Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I had a lot of fun reading books in translation in 2019, so I'm up for this challenge again in 2020!

Languages Encountered in 2020

Afro-Asiatic Languages

¡ª Semitic Languages

Hebrew ?
Arabic ?
Maltese ?

Austroasiatic Languages

Vietnamese ?

Austronesian Languages

¡ª Malayo-Polynesian Languages

Indonesian ?

Eskimo-Aleut Languages

Inuktitut ?

Indo-European Languages

¡ª Balto-Slavic Languages

Macedonian ?
Russian ?

¡ª Germanic Languages

Old English ?
Faroese ?
German ?
Afrikaans ?
Icelandic ?
Dutch ?

¡ª Indo-Iranian Languages

Sinhala ?

¡ª Italic (including Romance) Languages

Spanish ? ? ? ? ?
French ? ? ? ?
Italian ?
Latin ?
Portuguese ?
Romanian ?

Japonic Languages

Japanese ?

Koreanic Languages

Korean ? ?

Sino-Tibetan Languages

Kachari ?
Chinese ? ?

Turkic Languages

Turkish ?

1. Language: Spanish (espa?ol)

Poems of Arab Andalusia by Cola Franzen

Translator: Cola Franzen
Country: Spain

Technically, these are dual-translated, since the original poems were written in Arabic. This collection, however, was brought into English from Emilio Garc¨ªa G¨®mez's Spanish translation of the poems in the mid-1900's. For a dual translation, there is still a lot of beautiful imagery; I'm curious what a direct translation from Arabic into English would have looked like, though.

2. Language: French (fran?ais)

Freedom Hospital: A Syrian Story by Hamid Sulaiman

Translator: Francesca Barrie
Country: Syria

I'm impressed with how the translators managed to utilize space efficiently with speech bubbles for the translation from French to English. The text in the graphic novel is very readable; I just wish some of the graphics were a bit clearer.

3. Language: Old English (?nglisc)

Beowulf by Unknown

Translator: Seamus Heaney
Country: Denmark

This was quite a translation by Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney. The action and heroism were as deftly drawn as I remembered from studies back in high school.

4. Language: Korean (???)

At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yong

Translator: Sora Kim-Russell
Country: South Korea

This is a rather short tale ruminating on life and legacy. I suspect the translator included some definitions of Korean words for English readers, and that the definitions weren't originally in the text; still, the definitions seemed seamlessly integrated.

BONUS. Language: French (fran?ais)

Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa

Translator: Edward Gauvin
Country: France

Like many other excellent graphic novels, this speaks more with the graphics than with the words. Still, the translation works to propel the story forward to its sad but hopeful conclusion.

5. Language: Hebrew (?????)

Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

Translator: Sondra Silverston
Country: Israel

Quite an impressive thriller, and well-translated; I can see why it has won awards in Israel. The characters were well-developed, and it makes sense that the author is a clinical psychologist.

6. Language: Turkish (T¨¹rk?e)

Memed, My Hawk by Ya?ar Kemal

Translator: Edouard Roditi
Country: Turkey

Poetic and ably-translated, this was a folk-tale put to paper, a Robin Hood of the Taurus defending his village from an unjust landlord. I loved the descriptions of the Anatolian landscapes.

Level: Translator

7. Language: Vietnamese (Ti?ng Vi?t)

Green Rice: Poems by Lam Thi My Da by Lam Thi My Da

Translator: Martha Collins and Thuy Dinh
Country: Vietnam

I loved this collection of Vietnamese poetry, which touched on memories and places from throughout the country. The poems were elegant in translation, and I particularly liked the lines: "Our country is kind, Water from the sky washes pain away"

8. Language: Italian (italiano)

The Terra-cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri

Translator: Stephen Sartarelli
Country: Italy

I love this mystery series so far, and I love how the translator includes an index explaining cultural terms from Italy referenced in the text. I will definitely be reading more from Camilleri.

9. Language: Faroese (f?royskt m¨¢l)

Walpurgis Tide by J¨®gvan Isaksen

Translator: Dominic Hinde
Country: Faroe Islands (Denmark)

This was a pretty quick read with plenty of action; the translation made it seem to flow easily. I certainly felt like I got a dose of Faroese culture through this mystery.

10. Language: German (Deutsch)

The Old King in His Exile by Arno Geiger

Translator: Stefan Tobler
Country: Austria

Wow, this was a great memoir, extremely readable in translation. This seems like it would be easily accessible to anyone with a family member or friend dealing with Alzheimer's.

BONUS. Language: Spanish (espa?ol)

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

Translator: Margaret Sayers Peden
Country: Chile

Allende's gift for storytelling shines through in this translation, with enchanting descriptions of life for a young orphan and her acquaintances in a fictional South American country. Quite readable!

11. Language: Inuktitut (??????)

Sanaaq: An Inuit Novel by Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk

Translators: Bernard Saladin d'Anglure (Inuktitut to French) and Peter Frost (French to English)
Country: Canada

Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk does an amazing job of story-telling despite having almost no familiarity with novels prior to her writing this tale of Inuit life in the Arctic. She is particularly good about including the variety of Inuit words for items found in the Arctic, and a handy glossary is available at the end of the book.

Level: Interpreter

12. Language: Latin (lingua lat¨©na)

Confessions of Saint Augustine by Augustine of Hippo

Translator: John K. Ryan
Country: Algeria

Sure, some parts of Augustine's philosophy got a bit heady (discussions on matter and creation), but I found this to be a very readable translation. I enjoyed his anecdotes about friends and family, and mused on some of his philosophy on time and faith.

BONUS. Language: French (fran?ais)

Transit by Abdourahman A. Waberi

Translators: David and Nicole Ball
Country: Djibouti

What? Another book translated from French instead of a new language? C'est la vie. The translators had a task to make the young soldier's idiosyncratic French accessible in English, and I guess they succeeded. Didn't like the book, though.

13. Language: Japanese (ÈÕ±¾ÕZ)

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

Translator: Alexander O. Smith
Country: Japan

Quite a fun read, and an easy translation. I'm guessing the physics and math were kept simple enough that it didn't cause too much trouble for the translator (unless the translation is less complex than the Japanese original was).

14. Language: Sinhala (?????)

Madol Doova by Martin Wickramasinghe

Translator: Ashley Halpe
Country: Sri Lanka

This was a charming story, even if the translation seemed a bit unpolished at times. I can see why this book has been so popular amongst youth in Sri Lanka ever since it was written.

15. Language: Arabic (?????????????)

The Bridges of Constantine by Ahlam Mosteghanemi

Translator: Raphael Cohen
Country: Algeria

Although this is a popular book in the Arabic world, it wasn't a favorite book of mine. The writing was descriptive, and at times poetic, which gives credit to the translator.

16. Language: Afrikaans (Afrikaans)

Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer

Translator: K.L. Seegers
Country: South Africa

Wow, this was a quick read. Very well-translated, and I liked the occasional Boer words left in, as well as the strong sense of South African geography and culture that heightened the background of this enjoyable thriller.

Level: Linguist

17. Language: Kachari (Kach¨¢ri)

A Collection of Kach¨¢ri Folk-Tales and Rhymes by J.D. Anderson

Translator: J.D. Anderson
Country: India

This short collection of folk tales was printed as a companion to a book on Kachari grammar, and offers folk tales in Kachari side-by-side with their English translations. Fascinating to see tales from an endangered language saved for posterity.

BONUS. Language: Spanish (espa?ol)

The Neruda Case by Roberto Ampuero

Translator: Carolina de Robertis
Country: Chile

I'm sure this was translated well, but this first book of a Chilean detective series published in English does not make me want to pick up more. The story had neither a detective nor a case engaging enough for me to await more translations.

18. Language: Macedonian (§Þ§Ñ§Ü§Ö§Õ§à§ß§ã§Ü§Ú ?§Ñ§Ù§Ú§Ü)

The Legend of Kalesh Andja by Stale Popov

Translator: Michael Seraphinoff
Country: North Macedonia

I really enjoyed this historic folklore melange that told the story of a free mountain family standing up against the oppression of the surrounding Ottoman Empire in 16th century Macedonia. I can see why these peoples would be proud of their traditions.

BONUS

In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build a Perfect Language by Arika Okrent

I read through the Dewey Decimal System each year, and hidden at the very end of the 400 section (499.99, to be precise), was this gem of a book, exploring mankind's fascination with inventing languages. The author is a linguist, who provides character studies and anecdotes about the eccentric and/or idealistic creators and (admittedly few) users of these languages throughout history. The book includes delightful tales about Esperanto communities, Klingon conferences, and a surprisingly affecting exploration of how Blissymbols transformed the lives of disabled children in Canada. And yes, Tolkein does get a brief mention, though not as much attention as some might hope. Recommended for lovers of linguistics.

19. Language: Portuguese (portugu¨ºs)

Codex 632 by Jos¨¦ Rodrigues dos Santos

Translator: Alison Entrekin
Country: Portugal

I found it fascinating to learn this Dan Brown-style "thriller" was written by a news anchor in Portugal, and that this is the first in a popular series there. I'd say it leaves a bit of room to grow, but the descriptions of locations were exquisite.

BONUS. Language: Korean (???)

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Translator: Deborah Smith
Country: South Korea

Han Kang does have a way with words, and I think this translation read very smoothly, despite the disturbing subject matter as a family is ripped apart starting with one woman's decision to change her diet and free herself from obligations in life.

20. Language: Romanian (limba rom?n?)

Mihai Eminescu: Poezii alese / Selected Poems by Mihai Eminescu

Translator: Adrian George Sahlean
Country: Romania

I read a newer edition of Sahlean's translations, and they seemed to read pretty smoothly, even if they weren't overly complex. I enjoyed trying to follow along with the Romanian originals based on their Latin roots and occasional Slavic vocabulary.

21. Language: Maltese (Malti)

Children Come By Ship. A Novel from Malta by Oliver Friggieri

Translator: Radu Barbulescu
Country: Malta

Friggieri's storytelling seems to have matured by this volume; I enjoyed it more than the other one of his I have read -- one of the earliest works he'd written. Not a happy ending, but I did appreciate the characters in this story.

Level: Polyglot

22. Language: Russian (§â§å§ã§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §ñ§Ù§í§Ü)

My Life by Marc Chagall

Translators: Bella Chagall (Russian to French) and Elisabeth Abbott (French to English)
Country: Belarus

I'm fascinated that the English translation was based on the French translation of Chagall's biography done by his wife, rather than on his original text, but it's possible that it is hard to find. At any rate, this artist has a bit of poetry in his writing that shone through, alongside the sketches interspersed in this volume.

23. Language: Chinese (ÖÐÎÄ)

Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian

Translator: Mabel Lee
Country: China

The title of this book is itself a translation from Lingshan, the mythical destination that the author is searching for in his journey across China. I enjoyed the folk tales and songs interspersed throughout the book, and the translation was rich and lyrical.

BONUS. Language: Spanish (espa?ol)

The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera

Translator: Lisa Dillman
Country: Mexico

I'm making up for all the Spanish translations I didn't read last year here in 2020! The translation seemed to capture the noir style well, and I'm curious how close to the Spanish the translated nicknames of characters actually were.

BONUS. Language: French (fran?ais)

Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Cond¨¦

Translator: Richard Philcox
Country: Guadeloupe (France)

The translator of this book just happens to be the author's husband, so I'm sure there was some help ensuring the translation to English was made as well as possible! The writing for this book is amazing -- as lush as the scenery and offering a town full of realized characters. Awesome storytelling!

BONUS. Language: Chinese (ÖÐÎÄ)

Cuisine Chinoise: Five Tales of Food and Life by Zao Dao

Translators: Unknown (Chinese to French); Brandon Kander and Diana Schutz (French to English)
Country: China

Why the English distributors couldn¡¯t get the rights to translate directly from English, I have no idea. Still, the translation mostly works, even if some concepts may be lost without an understanding of Chinese folklore. Also, if translating a Chinese book to English from the French translation, why leave the title in French?

24. Language: Icelandic (¨ªslenska)

The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indri?ason

Translator: Victoria Cribb
Country: Iceland

I don't look for technical writing in a mass-market thriller or mystery, so I was satisfied with the translation of this work by a popular Icelandic author. I learned more about Iceland, and the mystery was well-paced, too.

25. Language: Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia)

The Girl from the Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Translator: Willem Samuels
Country: Indonesia

Another compelling story by Toer, and ably translated. The eponymous girl is unnamed, which adds to the sense that she is not in control of her life. Very well told story, and a part of Toer¡¯s history, apparently.

BONUS. Language: Spanish (espa?ol)

Years Like Brief Days by Fabi¨¢n Dobles

Translator: Joan Henry
Country: Costa Rica

At least this book was short, because I do not like stream-of-consciousness writing. I'm assuming this book was well-translated, but there were parts of it I just did not enjoy.

26. Language: Dutch (Nederlands)

Outsider in Amsterdam by Janwillem van de Wetering

Translator: Janwillem van de Wetering
Country: Netherlands

I guess when you translate your own book, you have the luxury of choosing how you want to phrase your work in English. I understand van de Wetering did change some parts of his mysteries during translation, but this one read very easily in English, and I enjoyed it.

Level: Omniglot