☆ENGLISH ONLY☆コミュのweb journal of literature

Asymptote is an exciting new international journal dedicated to literary translation and bringing together in one place the best in contemporary writing. We are interested in encounters between languages and the consequences of these encounters. Though a translation may never fully replicate the original in effect (thus our name, “asymptote”: the dotted line on a graph that a mathematical function may tend towards but never reach), it is in itself an act of creation.



George Bernard Shaw famously said, “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange those ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” Similarly, incorporeal works of art(poems, short stories etc.) have the potential to affect millions since unlike apples, they are unencumbered by the problem of scarcity(Lewis Hyde). The value of translation is that it unleashes from latency ideas and emotions to a vast sea of others who do not have access to the language in which these ideas and emotions reside.



Beyond the smorgasbord of languages offered in each issue, Asymptote seeks to persuade the reader of their sensual pleasures. Not only will we display work in its original language after the English translation, we also encourage translators (especially of poems) to provide audio recordings of the original work so that the reader has access as well to the sounds of that language, via a “Press PLAY” audio option whenever such an MP3 recording is available. Other than the usual categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, we will also feature a section for visual poetry highlighting the intrinsic visual characteristics of the original language, the only section where we will not feature a translation.

Every quarter, we will also present an interview with a noted translator, as well as a “special feature” section devoted to encounters with (non-English) languages, in any form, that will vary from issue to issue. For our call for submissions in the Special Feature category in the upcoming issue, and for detailed guidelines for submissions in other sections, please check out our submission guidelines.



Our editorial team presently comprises the following:
Chief/Fiction/Visual: Lee Yew Leong(Singapore/Taiwan)
Poetry/Criticism: Brandon Holmquest(US)
Drama: Nathalie Handal(Palestine/France/US)
Nonfiction: Aditi Machado(India/US)
Special Feature: Anthony Luebbert(US)
Interview: Rotated between the editors
Contributing Editor: Sayuri Okamoto(Japan)



We are lovers of literature who have come together to honor the art of translation. We are not doing this with any expectation of recompense. (Donations are however more than welcome, to pay for the construction and upkeep of our website, as well as an annual print anthology that we aim to make available worldwide.) Though this journal was conceived in Singapore, we are in fact positioning our journal as an international one, that is, international insofar as English continues to dominate as the world’s lingua franca. In any case, as we seem here to be a restless lot, the journal will actually be put together from Singapore, India, Taiwan, France, Palestine and the U.S., our wider net benefitting the magazine’s aim of a global reach.



We look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible, and publishing the best of your translations. Spread the word!