Making Thai Literature Available to the English Speaking Audience: Translating Ganokpong Songsomphan’s Stories from Thai to English

Authors

Lewis Jones, Brigham Young University
Dr. Alma Keith Lawrence, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Thai literature, translated literature, Ganokpong Songsomphan

College

Humanities

Department

English

Abstract

Currently many readers are beginning to turn to translated literature to add some spice to their readings. Magazines such as Harper’s and The New Yorker are publishing more and more translated literature as the demand for it continues to grow. Much of the translated literature which is published is Asian literature; however, it is mainly Chinese and Japanese literature which is currently being translated. When I searched online to find the Thai literature available, I was disappointed to find that it consisted mainly of cook books. I thought that the Asian literature audience, if given the chance, would appreciate Thai literature such as short stories in addition to the recipe for the latest Thai curry craze. In order to facilitate this, I decided to translate two of Gonokpong Songsomphan’s short stories: “On Colosseum Road” and “Waterfall.”

Recommended Citation

Jones, Lewis and Lawrence, Dr. Alma Keith (2014) "Making Thai Literature Available to the English Speaking Audience: Translating Ganokpong Songsomphan’s Stories from Thai to English," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 618.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/618