Every good translation comes to an end

Finishing a translation is always a big relief - I DID IT! And WITHIN the deadline!, but this time it is definitely combined with a sense of loss. The presence of Alma, Henry - yes, we are on first name basis now - Ambrose, Tomorrow Morning, Hanneke de Groot, Prudence, Reverend Welles, the Hiro contingent, Roger, the dog, Uncle Dees, and all the others - became such a significant part of my day, that they will all be sorely missed.

On the other hand, sending in a translation means that soon a lot of readers can welcome these characters into their lives, and I hope they will love them as much as I did.

One book leads to another

What I really appreciate about being a literary translator is that I never really know where my next assignment would lead me. For No One You Know (by Michelle Richmond) I had to dive into Fermat's last theorem - just to be able to translate a sentence that was like Greek and Chinese combined to me. For Against All Enemies (by Tom Clancy) I was leafing through assault rifle catalogues and for the Confessions of Catherine de Medici I was contemplating the prophecies of Nostradamus.
And now, because of The Signature of All Things, I am finally reading The Origin of Species.
It is longer - and more enjoyable - than I expected....And as an added bonus I also got the Voyage of the Beagle from the library.

Low on words

Still.

High on words

I am such a sucker for exquisite words, so translating The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert is like being on a constant high.

Helice. Ignomity. Insouciance. Inveigle. Unguent. Supercilious. Woebegone. Discomfiture. Scrivener. Mawkish. Sarsaparilla. Gallimaufry. Milliner. Salutrious. Thimbleful. Erudite. Stevedore. Prurient. Compendium. Innocuous. Antediluvian. Travertine. Temerity. Accretion. Marauder. Impecuniuous. Deuce. Ebullient. Halcyon. Torpid. Raiment. Thaumaturge. Lackadaisical. Arbalest. Marplot. Mandrake. Salcious. Audacious. Remonstrance. Languorous. Louche. Duplicitious. Quim.
Mackerel-backed shaver. Jack-weighted hob. Prick-fed donkey. Dunderhead.
Useful little fingerstink.