What’s a translator?

The most highly endowed literary prizes in the English language - The Booker Prize and the Dublin Literary Award - recognise the authors and translators of the winning works in equal measure. In France, translators are rarely mentioned when a novel is translated. Apart from specific translation prizes such as that of the CCI, translators remain in the shadows. Wouldn't DeepL and ChatGPT do just as well? Besides, what do translators actually translate? Rhythm, tone, choice of words, syntax - they all form a complex whole, known as the 'voice'.

As part of her writer-translator residency at the CCI, presented with the support of the Conseil Régional d'Ile-de-France, Marie Hermet - translator for Dermot Bolger and Donal Ryan, among others – tells us this evening all about her fascinating profession. You can also meet her at the translation workshops she will be running in three partner libraries of the City of Paris: Benoîte Groult (14th arrondissement), Marguerite Yourcenar (15th arrondissement) and Germaine Tillion (16th arrondissement).

Project funded by the Région Ile-de-France