Literary Translators: What Is Your Favorite Book That You've Translated?
Thread poster: Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
Mar 18, 2021

Please share why.

 
Aleksandra Nikolic
Aleksandra Nikolic  Identity Verified
Serbia
Local time: 05:01
German to Serbian
+ ...
Favorite book that I have translated from German into Serbian Apr 13, 2021

My most favorite book which I translated from German into Serbian is "The dark side of love" from the author Rafik Schami. I enjoyed the whole project specially as the writer has a style I liked very much, gave me excellent support whenever it was needed, and through this book I learned so much about the history of Syria. When the whole mess with this poor and beautiful country started, I was deeply sad.

P.L.F. Persio
expressisverbis
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Zibow Retailleau
 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 05:01
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
  Apr 14, 2021

The Curse of Allie Mae, by Aiden James (Cades Cove series)

 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 05:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
Closet trainspotter Apr 14, 2021

"One hundred years of trains in Catalonia" (Un siglo de ferrocarril en Cataluña)

This is a historical/photographic trilingual tome which I must confess I was privileged to translate, documenting the arrival of Spain's first train in 1848, and subsequent development of the network to the present day (well, the 90s). I had to meet the author, the late and great Manuel Maristany (before he was late, natch), at his home in Barcelona, to discuss the photo captions (I had the captions, b
... See more
"One hundred years of trains in Catalonia" (Un siglo de ferrocarril en Cataluña)

This is a historical/photographic trilingual tome which I must confess I was privileged to translate, documenting the arrival of Spain's first train in 1848, and subsequent development of the network to the present day (well, the 90s). I had to meet the author, the late and great Manuel Maristany (before he was late, natch), at his home in Barcelona, to discuss the photo captions (I had the captions, but no photos). An intriguing man, a trainspotter since he was a boy, rushing down to the tracks in BCN to watch the trains go by, and take down their numbers.

In addition to the descriptions of trains, stations and historical context, I am particularly proud of the poem I had to translate, penned by a local literato on the occasion of the very first train ride in Spain between Barcelona and Mataró. Trains were such an unknown concept then that more than one passenger, it was reported in the press, had drawn up their last will and testament the day before, just in case, amid warnings from learned professors and scientists that travelling at such speeds would crush their organs and discomknockerate their breathing apparatus. But it was much faster than horses and carriages at the time, and so the bard wrote in rhyme (and to this day I can remember my translation, also rhyming, without looking):


Nunca tal cosa se vio
El comer en Barcelona, y el cenar en Mataró

[Never before could anyone go
To lunch in Barcelona, and dinner in Mataró]


OK, so maybe the metric isn't quite right in the second line. I was just a boy, giving it all away. But I know better now ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wewgE3j-ZoI






[Edited at 2021-04-14 18:32 GMT]
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expressisverbis
P.L.F. Persio
Zibow Retailleau
allthingsgo
 
allthingsgo
allthingsgo
Local time: 00:01
Chinese to English
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my favorite book on translation ( not translated but a book i've read on and off) Jun 4, 2021

Has anyone here read this book I'm currently doing a close reading:

"Performing without a stage - the art of literary translation" by Robert Wechsler?

My apology for a bit digression here.


P.L.F. Persio
 
P.L.F. Persio
P.L.F. Persio  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 05:01
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
Great title Jun 4, 2021

allthingsgo wrote:

Has anyone here read this book I'm currently doing a close reading:

"Performing without a stage - the art of literary translation" by Robert Wechsler?

My apology for a bit digression here.


No, I haven't, but thank you so much for the tip, allthingsgo!


 
Sergei Rioumin
Sergei Rioumin  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 15:01
Member (2021)
English to Russian
+ ...
favourite trilogy Jun 19, 2021

My favourite book (translated from English to Russian) was actually a trilogy 'Illuminae Files' by Australian authors, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. A wacky part text, part image SF romp about teenagers saving the universe with help of an AI that went mad. The trilogy got its own fan base on social media in Russia.

P.L.F. Persio
 


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Literary Translators: What Is Your Favorite Book That You've Translated?







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