Megan McDowell's translation

Ruoyi.zhang

This week's speaker is Megan McDowell, a translator who has been interviewed many times and all the answers she gave are easily understood. I rarely delve into Spanish literature, not only due to the substantial cultural differences but also because of the captivating plots, leaving me unfamiliar with the nuances of translating such literature. Megan raised numerous questions that laypeople would have about the translation profession, including the time required to translate a book, which is actually dependent on the book itself. I was surprised by her suggestion to time such an event, akin to an annual report, allowing not only myself but also others to gauge the approximate amount of work and time spent in a given year. It's an efficient way to calculate time. In the pre lecture PowerPoint presentation, she was also mentioned as a writer, but she was very clear that she did not write these intriguing stories. Megan's role is to make them accessible to a wider audience. In one of her previous interviews, she mentioned that if a US audience sees "translated by" on the cover of a book, they might immediately dismiss it, highlighting her clarity about her career and positioning. She has attempted various tactful responses to this question, but has consistently faced challenges. Unlike Amelia, Megan enjoys communicating with authors during translation, as I expected, facilitating a better understanding of the author's intentions, including sticking with the same author to become more familiar with their writing style, thus enhancing the translation's clarity and skillfulness. I was initially skeptical in class because most of the books I've read are heavily annotated, but Megan's approach differs. In the sample reading we read, special nouns were directly translated or simply explained within the text. She argues that annotations disrupt the author's intended flow of reading, and the purpose of reading a translation is to avoid continuous confusion while maintaining the original meaning. 

My favorite aspect of Megan's lecture is her sense of humor and her proactive stance in recommending stories. I appreciated her adept translation of gendered nouns in Spanish, which added an intriguing layer to her English renditions.She fulfills the duties of a translator by effectively bridging the gap between the reader and the writer, making her truly deserving of the awards she has received.

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