Does a character’s personality change when you translate them from Czech into German?
A character’s personality changes during translation in much the same way that every person changes when he or she learns a new language. Some people might not even notice it, but something has definitely happened.
When you translate, do you tend to think in images, in meaning, or in words?
I think first in sounds and rhythms. Even though I sometimes step away from them while working on a translation and focus on images or individual words, they help me get into the text. Often, they also help me master difficult passages.
What is particularly difficult to convey in German when translating Czech humor?
The lightness, brevity, and conciseness.
What do you love about Czech that you miss in German?
The specific sense of temporal progression rarely corresponds, since verbs have what are known as “aspects” and numerous prefixes. In German, for example, I say that I have read a book. In Czech, however, I specify at the same time whether I’ve just started the book, whether I’ve merely skimmed through it, whether I’d already started it and have now finished reading it, whether I began reading it slowly (while perhaps something else was happening), and so on. With somewhat more abstract words—such as when you’re recalling something—you can express wonderful nuances in a small space, nuances that are often simply glossed over in German.
How has translating changed your own German?
Translating has made me more attentive to linguistic subtleties. Translation involves very careful reading, and the process of refining and searching for the best solution heightens one’s awareness of both the possibilities and the cracks and divides. On some days, this can even lead me to despair at the many misunderstandings and miscommunications that permeate human interaction every day. It’s also a luxury to take ten minutes or an hour for a single sentence—or even wait a few days—until it really feels right.
What are you currently working on, and what will your next project be?
I’m currently putting the finishing touches on translations of works by Petr Borkovec (short prose) and Lubomír Tichý (poetry), both of which will be published soon.
Photo: Anna Kow
The interview was conducted by Nathalie Weber.