Richard Village on the joy of learning languages, the city as character, and launching Foundry Editions

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. In today’s episode, Dutch-to-English literary translator David joins the pod to discuss his translations of Anjet Daanje's The Remembered Soldier and The Song of Stork and Dromedary: two masterfully crafted novels about memory, storytelling, and legacy. David takes us through his early encounters with translated literature; we discuss his background in poetry and constrained writing, exploring the parallels between writing within formal limitations and the constraints of translation. We also chat about his approach to literary translation, the importance of collaboration and research, and how working closely with authors, editors and fellow translators can positively shape the process. We dive into The Remembered Soldier, a haunting novel set in a psychiatric asylum in post-First World War Belgium, exploring memory, identity and the question of who we are when we can no longer remember our own past. David shares the challenges of translating its distinctive, propulsive style, as well as the extensive historical research that went into bringing its photography, weaponry and wartime setting into English. We then turn to The Song of Stork and Dromedary, a sprawling, Gothic novel inspired by the Brontë sisters, which spans across time and space. David discusses his experience in translating various styles and registers across the novel's eleven chapters, his thorough research into the Brontës and visit to Haworth, and the challenge of recreating Emily and Charlotte Brontë’s voices without simply imitating them. Finally, we discuss the importance of institutional support for literary translation, the international reception of Anjet's work, and the role that translators, authors, editors and readers can play in bringing literature across languages and cultures. This is a fascinating conversation about translation as craft, research and collaboration, and about the many ways a novel can travel across language, time and place. — You can purchase The Remembered Soldier and The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation-podcast — Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):⁠https://uppbeat.io/⁠ Photo Credit: David McKay

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. In today’s episode, literary translator Ecre Karadag joins the pod to discuss her debut translation, Mari the Unwonderful Witch by Asako Yuzuki, and the joys of bringing Japanese children’s literature into English. Ecre takes us through her winding path from linguistics and academia to working in Tokyo’s fashion industry, before eventually finding her way back to books and literary translation. We discuss the role that childhood reading and creative writing have played in her translation practice, and the importance of finding the right book and the right voice as a translator. I, for one, can't wait to read Ecre's own fiction one day! We dive into Mari the Unwonderful Witch, a middle-grade fantasy about an 11 year old witch who refuses to conform to expectations of what a “wonderful” witch should be. Ecre shares how she approached the book’s distinctive voices, playful world-building and celebration of individuality in Asako's first children's novel and her role as a 'moonlight' or 'starlight' translator working on the manuscript. She also shares some of the challenges of translating age-coded speech and Japanese kinship terms, as well as the importance of voice in bringing the characters to life in English. We also discuss the state of translated children’s literature in the UK, and why Ecre believes Japanese children’s fiction offers an exciting opportunity to expand the kinds of translated books available to young readers. Finally, Ecre introduces her “Diva Manifesto”, an advocacy project exploring translators’ professional and artistic agency, from fair pay and contracts to the expectation that translators should remain quiet and invisible. This was a lively conversation about children’s literature, the creative possibilities of translation, and the importance of making space for translators to be recognised as artists in their own right. — You can purchase a copy of Mari the Unwonderful Witch by Asako Yuzuki, translated from Japanese by Ecre Karadag, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation-podcast — Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/ Photo Credit: Ecre Karadag

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. In today’s episode, award-winning literary translator and professor Daniel Bowles joins the pod to discuss his translation of Christian Kracht’s latest novel, Air. Daniel takes us through his journey into literary translation, from discovering German as a teenager to finding his way into the profession through academic and literary translation. We discuss what drew him to the craft, the puzzle-like satisfaction of finding the right words, and the importance of building a community of fellow translators. We dive into his translation of Air, exploring Kracht’s strange and atmospheric novel and the challenge of preserving its deliberately hazy, dreamlike quality in English. Daniel shares how he approached the novel’s multiple narrative voices, the subtle differences in language between its characters, and some of the fascinating linguistic problems that arise when translating between German and English. We also discuss the importance of tone and rhythm in translation, why Daniel reads his work aloud during the revision process, and how linguistic features that cannot always be recreated in the same place in the source text can sometimes find their way into the translation elsewhere. Finally, Daniel reflects on his long-standing collaboration with Christian Kracht, including their unusual practice of sitting together and reading through translations, as well as the importance of revision and finding a supportive community of translators. It is a fascinating conversation about the craft of translation, the importance of tone and voice, and the many small decisions that go into bringing an intricately constructed novel like Air into English. — You can purchase Air and Eurotrash by Christian Kracht, translated from German by Daniel Bowles, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation-podcast — Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/ Photo Credit: Daniel Bowles

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. In today’s episode, Guaraní translator and linguistic activist Iliana Franco Alvarenga joins the pod to discuss the Guaraní language, Paraguayan Spanish, and the complexities of translating between languages shaped by colonial histories. Iliana takes us through her relationship with Guaraní and her journey into translation, exploring the history of the language and the concept of linguistic pain, the generational trauma created when children are punished for speaking their mother tongue, and how this history can continue to influence the way families perceive their own languages and efforts towards language revitalisation. Together, we also explore the relationship between language and power, from the influence of institutions such as the Royal Spanish Academy to the role of artificial intelligence in determining which varieties of language are represented and prioritised. We discuss the politics behind linguistic standardisation and what happens when one variety of a language becomes treated as the default. The conversation also turns towards the ethics of literary translation, including the question of whether translators should reconsider language in older works when the social meaning of certain words has changed. We discuss the responsibility translators have towards their readers, authors, and the communities whose languages and cultures they are bringing into another linguistic context. Iliana also reflects on the invisibility of translators, sharing a particularly powerful moment from a book fair where she instinctively stepped behind the author she was translating, only for the author to take her hand and bring her forward. We explore what this reveals about the position translators have historically occupied within publishing, and the importance of recognising them as equal creative collaborators. Finally, Iliana shares her advice for aspiring translators, from learning to move away from the literal word to embracing rejection and accepting that every translation will inevitably contain something that only the translator notices. This is a fascinating conversation about language, power, colonialism, and the role translation can play in both preserving and challenging the ways we understand different cultures and their histories. I also loved learning more about how Guaraní operates as a language, and chatting through different examples of Guaraní cosmoperceptions that have traditionally been reduced on the page, and therefore have been lost, in translation. Iliana's approach to translating an indigenous language that exists beyond the page and working between the two worlds she inhabits is incredibly fascinating. — You can purchase a copy of We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezon Camara, translated from Spanish by Robin Myers, which features Iliana's Guaraní translations, here: ⁠https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation-podcast⁠ — Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):⁠https://uppbeat.io/⁠ Photo Credit: Iliana Franco Alvarenga

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. In today’s episode, Bulgarian novelist Joanna Elmy and International Booker Prize-winning translator Angela Rodel join the pod to discuss Born of Guilt, Joanna’s debut novel, and the fascinating collaborative process behind bringing it into English. Joanna reflects on the origins of Born of Guilt, a multigenerational novel following three Bulgarian women as they navigate domestic violence, addiction, immigration, and the lasting impact of post-communist Bulgaria. We discuss how the novel grew from a single competition entry into an internationally published debut, and why it seeks to explore experiences that have often remained absent from the Bulgarian literary canon. We also dive into the unique process of co-translation, with Joanna and Angela sharing how they divided the novel between the different generations of narrators in order to best preserve each woman's distinctive voice. Together, they discuss the creative negotiations involved in translating dialect, register, and culturally specific language, from retaining uniquely Bulgarian words such as loza to subtly embedding historical context for English-language readers without interrupting the narrative. Together, we explore the novel's wider themes of inherited trauma, family, identity, and migration, as well as the myriad ways readers from across Europe have connected with its portrayal of life on the margins of the continent. Joanna and Angela also reflect on the evolving visibility of literary translators, share their favourite book and must-read Bulgarian book recommendations, and discuss why reading widely remains one of the most important foundations of the craft. It is absolutely fascinating to hear Joanna and Angela discuss the relationship between author and translator: learning how trust, collaboration, and paying close attention to voice shape every stage of bringing a novel into another language. — You can purchase a copy of Born of Guilt by Joanna Elmy, translated from Bulgarian by Joanna Elmy and Angela Rodel, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation-podcast — Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/ Photo Credit: Joanna Elmy and Angela Rodel