An interview with Biaz Nabilla, native Bahasa Indonesia speaker and Thousand Languages intern
By Olivia Nieser — November 25, 2024
Biaz Nabilla is a linguist and educator specializing in sociolinguistics, language shifts, and identity studies. She is currently active in promoting language revitalization and eco-tourism programs for the Dayak languages in Central Kalimantan through Tropical Trails Borneo while she also works on her current research project on locals’ voice representation on Dayak language being removed from the national curriculum.
The Thousand Languages Project is an exciting collaborative translation database launched by Hayden’s Ferry Review (HFR), an award-winning international literary journal run by creative writing students in the Department of English at ASU. To bring over thirty years of the journal’s original literary art to new audiences, students and others from around the globe are translating that work into additional languages, with the lofty, poetic goal of someday reaching a "thousand languages."
Question: What interests you about the Thousand Languages Project?
Answer: I have always loved poetry and creative writing. When I heard that the Thousand Languages Project allowed us to work with translation and poetry, I was excited to join as an intern. This was a perfect opportunity because one of my research interests is multilingual identity and the Thousand Languages Project provided me with a platform where I could connect with incredible multilingual poets, writers, and translators. Furthermore, The Thousand Languages Project is fascinating because it aims to preserve and celebrate linguistic diversity by translating classic and contemporary literature into a wide array of languages including Bahasa Indonesia. I talked to Jackie, the Thousand Languages Project manager, and I was impressed with her explanation of the project itself. She told me that the project highlights the importance of preserving and promoting languages that are often overlooked or endangered which I think also aligns with efforts to maintain cultural heritage and diversity. I read some of the translations on the website and I think the Thousand Languages Project allows for the sharing of ideas and narratives across cultures, promoting understanding and empathy. It also allows people to see their own languages and cultures represented in global literature.
Q: How would you describe your experience engaging with other languages, speakers of other languages, and linguists during this project?
A: It was an extraordinary experience. It broadened my knowledge of how to produce accurate translations based on the themes and emotions that the poets put into their works. In one of my translations, Glossary for a miscarriage, I got a chance to talk with another intern/linguist who translated a similar piece which added important perspectives. I contacted some exceptional linguists who also contributed to reviewing my translations and discussing several do’s and don'ts. I read some books including “Translating Translation”, a book written by Alberto Ríos, and gained some knowledge that working with different languages involves navigating challenges such as finding equivalent expressions, preserving the author's tone and style, and ensuring cultural nuances should accurately be conveyed. The experience was rewarding, especially from the linguistics perspective that we often are seen to play a key role in documenting and preserving languages, and the collaboration can be instrumental in projects aimed at revitalizing and maintaining linguistic diversity. As much as I love language, translating poetry or creative writing from the original language to the target language, it was fun and challenging because we are supposed to read between the lines. However, the people I worked and collaborated with showed so much encouragement.
Q: Has the project led you to an improved analysis of language structure in your native, second language, or as a multilingual language user?
A: Yes. This project has made me more critical in my native language and as a multilingual user. Through exposure to vast amounts of text data and interactions with users, I have developed a more nuanced grasp of syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and other aspects of language structure, especially Bahasa Indonesia. In my head, I speak perfect Bahasa Indonesia. So, I had all my confidence to translate some pieces in Bahasa Indonesia. Then, I spoke with my reviewers about my translation. Their feedback changed how I viewed myself as native Bahasa Indonesia speaker. There were many linguistic aspects that I should have paid closer attention to when translating creative writing. Even if the syntax structure of Bahasa Indonesia and English language are quite similar, understanding the contexts and word choices can be very challenging. It took me quite some time to translate one stanza.
Therefore, this project has allowed me to recognize similarities and differences in language structures across different linguistic families. The Thousand Languages Project has enabled me to better understand the intricacies of language and how they manifest across diverse linguistic contexts, specifically because I could directly practice what I learned from my syntax class.
Q: Can you describe your experience with translations through various modalities like music and art if applicable?
A: Since I only did my internship for a semester, which I think was quite short, I did not have a chance to translate other modalities. However, I was also working as a web/media assistant. I organized the Thousand Languages Project website and this role provided me with broader translation experiences because I could look at the other poets’ creative work including some arts (pictures/drawing) and interns’ various translations. I was extremely excited to learn how to create such arts that have deep meaning and how the translators were able to dig deeper into its contexts. So, if I were given the opportunity to continue my study, I would love to do my internship with Thousand Languages Projects again, but this time I wish to explore even broader translation areas.
Q: How has your work on the Thousand Languages Project been informed by your research, coursework, or other experiences in linguistics or teaching English to speakers of other languages?
A: My experience with the Thousand Languages Project has significantly improved my analytical skills in doing research. I did my internship with the Thousand Languages Project while I was also enrolled in syntax class. Therefore, the theoretical knowledge I gained from my syntax class was applied structurally in my internship. It was honestly difficult for me to understand syntax since it was not my research interest, however I was grateful that I still could apply the knowledge well in my translations. For example, in my translation “Glossary for Miscarriages”, I also looked at several syntax structures in Prof. Elly’s book that emphasized the mental image of each word. I went through the minimalism of phrases and sentences of each stanza and analyzed how each word structure could affect its meanings.
While my research focuses on identity and language shifts, it was interesting to analyze my own experience and perspectives as well as other translators’ identity and language shifts through our translations. I did a small study for a course in academic writing on translators’ voices when they switched their languages for the project they worked on and the results showed that these translators tended to shift their identity through emotion while they translated to the target language.
Q: What outcomes do you hope for the Thousand Languages Project to have?
A: I think the Thousand Languages Project can contribute to a more inclusive and diverse world by ensuring that all languages are valued and supported. I hope this project can become a valuable platform for creative writers, poets, artists, and translators to express their identity and voices accordingly and appropriately. I believe that this project can help to promote and save endangered languages as well. As an Indonesian, I hope that there will be more Indonesian interns or translators who would contribute to translate into even diverse local languages in Indonesia. Furthermore, with its aim to extend its commitment to cultural exchange by increasing worldwide access to literature originally written in English, I hope the Thousand Languages Project can be reached by diverse multilingual speakers across the globe who care about literature, creative writing, and languages.