UROP Project

20th Century Puerto Rican Poetry Translation Project

translation, Spanish, poetry, literature
Research Mentor: Oliver Brooks, he/they
Department, College, Affiliation: English, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: ljb20@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Spanish and/or English preferred
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable

Project Description

This research project offers the opportunity to learn about 20th century Latin American literature through hands-on translation practices.

Manuel Ramos Otero was a prominent Puerto Rican poet and writer whose work has largely never before been translated into English. This project primarily seeks to translate his late and posthumously-published poetic texts to be accessible to a contemporary English-speaking audience, in addition to translating theoretical, biographical, and bibliographical texts written by other scholars studying his oeuvre. This will involve archival and secondary research to inform the social, political, and linguistic contexts in which Otero wrote in order to produce well-informed translations and translator's notes.

Research Tasks: Research tasks may include: Translating academic and creative texts from Spanish to English, performing biographical and scholarly research, synthesizing research findings, proofreading drafts

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Spanish language competency (required)
Proofreading (recommended)

Mentoring Philosophy

My primary goal as a mentor is to foster a reciprocal scholarly and creative relationship that allows mentees hands-on translation practice in an academic context. As a graduate student, I want to work closely with emerging writers and translators to impart my own experience in the field of translation studies while identifying and supporting my mentee’s own personal, academic, and professional goals. This project assumes fostering curiosity about contemporary Latin American poetry and exploring the different possibilities and configurations for co-translation practices as central objectives. Accordingly, my philosophy toward mentorship assumes that mentors and mentees will learn equally from one another and benefit from an inclusive, mutually respectful, and collaborative approach to research. As a mentor, I intend to prioritize independence, time management, ethical research skills, proactive communication, and a healthy work/life balance within the mentoring relationship. Likewise, I expect my mentees to be equally invested in their own growth as I am; demonstrate initiative by setting and advancing toward their own goals; come prepared to meetings; follow through on scheduled tasks; and communicate early and often when challenges arise.

Additional Information


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