lKd7nD

language of the original text, turns the “crib” into a
finished translation. The most significant limitation in
this arrangement, of course, is that the informant has
difficulties clarifying the levels of ambiguity in the
original word, phrase, or context.
2) One member is native or near native in the
source language, while the second member, who has
some understanding
of that language
and the culture,
discusses the choices
as understanding
permits, and turns the
results into a finished
translation. This more
common arrangement
seems more purely
collaborative, in that
“Consanguinity,
shared interests,
and a need to get
along enhance
the possibility of
amicable success.”
there is a degree of linguistic/cultural commonality.
3) Both members are fluent in both languages, with
one native or near native in each of the two languages.
While disagreements in collaborative translation
are unavoidable, in this arrangement both members
are well prepared to argue their case effectively and
understandably.
There is a fourth category, one with advantages and
disadvantages. That is when a translator works with the author of
the text. In our view the disadvantages outweigh the advantages,
for the translator must be the final arbiter on word choice, format,
etc., and that is a tough pill for a writer to swallow. Using an
author as a consultant can be fruitful, particularly with difficult,
obscure, or locally grounded texts, but the translator must have
the freedom and authority to decide how a work is rendered.
Now, permit us to get personal: Sylvia Li-chun Lin, a
native of Taiwan fluent in Mandarin, graduate of an American
university, and a former professor of Chinese, has teamed up
with Howard Goldblatt, fluent in Chinese with native fluency in
English to translate Chinese novels into English. That we are a
married couple helps insure our success. Consanguinity, shared
interests, and a need to get along enhance the possibility of
amicable success.
The selection of texts originates from works of fiction offered
to us by publishers, writers, agents, or colleagues/friends. For
those that are not commissioned, Sylvia reads all or part of
The Art of Empathy: Celebrating Literature in Translation
19