Issue#3, October 2007

Translating the World CafÉ

Three new translations of the World Café book were published this month! Translation teams in Japan, Taiwan, and Germany have been working for months towards this day, and the results are finally on the bookshelves, joining exisiting translations in Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish.

The covers for each of these new editions are all unique, as were the individual circumstances that supported the translation work and guided them into being, but the heart and care for the World Café and the desire to share it with people all around the world was the same in each.

Here are little tidbits from some of the wonderful stories behind this work... jump to the bottom of the page if you would like to order your copies now.

Japan. Friend of the World Café Daisuke Kawaguchi brought the book to the attention of his company, Human Value Inc.. which has a publishing department that introduces those international books that they feel are of most value to the Japanese people.

Daisuke took great care in overseeing the translation process, personally handling all the little details that make such a difference. His grace and friendliness made the process delightful. He had this to say upon publication, "We are happy to introduce (this book) to Japanese people for (the purpose of) creating a culture of dialogue as a call of our times."

Germany. Pat Munro, founding member and inspirational force for World Café Europe was the champion behind the German translation, working closely with the translator and publisher Carl Auer Verlag to produce a carefully crafted translation of the original.

Pat and her husband Jeffrey Beeson wrote the Foreward for this edition, (read the English translation here) in which they tell the remarkable story about how Dresden's famous Frauenkirche came to play such an important role in the first World Café Europe Gathering in Dresden earlier this year.

Taiwan. Like the Spanish translation that came out late last year, the Taiwan translation was a group effort - a labor of love made possible by the dedication of a small team that included J.P. Chi, LoLo Lin, Stephen Meng, and Samantha Tan. Their work was complicated by several factors that made the translation of key concepts even more more challenging than usual, and we are very grateful to them for their perseverance and steadfast dedication to excellence throughout the process.

This unique cultural reflection of the essence of the World Cafe was written by Lolo Lin as part of a Welcome letter introducing the book to readers in Taiwan (translation by J.P Chin):

"Being in the flow of the World Café tables that swirl amid the individual and the collective, we are saving the space for listening and then letting new language flow in our hearts. Our conversation will be brand new; inspiration and enlightenment emerges everywhere in the air of the Café. We are so happy the World Café has emitted so much perfume in Taiwan. The World Café community would like (to offer this translation) hands to hands with you, Taiwan readers, in making the world as a whole."

...o0o...

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to these new translations and congratulations on such beautiful results!

To order: Japanese Translation, Taiwanese Translation, German Translation