Between Languages, Between Registers: Translating 'Litio'

What is lost and what is gained when translating a novel like Litio? How do you carry over a fractured, poetic voice full of gaps from one language to another? In this talk, Malén Denis reflects on the process of translating her debut novel into English, soon to be published by New Directions in the United States.

Although she did not translate the book herself, Malén — who is fluent in English — was deeply involved in the translation process carried out by John Wronoski and Laura Hartry. From an in-between space — somewhere between the desire to control every nuance and the impulse to let go so the text can live a new life — the author shares doubts, decisions, and discoveries. How far should you intervene? When should you stay silent? How do you trust that the intensity will hold, even when the words change?

An invitation to…