When you translate, do you tend to think in images, in meaning, or in words?
It’s probably a mix of tones, linguistic sounds, and images that, ideally, generates meaning.
What do you love about Czech that you miss in German?
The ease with which colloquial language appears in Czech literature without sounding forced or pandering. The ingenuity with which foreign words are morphologically integrated into the language. The creativity in the development of neologisms.
What are your favorite words in German and in Czech?
There are, of course, tons of them—how is one supposed to choose? In German, for example: Balsam, Miesmuschel, Pipapo, somnambul, kruschteln, filigran, Mumpitz, gluckern, glimmern, fabulieren …
In Czech, for example: mermomocí (by all means), žal (grief), česnečka (garlic soup), popotahovat (to sniffle), něžně (tenderly), blábolit (to ramble), fofr (haste), fajnšmekr (needs no translation) ...
The interview was conducted by Nathalie Weber.