Translation is the Deepest Form of Reading: 5 Questions for Bruna Dantas Lobato '15
By Mollie Hawkins
Bennington Writing Seminars recently announced a new dual-genre concentration as part of the MFA in Writing; beginning January 2027, students can study literary translation alongside fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Designed and directed by faculty member Bruna Dantas Lobato '15, the concentration is an opportunity for current and future students to deepen their understanding of literature through a global perspective. We asked Lobato a few questions about the new concentration and the art of literary translation.
What does it mean to you (personally and/or professionally) to step into this role as both an alum of the College and as a faculty member?
I took my very first translation and writing workshops when I was an undergraduate student at Bennington, and it’s fair to say my life hasn’t been the same since. It meant a lot to me that I was encouraged to experiment as a writer and to write in more than one genre and in more than one language. A whole world opened up to me. It’s a little trippy and a huge honor to be back in this role: giving back to the community that made me, supporting translation and translators, and helping expand the Bennington Writing Seminars.
How would you say this new concentration reflects the Bennington Writing Seminars’ broader commitment to literary experimentation and rigor?
Translation is the deepest form of reading. And deep, adventurous, creative readers make the strongest writers. It is a wonderful extension of the Bennington Writing Seminars’ motto, “Read 100 books; write one.”
What excites you most about building this concentration—and how do you hope it will shape students’ artistic lives beyond the MFA?
I’m thrilled that students will have the opportunity to develop a parallel practice, as writers who translate and translators who write. The best writers I know are serious students of other writers’ styles, and of course the same goes for translators.
What kinds of texts, languages, or traditions do you hope students will engage with?
Any and all, from anywhere and any period. That’s what’s so exciting. Students are free to pursue their interests beyond the English language and that could take us anywhere.
How do you see literary translation expanding what it means to be a writer today?
Translators are writers, first and foremost. Open-minded, intellectually curious, multilingual, and stylistically daring writers. My hope is that writers who work exclusively in other genres are paying attention and learning from translators’ openness to the world.
And now, a low-stakes bonus question! If you could say one thing to a prospective student or current student considering the translation track, what would it be?
Give it a try!