Don’t Trip! Joys and Challenges of Straddling Two Cultures to Research and Write a Biography of Archbishop Romero
Don’t Trip! Joys and Challenges of Straddling Two Cultures to Research and Write a Biography of Archbishop Romero By Emily Wade Will Why did you choose to write a biography of Archbishop Romero? He’s not exactly a household name outside Latin America. Due to my...
Cardinal Sins of Translation #8: Ignore the Language Police
Recently, I attended the Editors Canada annual conference. One of the presentations especially caught my attention as it dealt with instances in which it is acceptable for editors to break the rules or bypass the style guide, a subject matter that seemed a little...
When should a translator NOT translate?
What sorts of phrases or words are best left in the original language? In 2014, Renée Morel and I published Shipwrecked on Traffic Island and Other Previously Untranslated Gems by Colette. One of the questions that Renée and I mulled over repeatedly in our...
Literary Translation: A Translator’s Perspective
This is the second post in a two-part series. Do read author Luis Sanz Irles’ perspective on our collaboration first. When I was offered the possibility of translating a novel from Spanish into English for an author, I immediately realized two things: what a great...
Literary Translation: An Author’s Perspective
By Luis Sanz Irles When I was offered the possibility of having one of my novels translated into English, I immediately realized two things: what a great opportunity it was, and what a challenge. It must have been my lucky week, for I was also given the possibility of...
Cardinal Sins of Translation #7: Translating for Free
If you have any experience with literary translation, you probably already know that it tends to be more a labor of love than a job that can bring home the “big bucks.” So why would anyone do it for free? I interviewed six translators (for free) to find out. My...
Behind the Scenes: Translators Take Us Inside Their Translation
I am certain I am not the only literary translator who gobbled up Edith Grossman’s book, Why Translation Matters and Gregory Rabassa’s book, If This Be Treason: Translation and Its Dyscontents. There’s something about being allowed into the minds of other literary...
Translators of the World, Unite! A Collaborative Manifesto
By Roger Sedarat The ghost of American Romanticism still haunts western verse translation. Even before Ezra Pound, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s appropriation began to define English renderings of eastern verse. Sure, the field of translation studies has done much to reassert...
Cardinal Sins of Translation #6: Correcting “Errors” in the Source Text
(Note: This article is the sixth in our “Cardinal Sins of Translation” series. If you missed any of the others, you can find them all here!) When I contacted the author of the most recent book I translated, one of the first things she said was that she was excited to...
Literary Translation: An Endless Treasure a Hunt
Did you ever go on treasure hunts as a kid? If not, don't worry. You've likely been on one with every literary translation you undertake. At least, that's what it feels like to me. You sit down at your desk, and one unknown word, vague concept or quote leads you down...