Would you be able to edit a paper written in languages you cannot speak? It sounds absurd, like the sort of impossible task you would be given in a dream, but that is precisely the position in which Jules Nati finds herself.
Nati is the editor-in-chief of the Trinity Journal of Literary Translation (JoLT). Founded in 2013, it is the only literary journal dedicated to translation in Ireland. The journal features literary excerpts in foreign languages with an accompanying English or Irish translation provided by the contributors. On Thursday, October 1st the Summer edition of JoLT was published on the theme of “Rebellion” and featured a variety of poetry and prose works.
I interviewed Nati in the quietest spot we could find in the Arts Block; she is exactly the sort of person you would expect to run a journal dedicated to translation. Originally from Italy, she is currently in her fourth year studying English. She recalls that “Little Women” was the first piece of literary work she read as a child and that, fittingly, she read it in translation. In fact, she is currently writing a dissertation on “Little Women.”
Nati got involved with JoLT in first year and soon submitted a translation of Cesare Pavese’s poem “Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi occhi” (which she renders: “Death will come and she will bear your eyes”). She states that JoLT “felt like a very welcoming place,” and this was only the first of many submissions. Clearly, her experience submitting her own work informs how she treats the submissions she receives. “Because this is something they trusted me with, it’s something very personal,” she says, noting that it makes it very difficult to say no to contributors.
So how does she decide which pieces to include? First there are the practical considerations, such as the length of the extracts, the need for a range of different languages and obtaining permission from copyright holders. But that is the easy part; Nati also has to evaluate the literary merit of the translations sent in, even those translations from languages she doesn’t speak. The only solution is careful delegation; a team of language editors review and assess the pieces, with the final decision lying with the editor-in-chief. I ask her about less widely spoken languages; I can understand that her polyglot subeditors know the major European languages, but recent editions of JoLT have contained works in Kazakh, Welsh and Ancient Greek. The solution here, she admits, is to “call for help” to find “someone who knows someone who knows someone” who can speak the language in question and can judge the piece’s literary merit.
Finding that “someone” is probably easier at Trinity than at other universities, given its large number of international students, who make up about 30 per cent of the student body. Granted, many of these students come from Anglophone countries which speak (more or less!) the same language as their Irish peers. But the 126 countries represented at Trinity means that JoLT can usually find the right person when they need to.
Some of the best translations are those which are not precise, literal equivalents. Nati expressed her admiration for translations “which make it seem as though the poem were written in English originally”. I put it to her that so much great literature is written originally in English that maybe there is no need to ever read translated works. This heretical view is swiftly put down: “It would be a shame not to […] because it gives you a window on another country”, without which “you will never be able to get out of your bubble”.
JoLT’s main goal for the upcoming year is to raise its profile. As Nati puts it, “lots of Trinity students have never heard of JoLT”, so the team plans to build a stronger social media presence. They are always looking for new submissions and for students to get involved on the editorial board. But what about the less linguistically talented among us who, like Mark Twain, “would rather decline two drinks than one German adjective”? Well, JoLT also accepts artwork related to the edition’s theme which is included alongside the translations.
Finally — and perhaps inevitably — we discuss AI. In recent years, AI’s ability to translate texts has improved dramatically. A survey by the Society of Authors (UK) found that 36 per cent of translators reported that they had lost work to AI, while 77 per cent said that they expected AI would reduce their future income. Nati clearly isn’t a fan of AI. While she accepts that AI has improved, it “misses the nuances” and the multiple meanings, which are especially important when translating literature.
JoLT is dedicated to honouring translation as a creative medium, in which the spirit of the original piece is conveyed through a new language. In the words of the French poet Paul Valéry: “fidelity to meaning alone in translation is a kind of betrayal”.
