Babel Web Anthology

What is BWA?

The Babel Web Anthology builds upon the Babelmatrix idea that changes the traditional bilingual relationships between original literary works and their translations into a special, multilingual form.

Thanks to the innovative structure of Babelmatrix, it is possible to handle original literary works and their translations multi-dimensionally, that is, in multiple languages in the same time.

BWA is edited with great care and continuously updated with contextual information that can provide the user with adequate insight into the cultures and literatures of other European countries.

Let see an example:

Read the Spanish translation of Hamlet’s Monologue in parallel view with the original text and try to find the similar words and phrases!

Monologue of Hamlet (English)

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

El Soliloquio de Hamlet (Spanish)

¡Ser, o no ser, es la cuestión! -¿Qué debe
más dignamente optar el alma noble
entre sufrir de la fortuna impía
el porfiador rigor, o rebelarse
contra un mar de desdichas, y afrontándolo
desaparecer con ellas?

In Babelmatrix rows represent the languages of the original works and the columns the languages of translation.

Babelmatrix today:

BWA in figures (May 2010)

Number of original works: ~1 800

Number of translations: ~3 500

Page Rank: 6

Avarage number of unique visitors/months: 20 000

What we offer?

Set up new subanthologies as international project:

• Visegradliterature Net www.visegradliterature.net

A fullfilled part of Babelmatrix where Visegrad countries Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak literature perls are avalilable in each other language and also in English and German translation.

Set up national opened pool for volunteer editors and translators as national project:

• Hungarians in Babel www.magyarulbabelben.net

The basic literary pool is from classical, modern and contemporary Hungarian literature translated into several languages, and the pearls of the European literatures translated into Hungarian. It has just become available for the average user/amateur translators in web2 style. After moderating the new elements became part of the main database. Opened 2010 March.

Recent added original works: ~130

Recent added translations: ~210

Recent added authors and translators: ~80

Avarage number of unique visitors/months: 20 000

Who are our partners?

• In content development: University of Vienna Inst. for Netherlandistics and the portal NEDWEB, Austria / Florence University Press, Italy / Humboldt University, Inst. for Slavic Studies, Germany / Charles University, Prague Dep. for Czech Literature, Czech Republic / Slovak Academy of Sciences, Inst. for Slovak Literature, Slovakia / Drustvo Apokalipsa, Slovenia / Hunlit – Multi-lingual Literature Database of the Hungarian Book Foundation, Hungary

• In organisation: Literature Across Frontiers GB / Dubcit Ltd., Ireland / Książki Institute, Hungary / The Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic / The Centre for Information of Literature – LIC

• In publicity: Readme.cc / No man’s land – German Literature Online / Książki Institute, Hungary

• In finance: Volksbank Hungary Ltd. / The Budapest Observatory, Hungary

• In Sponsorations: Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture / Hungarian Book Foundation / Culture Point Office, Hungary / The International Visegrad Fund

Contact: E contact@babelmatrix.org