The translation of poetry from one language into another inevitably entails some degree of misrepresentation even when the source and target languages are closely related. When they have little in common the gulf between reality and the representation can be enormous. Such has long been the case with English representation of the poetries of Asia. Here, myths and misconceptions abound even when it comes to such familiar genres as the Tang quatrain and the Japanese haiku. In this tell-all panel, translators working out of various Asian poetic traditions will dispel some of the more egregious misunderstandings and, in setting the record straight, draw attention to the wonderfully diverse poetries of Asia.
