower and resources to pull off a 20-language project in 10 days.
Because that is just what we pulled off with Say Ayotztinapa, which—thanks to the intrepid blog, design, and social media teams—surged on the wave of worldwide solidarity with the victims of the Ayotzinapa massacre in September 2014 and with the subsequent protests. And it’s wasn’t only a translatorial feat, the post was shared in the thousands, including retweets by organizations like English PEN, Words Without Borders, and Granta.
I put the call out for translators for the project on an ordinary Wednesday—and on that very same day received an offer of an introduction from New York-based Mexican author Valeria Luiselli, as well as nine different offers from translators. One of the first messages came from our Israel editor-at-large, saying: “We all do our tiny little part in the world: Mine is translating.”
Before I knew it, responses were coming from all over the world, translators working on the same source material, crafting a result that they then painstakingly recorded and sent over—though we did get some coaching on the pronunciation of Ayotzinapa: say it with me now, “Eye-ott-zee-nappa.”
Asymptote does not only have excellent taste in global literature (from ancient to contemporary), but it also continues to prove—in a very tangible way—that translation is not tiny; it is a vital force in promoting good. I’m so proud to be the journal’s editor-at-large for Mexico and can’t wait to see what we at Asymptote do next.
“Say Ayotztinapa” was even picked up by Reforma, a Mexican daily with one of the widest circulations of all the newspapers in the country. I’ve attached a photo, below:
Secondly, and most hearteningly, the project—our translations—reached Ayotzinapa School itself this year.
Now, in a corner of one of the poorest regions in Mexico, they’ve had the chance to hear our translations from all over the globe… a profound, tangible act of solidarity and support they quite literally couldn’t have even fathomed before Asymptote’s efforts reached them. Such is the power of a journal committed to equanimity in translation. Such is the power of the world’s literature—for free.
If you were heartened by this project and would like to see more of these multilingual efforts in future, please consider making a donation to Asymptote’s campaign today. The future of our not-for-profit organization depends on you.