Ep 168: The Art of Translation
The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma
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Why Do You Want to Be a Translator?
Translators fees tend to be so low that agents generally are not interested in representing them. It is an occupation that many critics agree is impossible at best, a betrayal at worst. I think it's the instinct of amateur singer who's quite good as a singer, but will never make it as a top class singer. You want to recreate that same feeling that you had when you heard the original. So that's what makes you do it. But i can tell you this, it's a drug. You start and you cannot stop. The only way you can survive is by starting the next one. If translators go on strike round the world, world literature is going to collapse.
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