Children of Heroes by Lyonel Trouillot, translated by Linda Coverdale“Trouillot writes with his heart on his sleeve . . . and his unabashed empathy for plucky Colin and brave, sexy Mariéla recalls elements of Dickens.”—Publisher Weekly
Tuesday Trivia: Translator’s Challenge
Are you fluent in French? If so, today’s your lucky day. In this week’s “Tuesday Trivia” posting, we’re out to test your translating skills. In honor of the newly released French translations from the University of Nebraska Press, The Living by Pascale Kramer, translated by Tamsin Black and Tomboy by Nina Bouraoui, translated by Marjorie Attignol Salvodon and Jehanne-Marie Gavarini, we’re asking you to translate the following terms culled from the descriptions of these two books from French to English. Bonne chance, mon ami!
1. vie
2. la chaleur
3. le soleil
4. tragédie
5. mère
6. frère
7. fleuve
8. été
9. jeune
10. fille
11. père
12. genre
13. identité
14. nationalité
15. mer
Answers:
1. living; 2. heat; 3. sun; 4. tragedy; 5. mother; 6. brother; 7. river; 8. summer; 9. young; 10. girl; 11. father; 12. gender; 13. identity; 14. nationality; 15. sea
Do you have a future as a French translator? Well, it depends on how many of the above terms you translated correctly…
0-2: Non!
3-6: Probablement pas
7-12: Peut-être
13-15: Oui oui!
