WORK OF KARL DEDECIUS, BUILDER OF POLISH-GERMAN RECONCILIATION – WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS

The workshop held on 30 September at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa was organised as part of the project “A Space for Encounter: Translation - Reception - Transfer. The Work of Karl Dedecius on the 10th Anniversary of His Death”. The event was attended by a large group of students from the Feliks Fabianí Secondary School in Radomsko, accompanied by their teachers, Iwona Bałazińska and Marta Kurek.

The project is coordinated by our University (Project Leader: prof. Joanna Ławnikowska-Koper), with the following partner institutions: the Karl Dedecius Foundation (European University Viadrina), the University of Wroclaw and the University of Lodz. The activities are co-organised and funded by the Polish-German Foundation for Science and the Polish-German Association in Czestochowa. The next project activity will be an international conference to be held in Czestochowa from 8 to 10 October under the honorary patronage of the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The first part of the event consisted of a multimedia lecture prepared and delivered by prof. Joanna Ławnikowska-Koper, devoted to the life and work of Karl Dedecius. Its aim was to present the life of the Lodz-born translator, author of the 50-volume Polnische Bibliothek (Polish Library) and the seven-volume series Panorama der polnischen Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts (Panorama of Polish Literature of the 20th Century), against the historical background of his time, with particular emphasis on his experience of multiculturalism and multilingualism.

By exploring Dedecius’s commitment to “building bridges” between Poland and Germany, demonstrated, among other things, through his work at the German Institute for Polish Affairs in Darmstadt, which he founded and headed, the students were able to learn about the strength of character and determination of a man who firmly believed in the role of literature and culture in fostering friendship and cooperation between the Polish and German peoples.

The workshop conducted by dr Agnieszka Reszka focused on “The Translation Process According to Karl Dedecius and AI Techniques”. Using Zbigniew Herbert’s poem Kamień (The Stone) as an example, the students were able to compare the value and quality of Karl Dedecius’s translation with versions produced by a machine translation engine and by AI. By analysing the similarities and differences, the students became familiar with the key principles of Karl Dedecius’s translation practice, as well as with the possibilities and limitations of AI.

The workshops were accompanied by an exhibition of materials devoted to the distinguished translator and advocate of Polish-German reconciliation. Thanks to the courtesy of the Karl Dedecius Archive ([Karl Dedecius Archive]), the exhibition is currently on display at Jan Dlugosz University.