This page is dedicated to the translators of my books, people I admire. Of the translators I have met, many say that they, too, appreciate translators of fiction and poetry because it takes a special kind of talent. Here, translators of Anahita’s Woven Riddle tell about themselves and what they like about their work.
Hebrew Translation of Anahita
Published by Keter Books, Israel
Translated by Idit Shorer
Idit’s work was recently added to the IBBY Honour List 2008 for the translation of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnet (with some minor changes and an update).
“I graduated from Tel Aviv University in psychology and sociology and worked
in a mental hospital, in a youth prison and with kids who have dropped out
of school. I went on to study translation in Bet Berl (1989-1992) and
started translating books. I undertook further translation studies in a
post-graduate program in Tel Aviv University (2003) and a number of
translation workshops. My most important work include titles by Sylvia
Plath, Frank McCourt, Thomas Pynchon, T. Coraghessan Bolye, Frances Hodgson Burnet, Dodie Smith and Edith Wharton (both yet to be published).
And I love translation first and foremost for allowing me to read all day
long and call it work :)”
Anahita e l’enigma del tappeto
Rizzoli Books, Milan, Italy
Translated by Maria Concetta Scotto
“As I often say in conferences and workshops, the most enjoyable and challenging aspect of my work is translating puns, riddles and rhymes, which English and American books are full of. I usually turn off my computer and use paper pencil and eraser to try and find the most suitable solution, sometimes with help from family and friends, my personal "think-tank" :)
The Internet is a precious instrument for my research, but in some cases I am faced with very specific subjects, such as rare sports, hotel and restaurant kitchen staff, poker rules, etc., and I prefer to phone to experts and talk to them directly.
Translating is not transforming foreign words into familiar words, but putting together foreign worlds into a familiar world, so that any reader can enjoy a book (a world) he/she could not otherwise understand.
The most famous of the books I’ve translated are The Cycle of Inheritance of Christopher Paolini, but I'm particularly proud of having translated Thoughts and Meditations by K. Gibran and An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore.”
Maria visiting a weaving arts center in Egypt.
Amy Spangler, translator, agent and co-owner of Anatolia Lit.
I met Amy in Alkim Books in Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Istanbul. Amy was a high school exchange student in Turkey and after graduating from college, she moved to Istanbul. For the last eleven years she’s been editing, translating and representing Turkish authors. Amy feels that translation is not a reverberation or a rewriting. “It’s a much more creative endeavor. I get great satisfaction from translating books I’ve enjoyed and want to share with others.” Recent books she has edited and translated include The City in Crimson Cloak, a novel by Asli Erdogan, and
Istanbul Noir (Akashic Books), which she edited with with Mustafa Ziyalan. If you are interested in reading Turkish authors in translation, check out Syracuse University Press, Talisman Books and Soft Skull Press.
Coming soon...Words from Iranian translators of Anahita’s Woven Riddle and other books.
