MANILA – To strengthen the bilateral ties between the Czech Republic, Germany and the Philippines, these countries have agreed to translate their literary pieces into Filipino.
In collaboration with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), the Embassy of the Czech Republic was able to translate the literary masterpiece written by Jaroslav Seifert from Czech and English into Filipino in the span of eleven months. Through the talents of the poets from Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA) under the editorship of Roberto Añonuevo, Seifert’s poems could now be enjoyed by Filipino audiences.
H.E. Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, Jr. was proud to have undertaken this project being a translator and writer himself. For Mr. Thorsten Gottfried, the translations bridge the gap to common understanding and togetherness–an applied cultural diplomacy.
Meanwhile, Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” was also translated from German and English to Filipino by Joselito delos Reyes, who described the aptness of the translation of this avant-garde literary masterpiece as Filipinos live their daily lives in Kafkaesque absurdity: the worsening traffic in the metropolis, the government purchasing turnstiles instead of new MRT coaches and the like.
Kafka’s “Ang Metamorposis” and Seifert’s “Sa Prága: Mga Piling Tula” are now available to the public through the Aklat ng Bayan Series published by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Embassy of Germany. (Eagle News Service)