by peterbacon » Sat Oct 05, 2002 5:02 pm
Barbara, Looks like this particular discussion (about translating one of your books into Spanish) has quickly become a 'deadthread'. Where do things stand with this? Have you made any progress with it that perhaps you haven't shared yet with the rest of us? If you've had to put this idea on hold, for whatever reason, but are still interested in having a professional-level translation done, strictly on a voluntary basis, of one of your books, then I have some very good news for you. My very best friend here is a Chilean named Victor Huerta. Victor came to Australia 'hace muchas lunas' (many moons ago). His English is absolutely impeccable. He *loves* English, having fallen in love with the language when he was a teenager and totally immersed himself in it. (He's your archetypal autodidact.) These days, he does freelance translating for agencies here in Melbourne. In fact, that's his primary source of income now, though he only needs to do it periodically. In other words, he's got time on his hands. I've been chewing his ear off about you for weeks now, and he now shares my view of you: that you walk on water while performing miracles with one hand tied behind your back (*and* chewing gum at the same time). I've just talked with him by phone. He will translate a book for you, and will do so without charge. So, here's what you need to do: - Say yes. - Name the book. He's not on the internet at home at the moment, though he expects to be before too long. Pero no hay problema. I'm your conduit. It's easy enough for me to convey messages back and forth. Should you want to speak with him directly, of course, I can always give you his phone number. He'd be totally blown away, especially if you were to call him out of the blue. (I didn't think of this possibility until after we hung up this morning, so the last thing he'd be expecting is a phone call from you. Don't worry--as far as I know, he has no heart problems!!) BTW, he reminded me that the market for Spanish versions of your books is huge: there are roughly 300 million native Spanish-speakers throughout the world. Even here in Australia, there are said to be about 90,000. Incidentally, although his Spanish is obviously flawless, mine is nothing to sneeze at. (Three years in Tegucigalpa and 8 months in Mexico had to have counted for something.) I've published and edited in Spanish myself, and even did presentations in Spanish from time to time when I worked as a community development specialist (downtown area) for SHARE Southern California in San Diego. So, I could perhaps act as a sort of silent collaborator, in the (unlikely?) event he needs help with something. Given enough time, I can produce something approximating perfect, so in a time pinch I might knock out a first draft of a portion of your book, then turn it over to him for final polishing. We actually did this with a lengthy letter I wrote last month in Spanish to Lori Berenson, the young woman--you probably know all about her--falsely and illegally imprisoned in Peru. Obviously, he could have written it *faster* than I; but he found only a few minor errors in several pages of text. (Several pages?! Most of my letter was actually a description of various easy-to-make board games and puzzles that I thought Lori and her fellow prisoners might knock together, and play, to help pass the time.) Anyway, I assume that if this comes to pass, and if, in addition to publishing the Spanish version of your book serially on this forum, you were to publish hard copies of the translation, Victor would be credited as the translator on the title page? Que te parece la idea, Barbara? (How do you like the idea?) Let me know. He is absolutely and totally jazzed with the idea. When we started talking this morning, he was in excellent spirits for starters; by the time we finished, I could almost *see* the energy waves pulsing off my end of the phone line. Picture him poised at the starting blocks, just waiting for you to fire the pistol. Ain't this fun? As another friend used to comment contentedly at moments like this: "Yup. Life. Can't beat it with a stick." PeterB [This message has been edited by peterbacon (edited October 05, 2002).]