Cinthia Font's Articles on Lions Roar

In a special feature, two highly trained translators, Cinthia Font, in conversation with Mariana Restrepo, and Lama Karma Yeshe Chodron, share not only the place the translator holds in the transmission of the dharma, but also how it feels to sit in that seat and hold that responsibility. We all have different reasons and motivations that fueled our search for “something else,” leading us to look outside the familiar. But as Western practitioners of the buddhadharma, most of us probably found our way to Buddhism in a similar manner: through a book. Perhaps that book was recommended by a friend, a teacher, or even a stranger; maybe it was assigned in a college class, or it caught our attention at the library. For me, that first book was the Dhammapada. As a college freshman, I was determined to learn anything I could about Buddhism. However, my small college did not offer any Buddhist studies classes. I had to convince the philosophy professor to offer a class in Eastern philosophy, and then I had to collect signatures convincing classmates to enroll in the class. I remember reading each verse of the Dhammapada, analyzing it, wanting to know more. I found different translations of the text and compared them to see if a different translation, the use of different words, different ways of expressing the same idea, would lead me to a deeper understanding of each verse. I even read Spanish translations, hoping they might provide new insight. For most practitioners in the West, every traditional text we’ve ever read is a translation. But how much thought do we give to the translator? For most practitioners in the West, every traditional text we’ve ever read is a translation. But how much thought do we give to the translator—their training, their view, their process? What follows are two pieces that explore these questions, providing us with an opportunity to reflect on how the role of the translator, both historically and in contemporary times, is not only central to the establishment of the tradition in a new context, but also plays a vital role in the development of the tradition. The buddhadharma is a living tradition, one that, while rooted in the Buddha’s teachings, has adapted and continues to adapt, evolving differently in different places and times, continuously growing and taking shape through its teachers, practitioners, and translators. Buddhism has not only changed over time, but thanks to its adaptability, it has also changed according to the cultural contexts in which it finds itself. Thanks to this characteristic, through the spread of Buddhism in Asia and to the West, we now find different and unique Buddhist traditions that reflect its practitioners’ varying needs and cultures. In the articles that follow, we hear from two translators, Cinthia Font and Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön, whose practices have become inseparable from the nuanced work of navigating the teachings in multiple languages. In my interview with Cinthia Font, we discuss the historical role of the translator as Buddhism became established in Tibet and the role of translators today, as they carry on that tradition. Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön, in her article, takes us through her journey, from interpreting as a little girl for her Cuban immigrant parents to discovering, through her study of Tibetan, how the act of translation can become a personal offering for those who are willing to listen. Both offer us a glimpse of the dedication and love of words that support—in ways we may not recognize or often consider—how each of us receives and understands the Buddha’s teachings. —Mariana Restrepo, associate editor Mariana Restrepo: Historically, what role have translators played in the transmission of the dharma? Cinthia Font: During the early transmission of Buddhism in Tibet, in the late seventh century, there was a massive initiative by King Songtsen Gampo, and again in the mid-eighth century by King Trison Detsen, both of whom sent scholars to India to gather and translate the original teachings of the Buddha. As part of that endeavor, the teachings had to be integrated within the new culture, not only from the standpoint of the language, but also transmitted and incorporated into the native culture itself. In order for that to happen, translators and scholars played the most important role. They not only brought the teachings back and codified them in the native language, they actually studied and practiced them at the feet of living teachers. There was a process of understanding, realizing, and embodying those teachings while working with teams of scholars and other highly accomplished practitioners to render those teachings in a language that would be accessible to the native people in Tibet. Authenticity can only come if it is guided by practice. We’re talking about something that goes beyond the scope of merely understanding the language or the culture. From that perspective, translators, known as the lotsawas, were seen as more than translators. The word lotsawa connotes more of an accomplished master of the buddhadharma, someone with outstanding knowledge, wisdom, and the capacity to transmit those teachings in a way that people would understand. The lotsawas’ role went beyond the scope of what we think a translator is; they were considered teachers in their own right and, in some cases, lineage holders as well. What are the characteristics of a modern translator/interpreter? The ideal translator and interpreter is a Buddhist scholar and practitioner, someone who has both textual knowledge of the tradition, as well as experiential accomplishment. Thus, ideally, it is somebody with twofold training: the traditional scholastic training in the philosophy and the contemplative training. The latter entails receiving instructions for the practice, accomplishing them, and spending time in retreat under the supervision of a qualified master who guides the path. Can you talk about the relationship between the teacher and the translator/interpreter? The model I think is probably the most successful, in terms of faithfulness to the original teachings, is a translator/interpreter who can study under an authentic teacher, thus receiving guidance, being able to practice, develop, and assist in the transmission of the teachings of that master. There is a distinction between oral interpreters or textual translators who work for Buddhist masters and train within the living tradition, and translators focused on academic studies who might not be practicing Buddhists. It is not uncommon to find experts in the field who are outsiders to the tradition. For a Buddhist practitioner who studies under a teacher and goes on to take on the responsibility of translating their teachings, the teacher–student relationship is of foremost importance. It is a model that requires the student to rely upon the wisdom of the teacher who can elucidate, clarify, and help the student develop more awareness and wisdom to gain certainty of the meaning of the teachings that he or she is studying. Has the role of the translator/interpreter changed in modern times? It is an important—and vast—question that I hope to hear discussed in more depth among modern translators. In my opinion, a modern translator needs to embody their teacher’s vision and ideal of the tradition in order to preserve the authenticity of the teachings without diluting them, without leaving room for misinterpretation, and with awareness of the things that might get lost in translation. Certain aspects are inevitably subject to change. We are talking about a millenary tradition being implanted in the modern world, in different countries, with different linguistic approaches and cultures, with independent appropriations pertaining to the specific milieus in which the tradition becomes rooted. Therefore, we are not talking about one endeavor; we’re talking here about many different endeavors. I don’t believe there is just one way to do it. I think the guidance of masters with a visionary perspective and approach as to how this can be done is extremely important. It is a collaboration with sensitive, open-minded, and highly accomplished individuals who are solely dedicated to authentically embodying the teachings of the Buddha. That authenticity can only come if it is guided by practice. Committed practitioners with deepened understanding and realization of the meaning can work on that together with their masters. We’re talking about something that goes beyond the scope of merely understanding the language or the culture. Can you talk about your own personal experience as an interpreter/translator? How do you prepare to translate, how do you get into the headspace, and how do you relate to your teacher in that context? Something really beautiful happens when one has the opportunity to be the conduit of the words of one’s teacher into one’s own language. In this context, it is not your words but the words of their wisdom-mind, emerging from the Buddha’s wisdom. You are the conduit of a vast tradition, including all the generations that are presently embodied in the teacher him or herself. One could say it is a sacred moment. In trying to do justice to that, what is most useful, in my case, is to observe how the teacher’s shower of blessings pours down. I just open up to that space and try to get myself out of the way. When I say “I try to get out of the way,” I mean I try not to interpret based on my own personal likes and dislikes or my attachments and narrow ways of viewing the world. I try to open up my mind, listen attentively, without projecting, and, whenever possible, to find or reproduce the same words the teacher is using. I attempt to convey the same energy in the sense that, if the teacher is being humorous or using metaphors to help us understand better, I try to adopt language of the same or a similar register. By getting out of the way, I’m hoping my personality as an individual doesn’t come...

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