Ito, R. (2 November 2023). Celebrating Literature That ‘Brings the World Close.’ New York Times.
Given how often the Center for Intercultural Dialogue publishes translations, it seems particularly appropriate to point out this article.
Words Without Borders, one of the few magazines in the world dedicated to literature in translation, is turning 20 at a fraught time: Around the world, wars are raging. Writers are being jailed, dissident voices silenced and books banned.
As the magazine’s staff considered its anniversary celebrations — a virtual gala on Nov. 2, following a live one on Oct. 25 — one question was pressing: How do you find words, let alone celebrate them, when bombs are dropping?
The answer, said Karen M. Phillips, the magazine’s executive editor and publisher, was right there, baked into their mission — to gather and celebrate international literature, and in doing so, strengthen the connection between readers and writers around the world. Given the current political climate, the need for such conversations has never been more vital.
“Words Without Borders does this heroic job of bringing the world close to us,” said Courtney Hodell, the director of literary programs at the Whiting Foundation, which presented one of their inaugural Whiting Literary Magazine Prizes to the magazine in 2018. “At times like this, that feels like an essential and fundamental human act.”
Therefore, this is an appropriate occasion on which to thank all of the translators who have taken time from other activities to help CID prepare translations of our publications into a remarkable 
Born in Turkey, she immigrated to the USA in 1998. She studied English and German as part of her school curriculum in Turkey, and she enjoys translating between the languages of Turkish, German and English. In her current job, she helps software engineers accomplish their goals via Agile methodologies. She currently lives in New York City and appreciates the immense diversity the city has to offer. Her other interests include traveling the world and discovering good Plant Based food wherever she goes. She is happy to be a part of CID’s research community and hopes that through such exchange, the world will learn to become one and appreciate our differences as well as our similarities.
