On the WorkTranslator's Notebook

Language is the result, not the work. Here's a closer look at what happens in between.

All entries

A Complicated Article of Law

The City of New York needed an accurate Farsi translation of a complex legal provision - the "public charge rule" - where a previous literal translation had obscured the law's true meaning.

Studies

Documentary Translation

A production company developing a documentary needed expert translation for four hours of footage - interviews, real footage, and official scenes of historic events.

Fragments

My Uncle Napoleon

I tried to review all my information about love. Unfortunately, it was not broad [enough]. Although I was over 13 years of age, I had never seen anyone in love in my entire life. Romantic books and biographies of lovers were seldom published at that time. Still, they wouldn’t allow us to read all kinds …

Fragments

The Burnt Land

It’s the last days of the summer. The afternoon nap has made me sluggish. The suffocating mugginess is still holding its demonic grip on the city. I turn off the cooler and get out of the room. The sun has reached the top of the wall. Saaber is sitting on the ledge of the flower …