Awaiaulu provides a mentorship training in translation that progresses in 2-year phases.
Translation trainees from Phase I of this series were Kalei Kawaʻa and Kamuela Yim, two fluent speakers of Hawaiian who were already teachers in the immersion classroom. After spending time on translation theory and translating a variety of example texts, the text chosen as the focus of training was Ke Kumu Aupuni, the 1996 republication of S.M. Kamakau’s historical writings, originally published in the newspaper Ka Nupepa Kuokoa from 1865-1867 under the title Ka Moolelo o Kamehameha I.
Every week for over a year, the two trainees drafted translations of ever-larger selections from the source text until each was handling a full chapter (weekly serial article) every week. They would then spend a 4-5 hour weekly session with Dr. Nogelmeier, reviewing, correcting and illuminating the accuracy of the translation and contextual understanding of the text. The last months of the two-year training were spent in review of the overall translation and the orthography of the original text, moving both volumes closer to publication.
In the course of translating the Hawaiian material, the 1996 republication, Ke Kumu Aupuni, was edited and corrected, preparing it for reprinting once the English version was prepared for print. Both texts are currently awaiting final editing and publication.
