Autumn 2013

etween translation and version has
become necessary as translators continue
to take liberties with the original work.
If the translator has no command of the
author’s mother tongue, then a far more
reliable method of re-creating the author’s
work is translating from a good, existing
translation in a language that the translator
does happen to know well. If a good
translation is used, the translator can hear
the author’s voice and convey it into a third
language as well. Estonian literature made
its first significant mark on the Englishspeaking
world nearly twenty years ago
with Jaan Kross’s novel The Czar’s
Madman in Anselm Hollo’s brilliant
translation. This success had as much to
do with the quality of the translation as with
the quality of the book itself. Hollo had little,
if any, command of Estonian and therefore
translated from the Finnish and, to some
extent, German translations of the work.
Yet Jaan Kross’s idiosyncratic voice
resonates clearly throughout the English
translation. The translations Hollo worked
from were obviously very good and, with
his poet’s ear, he was able to hear and
therefore convey Kross’s voice. In the field
of prose translation from the Estonian,
Hollo’s work remains unsurpassed.
A translator has many other responsibilities
in addition to translating, all of
them demanding dedication to seeing the
author’s work get into the hands of as
many readers as possible.The entire
process begins with offering work for
publication, first to literary magazines, then,
when one has established a “track record”,
to book publishers.When a publisher has
been found and a book published, the
translator should really continue acting as
intermediary between author and publisher
and generally do everything possible to
further the author’s work by actively
promoting the book, helping to organise
reading tours if sufficient interest can be
aroused and finding new publication
opportunities, all of which demands far
more time than the actual translation
itself. A translator’s work
does not end with the publication
of a book – that is only the first
step on a very long and fulfilling
journey.
In any case, good translators
aren’t in it for the money or the
glory – there is relatively little of
either to be had. But the rewards
are ultimately far more deeply
satisfying, though the only real
lasting acknowledgement a
translator can expect to receive for
all this is the author’s gratitude,
and sometimes the publisher’s.
Translators (unless they are wellknown
writers themselves) are
generally marginalised by the
cultural establishment. They are
regarded as linguistic handymen,
not as creative literary artists in
their own right. Though David and
Helen Constantine maintain in their
introduction to MPT’s Parnassus
issue that good poetry translators
are indeed poets, theirs still
remains an unfortunately rare
voice in the literary landscape.
Nevertheless, I can think of no
other work that is more rewarding.
I have been concentrating on
Kristiina Ehin’s poetry and prose
for quite a few years now, though I
have translated the work of other
poets as well from time to time.
Kristiina’s tenth book in my
translation has just been published,
the eleventh and twelfth will
be appearing soon, and our
collaboration is ongoing. Kristiina
has become truly well-known for
her poetry and prose in the
English-speaking world and
beyond, and I am indeed very
happy and proud to have played a
part in making this particular fairy
tale come true.
E l m / A u t u m n 2 0 1 3