The Task of the Translator (The Task of the Translator)
Release Date:
2010-01-01
Runtime:
10 min
Status:
Released
Genres:
N/A
Production:
Overview
Lynne Sachs pays homage to Walter Benjamin’s essay "The Task of the Translator" through three studies of the human body. First, she listens to the musings of a wartime doctor grappling with the task of a kind-of cosmetic surgery for corpses. Second, she witnesses a group of Classics scholars confronted with the haunting yet whimsical task of translating a newspaper article on Iraqi burial rituals into Latin. Finally, she turns to a radio news report on human remains.
