Literary Translation, Multidisciplinary Scholarship & the Portfolio Career w/ Dr. Owen Witesman

Hello BAFSA members,

Our next event this semester will be a guest lecture by Dr. Owen Witesman titled "Literary Translation, Multidisciplinary Scholarship & the Portfolio Career." The event will be held on April 16th at 4pm. The link for webinar registration is https://iu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SNpRKleVQZS_z3oW0RldIg. See below for the event description, an introduction to Dr. Witesman, and the flyer for the event. Feel free to share and circulate the flyer.

Event Description:

Career paths for language and area studies students can often be less straightforward than in other disciplines, but this does not mean they do not exist. Often some of the most rewarding careers come from multifaceted interests and broad, cross-disciplinary skill sets. In this discussion, Dr. Owen Witesman (CEUS MA 2005, SPEA PhD 2017) will talk about his path into literary translation--one of the least likely of careers--life as a multidisciplinary student and scholar, and how to achieve some semblance of work-life balance across continents, through a pandemic, and while raising a family.  

An introduction to Dr. Wiitesman:

Owen F. Witesman is a professional literary translator with a master’s in Central Eurasian Studies and a PhD in public affairs from Indiana University. He has translated dozens of Finnish books into English, including novels, children’s books, poetry, plays, graphic novels, and nonfiction. His translations include the first eleven novels in the Maria Kallio Mystery series, the dark family drama Norma by Sofi Oksanen, and Oneiron by Laura Lindstedt, 2015 winner of the Finlandia Prize for Literature. His MA thesis dealt with alcohol policy in Finland, and his dissertation analyzed the effect of public values on decision making. In addition to translating, Dr. Witesman also teaches environmental policy and administrative law courses for the IU O'Neill School. 

We look forward to seeing everyone there,

BAFSA Co-Presidents Quentin Swaryczewski and Alexandra O'Neil