On Translating

Though always an avid reader, I was most interested in language, or linguistics, the mechanics of language, and I found it a fascinating puzzle - a major motivator to translate. Yet translation has so much more to offer: you can take wonderful poems, stories, and make them available for so many more people to read and enjoy. Along the way, you have the privilege of meeting many interesting people. And people can connect in ways which are, I think, unforeseen and a spur to creativity.

That's not to mention the enjoyment you get from doing, hopefully, a good job, devoting yourself to a task that can be creatively and precisely demanding and demand a lot of focus, as well as, sometimes, some Nature and some inspiration, and producing work that ideally will be a satisfactory reflection of the heart, soul, and effort put in by the author, and not only the author but the publishing team, and by the reader you are asking to give up their time.