Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 37

How Books Get Translated: An Interview with Translator, Publisher and Author Lawrence Schimel

I've been grateful to Lawrence Schimel for his support and encouragement early in my career. We met online years before we finally met in person in NYC:

Lawrence Schimel writes in both Spanish and English and has published over 100 books in various languages. In addition to his own writing, Lawrence translates books from Spanish into English, and one of his most recent translations was middle grade novel The Treasure Of Barracuda, written by Llanos Campos and illustrated by Júlia Sardà, recently published by Little Pickle Stories.

You can find more info about Lawrence Schimel at A Midsummer Night's Press, on Twitter and Facebook.

Lawrence was kind enough to answer some questions about himself and translating books:

Q. How many languages do you speak?

This is an interesting questions. I only create in two languages (English and Spanish). However, I've actually translated myself and been published in two other languages (Galician and German). But I'm not able to create in either Galician or German, even though I've translated myself into them.

Translating, I am most comfortable working between English and Spanish. Although I can work (laboriously, with a dictionary) from a few other related languages as well (Portuguese, Italian, etc.) but usually only do so for poetry or children's books, and preferably where I have contact with the authors directly to be able to go over questions, doubts, or issues that arise. When I was in school, I studied Latin and Greek and Old Norse--none of which I can actually speak, and which I've mostly now forgotten over the years.

I've also sometimes translated work into Spanish from other languages, using English as a bridge language, in poetry workshops where we dialogue directly with the poet whose work is being translated. Lately I've been working directly with some Latvian writers to translate them into Spanish, since there are no literary translators working in that combinations; one book of poetry for adults and one picture book are both forthcoming in Spanish next year.

Q. How did you become a literary translator?

I started translating by being a writer first, and one who writes in both Spanish and English. Even though English is my mother tongue, curiously enough, some of my own Spanish-language titles have been translated into English by other people, like my picture book LET'S GO SEE PAPÁ illustrated by Alba Marina Rivera, which was translated by Elisa Amado and published by Groundwood.

Translation, especially for poetry and picture books, can often be the closest reading of a text, and those are often the texts that can be hardest to re-create in another language. So I think that publishers often like to have poets or writers themselves as the translators, who have the sensibility to walk along the tightrope of fidelity to the original text and faithfulness to the reader in the target language, and who can take those leaps when necessary. I have recently been working with a Latvian poet to produce Spanish versions of his poems, using an English draft as the bridge language; there have been a number of times when we've come up with a poetic solution in Spanish that he likes so much that he goes back and corrects the English version (which were done by a direct Latvian-English translator, although a linguist not a poet).

In Spain, where I live, translators are considered "authors" of their versions, and copyright law acknowledges the authorship involved in producing their translations and protects that.

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Q. How did The Treasure of Barracuda get chosen to be translated? Did the publisher approach you? Did you approach the author? etc.

The Treasure of Barracuda won the Barco de Vapor Prize from the Spanish published Ediciones SM. I have worked with SM for some years now, where they commission sample translations of the opening chapters of some of their titles, to help them sell the foreign rights. Sometimes these translations help find publishers in non-English-speaking countries, where the editor might read English but not Spanish.

Little Pickle Stories was able to read the sample, and fell in love with the book and bought the rights in English. And because they liked the sample, they asked me to continue translating the book. (This is not always the case, and that is one of the "tricky" issues involved with publisher samples, from the translator's point of view. Some publishers have their own "stable" of translators they work with regularly, so just because you've done the sample is no guarantee that you'll be commissioned to complete the book, although that is often the case.)

Now that the English edition has just been published, it's helping the story find readers in other countries as well. (A Latvian editor who knows me, but who doesn't read Spanish, decided to read the English translation specifically because I had translated it and contacted me just befre the Frankfurt Book Fair asking for an introduction to the Spanish publisher so they could try and buy the rights.)

Q. How does book translation work, in terms of process? 

There are so many different paths to publication in translation. Sometimes an agent or the rights department for a publisher will pitch projects to potential foreign publishers who might be interested. This is what happened in the case of THE TREASURE OF BARRACUDA, which was published by a large publisher that has its own rights department and is active at the international book fairs.

This book was also very visible to foreign publishers because of winning the Barco de Vapor prize--as well as other honors like being chosen for the White Ravens by the International Youth Library in Munich. Any such distinction is useful for foreign publishers, since not only can they use it in their sales/PR material, which helps when launching an author who is unknown in their territory, many publishers also use it as a way of evaluating what titles to pay attention to, especially if they don't speak the language themselves and need to rely on external readers who they might pay to do a reader's report, evaluating the title and its possibilities for their market, or if there is a sample translation they can use.

But very often a translator is the staunchest advocate for a book.

As an example using one of my own books, I took part in a poetry translation workshop a few years ago, where one of the poets involved was the Hungarian poet and translator Anna T. Szabo. Even though we worked on our poetry at the workshop, since we both also write and translate children's books, I showed her some of my own picture books, she loved one (THE BOY AND THE SPY) and did a translation of it and offered it to one of the publishers she works with regularly, who offered us a contract. (In this case, the artist was someone I know directly and the Spanish publisher of the book had only bought rights in Spanish, Basque, Catalan, and Galician; we still held all other rights ourselves.)

From Gatheringbooks.org

I know that I've certainly done the same thing, championing books that I love and want to see published in English (or in Spanish). One year at the Bologna Book Fair, I fell in love with the stories produced by Fatmeh and Zahra Sarmashghi, two sisters who write and illustrate together, and whose books are published by Shabavitz in Iran. I brought the editor of a Guatemalan publisher I work with, Amanuense, to show them the titles, and she fell in love with them, too. I was able to act as interpreter/intermediary to help them negotiate a deal to buy rights to one of the books, and then I translated the text into Spanish, which was published as BALLENA NEGRA.

Sometimes, of course, one is just asked by a publisher to do a translation--especially once one begins to become known as a translator.

But it is also important for the translator to have an affinity with the text, I think--especially in literary translation. I've been asked to translate projects that I've turned down, usually recommending another translator who is a better match (for instance, I didn't have the nautical background to do a good job, I felt, on one book project, and recommend a translator who is also a sailing enthusiast and already had the necessary vocabulary--in both Spanish and English--at her hands).

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Q. What do you love most about translating a book?

Helping great voices find new readers in another language. While I am a writer and a translator, I am first and foremost a reader, so being able to help books I love find new readers (who couldn't read the original) is always wonderful to me

Also, I love when there is a problem or a dilemma that I'm able to resolve or come up with a solution for in the target language

I think it's important to re-create the reading experience in the target language, and sometimes, especially with puns or plays on word, you can't translate the literal wordplay, but you can compensate by adding something similar in elsewhere. And when it works out, when it maintains the playfulness of the language even if all the literal jokes aren't translated, that feels really great.

Q. What do you find to be the biggest challenge(s), when translating a book?

It sometimes takes a little while to hit one's stride with the voice of each new book. I often go much slower at the beginning of each new project, and need to revise more heavily the opening section after having translated the entire book.

I translated into Spanish a book by a friend of mine, the Icelandic author and illustrator Áslaug Jónsdóttir and am trying to help her find a publisher for it in the Spanish-speaking world. The book presented a lot of problems that required work-arounds or other solutions in Spanish, from the very title itself: ÉG VIL FISK! or "I Want Fish!" In Spanish, there are different words for fish that is food ("pescado") and fish that is still alive ("pez") so I changed the title to MAR SABE LO QUE QUIERE (or "Mar Knows What She Wants") to avoid telegraphing the plot of the book, which involves a very young girl, still with a limited vocabulary, asking her parents for fish and getting all sorts of fish-themed things (a toy fish, a dress with fish on it, a fish puzzle, etc.) but being fed everything but fish, which is what she's asking for. I think the final result works very well, but it took a lot of deliberation to figure out how to make things work out naturally

It is a license to change the girl's name to "Mar" (which is both a common female name in Spanish but also means "the sea") but it adds an extra language-specific resonance which I think works well.

I think rhyming texts are also particularly challenging, since normally the same words don't rhyme in the target language, requiring a transcreation more than just a translation.

From GatheringBooks.org

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring book translators?

Always, with anyone involved with anything creative, I'd remind them to have fun, that even though it is work and a profession, and it is important to be paid fairly for the work we do, it is also important to keep our love of language and not lose that. So don't be afraid of working on things, just for yourself, because practice is also the only way to get better as a translator or a writer

The truth is that there is a lot of business involved in being a translator, outside of the actual work of translating. Very often, most editors won't be able to read in another language, so it usually falls onto the translator's shoulders to scout for books they want to translate, contact whoever controls the rights to see if they are still available, write a synopsis or sample translation (on spec or not), and on top of everything else, pitch it to publishers until finding one to take it on. And THEN you get to do the fun part, which is the work of translating the book it

It can be very hard to get a foot in the door as a translator, as in most creative professio

Doing reader's reports for publishers is a badly-paid task that allows one to establish a relationship with an editor, for each side to get to know the other's taste, etc. It does also show one how and why books get picked (or not) since sometimes something you love (as literature) gets turned down (for commercial reasons) or vice versa.

For children's books, the SCBWI now has a separate category for translators, and can offer both networking and other support and advice.

Depending on the languages you're translating from, it may be possible to find work translating samples or extracts from new books, for institutions like NEW BOOKS IN GERMAN  or KOREAN LITERATURE NOW, or directly for publishers or literary agents. Many countries or languages also have schemes to help train or support new translators, especially from "smaller" languages.

There are also translators' associations, like The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) in the US or the Translators Association in the UK, that offer advice, networking, calls for translators, etc. for members.

Q. What are you excited about or working on now?

I'm working on a great middle grade novel by Mexican writer Juan Villoro called THE WILD BOOK that's forthcoming in Fall 2017 from Yonder, the new kidzbook imprint from Restless Books. It's a magical story about libraries and reading, and how sharing books with people you care about can change the reading experienc

Q. What are you reading right now?

I've just gotten back from the Guadalajara Book Fair, so I have a bunch of new books I'm eager to dive into. Two are by Mexican author Toño Malpica, whose work I quite admire and who I would love to translate (publishers who might be interested, get in touch with me!). One is POR EL COLOR DEL TRIGO ("By the Color of the Wheat"), a middle grade novel illustrated by Basque artist Iban Barrenetxea and published by Fondo de Cultura, featuring Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (the author of THE LITTLE PRINCE) as the protagonist.  The other is MARGOT, a science fiction novel featuring the 8 year old girl of the title, published by Editorial Norma, whose small acts of solidarity and kindness wind up having a far-reaching impact on the fate of humanity.

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Giveaway: Win this Peppermint Fish Found Object original doodle by yours truly

To help encourage people to sign up for my email newsletter (in which I share art, writing & interesting links - you can unsubscribe anytime) and also to expand my Rafflecopter giveaways outside of Facebook, I'm doing a giveaway of my Peppermint Tea Fish found object doodle. This one-of-a-kind found object doodle on a background I created myself (with Derwent Inktense water-soluble paint blocks) will be sent in a secure cello-envelope with cardboard backing. If you'd like it sent as a gift (I'm happy to mail it anywhere in the world), I can include a gift card message from you.

Click the link below for a chance to win this original art:

Peppermint Fish Found Object Doodle Giveaway

Not sure why the Rafflecopter widget won't embed in the space above, so I've just included the link and sent a message to Squarespace support. Maybe Javascript embeds aren't allowed? Anyway, clicking the link above will take you to the Rafflecopter page for my giveaway.

The contest will be open until 11:59 pm on Sun. Dec. 11, 2016 and a randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday, December 12th, 2016. Click here for official contest rules.

Loved Kate Blair's debut YA novel, TRANSFERRAL (Dancing Cat Books)

LOVED Kate Blair's debut YA novel, TRANSFERRAL. Such a good read: great pacing, engaging characters, thought-provoking, thoroughly satisfying ending. Love the original twist on the dystopian theme. This would make an excellent holiday gift for a teen reader! For more info including reviews and awards, see the TRANSFERRAL page on the Dancing Cats website.

Synopsis: ""London, England, present day. This is the world as we know it, but with one key difference: medical science has found a way to remove diseases from the sick. The catch? They can only transfer the diseases into other living humans. The government now uses the technology to cure the innocent by infecting criminals.

It is into this world that Talia Hale is born. Now sixteen and the daughter of a prime ministerial candidate, she discovers that the effort to ensure that bad things happen only to bad people has turned a once-thriving community into a slum, and has made life perilous for two new friends.

When Talia’s father makes an election promise to send in the police to crack down on this community, Talia can only think of how much worse things will be for her friends. Will she defy her father to protect them, even if it means costing him the election?"

Misconceptions about writing picture books: why short does NOT mean easy

NOTE: This is an updated version of a post I made a while back. For those illustrate as well as write, you're welcome to download and print my free picture book thumbnail templates.

So many people think that short = easy, especially when it comes to picture books.

And while yes, it's easy to crank out a picture book manuscript in terms of wordcount, writing a picture book story that a publisher will want to acquire is an entirely different animal.

At this point, I can imagine a number of you leaping up and saying, "You shouldn't worry about the market! Just write the story that you were meant to write!"  I partly agree.

However, if your goal is to be PUBLISHED, then I strongly advise you to go to local children's bookstore and  library; I guarantee you will save yourself much heartache and wasted effort. Familiarise yourself with what's being published. Let yourself fall in love with some of these picture books and then ask yourself why you enjoy them so much.

A few common mistakes that new picture book writers make:

(Also see advice for aspiring picture book authors from my Simon & Schuster Children's editor, Justin Chanda)

- Not reading many, many picture books before they try writing their own.

- Talking down to kids, using a style and language that comes across as awkward and lecture-y.

- Writing what is basically a short story rather than a picture book text. If you don't know the difference, you need to read more picture books.

- Assuming that the illustrator's job is just to draw what is in the text, and therefore including lots of detailed art notes ("Sandy's hair is blonde and her eyes are green, and she is sitting half-crouched with her hand reaching out for the rabid squirrel" etc.).

- Including lots of physical details in the text that could be shown in the illustrations, or left up to the illustrator.

- Assuming that a picture book story HAS to rhyme. Writing a good rhyming picture book is very difficult. Don't use rhyme as a crutch. 

- Not reading their story out loud to make sure it IS fun to read out loud.

- Having a story that is overtly message-y, pushing a lesson the author want young readers to learn. This is a very very VERY common mistake. 

- Assuming that because their grandchildren / niece / neighbor's child / students loved their story, that it's ready to send out to publishers.

- Their story won't easily fit into a standard picture book format (eg 14 pages instead of 32 or 40 pages, etc.). While it's possible to sell a non-standard format picture book, it usually costs the publisher more money....making them less likely to want to take a chance on a first-time author.

- Adding their own illustrations. If you're a professional illustrator and you're sure your style suits the story, then go for it...but be aware that publishers usually prefer choosing their own illustrators. 

- Not having a unique twist or concept. It's ok to write another "Don't give in to peer pressure. Be yourself!" story as long as you do something different and fun to show editors how your story will stand out in the marketplace. Again, READ MORE PICTURE BOOKS and you'll see some great examples.

- Writing in the style of picture books that they remember reading as a child. This usually happens because they're not familiar with picture books being published today. Again, I recommend going to your library or local children's bookstore and READ MORE PICTURE BOOKS.

As you might have guessed from the above, my main piece of advice for aspiring picture book authors is to READ LOTS AND LOTS OF PICTURE BOOKS. If you don't like a picture book, ask yourself why. If you love one, figure out why. Make notes about wordcount and format. Analyze pacing and page turns. Enjoy the illustrations, look at how they complement and enhance the text.

And if you do read lots and lots of picture books and still find you don't really enjoy them, ask yourself if you should be writing one.

If you're looking for extra inspiration, I strongly encourage you to read some of the great "Why Picture Books Are Important" essays in the Picture Book Month website. Here's one of my essays about why I think picture books are important. If you're new to the genre and are looking for an overview of the basics of writing, illustrating and publishing children's books, visit Harold Underdown's The Purple Crayon website.

Good luck!

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Do you disagree with any of the above? Do you have anything to add? Any other related topics you'd like me to write about? Feel free to share in the comments section.

Happy Thanksgiving to you Americans out there!

A #NaNoWriMo Thanksgiving

 

Don't let fear of writing poorly stop you from writing. That's why we revise. - Cindy Pon

Don't let fear of writing poorly stop you from writing. That's why we revise. - Cindy Pon

Imagination can be dangerous. It can change the world & that's why we write. - Meg Rosoff

"Imagination can be dangerous. It can change the world & that's why we write."

- Meg Rosoff

Hopeful messages for young people from the kidlit community

EDITED: Please note that Jarrett has asked the kidlit community use #hugsfromkidlit instead of the safety pin hashtag.

Let's stay organized w/ #kidlitsafetypins hashtag. https://t.co/xPB9lYScJx

— Jarrett J. Krosoczka (@StudioJJK) November 11, 2016

I am so moved, browsing through all the #kidlitsafetypins posts on Twitter. I've created some as well; click on any image below for a printable version. To teachers and librarians: as Kate Messner said, if this is something you plan to share with students, please do also take the time to talk about what it means to have someone's back when it comes to fighting bullying and bigotry. See Kate's post here.

Click on any of the images below (I'll be adding more over the weekend) for a print-ready version.

Poster with characters from I'M BORED:

Poster with characters from the upcoming MITZI TULANE book:

Hopeful messages for young people from the kidlit community #kidlitsfetypins

Let's stay organized w/ #kidlitsafetypins hashtag. https://t.co/xPB9lYScJx

— Jarrett J. Krosoczka (@StudioJJK) November 11, 2016

I am so moved, browsing through all the #kidlitsafetypins posts on Twitter. I've created some as well; click on any image below for a printable version. To teachers and librarians: as Kate Messner said, if this is something you plan to share with students, please do also take the time to talk about what it means to have someone's back when it comes to fighting bullying and bigotry. See Kate's post here.

Click on any of the images below (I'll be adding more over the weekend) for a print-ready version.

Poster with characters from I'M BORED:

Poster with characters from the upcoming MITZI TULANE book: