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About translating Hemingway into Arabic
Thread poster: Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 14:26
Dutch to English
+ ...
Dec 25, 2021

I keep a file of memorable quotations from books I read. I was actually looking for another quotation when I came across this one from "Crescent" by Diana Abu-Jaber:

P. 31 – "You're not really fluent in a language until it's pretty much invisible to you," Han says. "When I translate, I deal with words as conscious things. You stare at the pages and you know what everything means, in both languages, and you wonder how on earth to make both languages – with all their history and ... See more
I keep a file of memorable quotations from books I read. I was actually looking for another quotation when I came across this one from "Crescent" by Diana Abu-Jaber:

P. 31 – "You're not really fluent in a language until it's pretty much invisible to you," Han says. "When I translate, I deal with words as conscious things. You stare at the pages and you know what everything means, in both languages, and you wonder how on earth to make both languages – with all their history and innuendos – mean the same thing."

"When you put it like that, it sounds sort of impossible."

He rubs his palm over his forehead a moment. "Trying to translate Hemingway into Arabic is like trying to translate a bird into a river. Not only do you have to translate the words, you also have to translate the feelings and ideas for all kinds of things from one culture to another – like what faith or courage is."

"Crescent" is a wonderful story about a group of middle-eastern immigrants in Los Angeles who gather at a cafe, where the 'first person' is chef, server, friend and confidante. There is a love story in it as well and the book has recipes in it, for those who are interested. ▲ Collapse


AnnaSCHTR
 
Agneta Pallinder
Agneta Pallinder  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:26
Member (2014)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Thanks for the recommendation! Dec 26, 2021

Thanks Tina - the book sounds wonderful. Instantly ordered my copy from eBay. Really looking forward to reading it.
 


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About translating Hemingway into Arabic







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