Doctoral student to translate English professor’s banned novel from Persian to English

Binghamton University Assistant Professor of English Amir Ahmadi Arian’s novel That Mid-December Day recounts a single day in the life of a Tehran college student, who drifts in and out of daydreams as he observes the world around him.

Banned for years in his native Iran, it’s now being translated for the first time into English — courtesy of the Translation Research and Instruction Program (TRIP)’s doctoral student Azadeh Eriss.

Eriss, who works in Persian, English, French and Russian, recently received the Student Translation Award from the American Translators Association (ATA) and American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation (AFTI) at the 2025 ATA annual conference in Boston.

“This recognition is more than an honor; it reaffirms why I chose translation as my vocation — to build bridges and allow stories to travel freely across cultures,” Eriss said.

Eriss completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Translation Studies in her native Iran, where she worked as a professional translator, researcher, university lecturer and language instructor before coming to Binghamton. Now a second-year doctoral student in the Translation Research and Instruction Program (TRIP), she chose Binghamton because it is home to the oldest and one of the most respected Translation Studies programs in the United States, she said.

The novel she’s currently translating was banned due to its depictions of drug use and profanity, although its political content was also a factor. For example, in one chapter, college students smoke opium while discussing the student uprising of 1999, which was brutally suppressed by the Iranian government, Ahmadi Arian said. (The day the novel takes place is Dec. 15, 1999.)

Translating That Mid-December Day is undeniably challenging: The language is full of idiomatic expressions, layered meanings and subtle cultural messages that don’t have direct equivalents in English.

“Capturing its emotional depth, rhythm and tone while making it resonate with English-speaking readers requires both creative and cultural sensitivity,” Eriss said. “This translation is not only a literary project aimed at publication, but also an act of cultural resistance—amplifying a voice long silenced by censorship and allowing it to reach new audiences.”

While first and foremost a writer, Ahmadi Arian has also done translation work on the side and has been working closely with Eriss on the project, offering edits and suggestions. He writes exclusively in English these days; prior to 2013, he wrote exclusively in Persian. Some of his recent work has been published, among other places, in Harper’s Magazine, the London Review of Books, and the New York Review of Books.

“This is a fairly unique case, in that a book I originally wrote in my mother tongue is now being translated into the language I write in today,” he said. “I can therefore see the nuances of the text and the state of mind Azadeh brings to the translation.”

Eriss has also received guidance and support from Professor Omid Ghaemmaghami, interim Graduate Director of TRIP and Associate Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (MEAMS).

“That Mid-December Day is an intense, elliptical, and richly textured narrative that oscillates between memory, trauma, and surreal hallucination,” notes Ghaemmaghami. “In rendering the novel into English, Azadeh is achieving something both faithful and artful: a translation that retains the gritty realism, dark psychological undertones, and existential dread of the Persian without over-explaining or diluting its cultural specificity.”

Connection across culture

Outside of the current project, Eriss’ work focuses on audiovisual translation (AVT) and the role of technology on AVT practices. Her research examines media such as films, television series, video games, social media content, news and even AI-generated captions. Practices such as subtitling, dubbing and voice-over can ideally make content accessible to global audiences, while preserving meaning, tone and cultural nuance, she said. At the same time, her work critically explores how digital tools, automation, and AI are reshaping translation workflows, raising important questions about quality, ethics, and cultural representation in a technology-driven media landscape.

Unlike written translation, AVT must align with on-screen action and timing, adding an entirely different level of complexity. In short, it must translate not just words, but experience, she explained.

People often underestimate the value of translation and may believe that computer applications and artificial intelligence can replace human translators. But it’s not as simple as swapping out a word in one language for another. After all, translators choose what to highlight, soften or omit; these choices, in turn, shape how cultures are represented and understood.

Eriss is particularly interested in how different audiences perceive translations, and how the same translated text can be interpreted differently. These differences in perception raise an important question: How can a translator remain true to the source text and culture, while making audiences aware of the inevitable shifts in meaning that occur when that text is translated?

“For me, translation is both an intellectual and an ethical practice. It involves careful listening, informed decision-making, and a responsibility to reflect on how translation shapes assumptions about gender, race, cultural stereotypes and difference,” Eriss explained. “Ultimately, translation is not only about transferring meaning, but about fostering awareness, understanding and critical engagement across cultures.”

Given current events in her homeland, the work is also deeply personal to Eriss. For years, she has dreamt of introducing Iranian literature to a global audience, with all its depth, beauty and humanity. The AFTI award may bring her a step closer to that goal, as she is actively seeking a U.S. publisher for her translation of That Mid-December Day.

“Persian literature reflects a rich cultural heritage, profound human values, and powerful storytelling traditions that deserve to be known beyond political headlines,” she said. “Through translation, I hope not only to share the beauty and depth of Iranian literature, but also to offer insight into what many Iranians have endured in recent years, and to foster greater understanding, empathy, and connection across cultures.”