Life in California: A conference, a fire and a community

You may be wondering what the title of this blog post could possibly mean, but hang in there and let me explain! I recently returned from the 60th annual conference of the American Translators Association. This was my first time at the conference, and the week was filled with connections with translator and interpreter colleagues. The American Translators Association represents linguists here in the U.S. that speak and work with countless languages – what fun to walk through the halls and hear Spanish, French, Japanese, Italian, German, Portuguese and so much more.

After a week of inspiring workshops and timely conversations about our field—and relaxing, sunny weather in Palm Springs—I got a voicemail from my local fire department about an evacuation warning. My husband and I drove back up north to a world of wildfires, smoke, evacuations and power shutoffs. We live in a rural area here in Northern California, so we have a generator and other emergency supplies; however, we decided to stay in the Bay Area with family for the week to wait it out. Luckily, the fire was pretty far from where we live. Nonetheless, these events are getting more frequent and more intense with each passing year.

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So, that’s my explanation of the conference and the fire – now, the community. So many folks reached out to ask if we needed anything, and fellow translator and interpreter colleagues checked in. I felt really lucky to have all the support.

Now we’re back home and will hopefully have a few days of “normal.” Wishing you a bit of “normal” as well, whatever that may mean to you!

Happy International Translation Day

Happy International Translation Day! On September 30th and throughout this week, translators and interpreters celebrated International Translation Day 2019. The American Translators Association created an informative video that explains what a typical day might look like for a translator or an interpreter. The video also explains the difference between a translator and an interpreter.

Here’s the video:

While many of us in this field find ourselves doing a bit of both jobs, we usually specialize in either translation or interpretation. Both are rewarding, and translation continues to connect me with a diverse array of people and companies around the world.

 

Homenaje a Francisco Toledo

“Chapulín (Grasshopper),” 1980

Today’s post is an homage to Francisco Toledo, in my opinion one of the greatest Mexican artists of all time. He passed on September 5th at the age of 79, and the art world has been remembering and celebrating all he did and was.

Francisco Toledo was born in Juchitán, Oaxaca in 1940. He attended art school in Oaxaca City as a young man. He later studied in Paris and other cities, yet always drew his primary inspiration from the energy of his native Oaxaca.

“Vaca mala (Bad Cow),” no date
“Lagartijillas (Little Lizards),” 1985

Over the years his art and activism gained him much recognition in Mexico and abroad. He recently made cometas (kites) emblazoned with images of the disappeared. He flew these kites in the streets of Oaxaca.

As one news article put it, Francisco Toledo’s spirit continues to fly kites up in the sky. We thank him for the inspiration and activism; he will be sorely missed. For a recent profile of the artist, read this Smithsonian article.

“Barriendo sapos (Sweeping Toads),” 1971

 

Literary Translation and Public Domain Books

Today’s post is all about literary translation. Do you remember a book you read in translation? Perhaps it was a classic literary translation like Don Quixote, or maybe it was a more contemporary title. Although many people don’t stop to think about it, literature in translation often forms a significant part of our reading lists while growing up in school and as adults. Literary translation continues to be an integral part of the translation profession, too.

If you speak more than one language, chances are you’ve read a book that is unavailable in other languages. I have to ask myself and other translators: What’s stopping us from translating a book that we’d love to see in our native language? Some translators do just that, often sending excerpts to a publisher to find out if there is any interest in publishing a translation.

Established translator and all-around freelance translation guru Corinne McKay recently tweeted: “As I sit here working on a book translation (very interesting biography of a French resistance fighter), I once again wonder: why don’t frustrated literary translators just translate public domain books and self-publish them? You could start now!”

So true! But what is a public domain book? Stanford University offers a definition on the library’s website: “The term “public domain” refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it.”

Several websites feature public domain books. Corinne mentions Project Gutenberg in one of her recent podcasts; Project Gutenberg has titles in English, German, French, and Portuguese. Feedbooks has titles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The Internet Archive has thousands of books in many languages.

If you are a translator who knows of a good resource like the one listed above, please leave a comment below!

Photo by Leandro DeCarvalho.

Film: Todos lo saben

“Todos lo saben” (English title: “Everybody Knows”) is a Spanish-language psychological thriller from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. I was completely riveted during the whole film! “Todos lo saben” stars Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Bárbara Lennie and Argentinean actor Ricardo Darín—as well as a pretty exceptional supporting cast.

I had a feeling this movie would have an intriguing storyline and many layers; it did not disappoint. I highly recommend seeing this film (it’s currently streaming on Netflix.) Don’t worry, no spoilers in this post! However, pass up the trailer below if you feel, like me, that many trailers give away too much.

Penelope Cruz plays Laura, a woman who returns for a visit to her small Spanish town for her sister’s wedding. She brings her two children with her. We immediately become swept up in her homecoming and the various people she gets to catch up and celebrate with. However, we know that, because this is a thriller, something else will be lurking beneath the happy surface. Ultimately, a series of events draw out old secrets and small-town history that must be reckoned with.

See this movie for it’s beautiful depictions of small-town Spanish life, as well as for the twisting and turning story line. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Here’s the trailer:

Springtime Rituals

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Our part of Northern California received heavy rain this winter. While lots of rain is a blessing to this often-parched part of the country, it resulted in quite a few gloomy days after the initial, exuberant rain celebrations had worn off. Now it’s officially spring here in the Northern Hemisphere – we made it! Apart from common religious holidays, typical springtime rituals where I live usually center around nature: everyone seems busy in their garden, tender and fresh produce begins to show up at the farmer’s markets, and folks talk about the various cute baby animals they’ve spotted: Fledglings in a bird nest! A fox kit!

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When I lived in Spain, this was the time leading up to Semana Santa and all it’s gilded glory:

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In Mexico, thousands of people dress in white and gather at the enormous Teotihuacán Pyramid, located 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. They raise their arms towards the sky to soak up energy for the year:

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Costa Rica celebrates El Día del Boyero (Oxcart Driver’s Day) in early March. The colorful oxcarts seem to welcome spring:

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Happy spring to you,

A.

Images courtesy of mnn.com, funeu.es, telesueenglish.net, hdqwalls.com, escazunews.com