Gained in translation

versatile wordsmith expresses his thoughts on the growing but still inconsistent translation of books in Vietnam.
Vietnamese readers have recently been given an introduction to literary genres like pop art and magical realism.
Books written in various languages have been translated skillfully to high praise from readers and critics alike.
The man behind most of these works is Trinh Lu.
He has so far translated over 20 world-renowned titles into Vietnamese, including books from Italy, Australia, China, Brazil and Japan.
Among the masterpieces he has translated are “The Centaur in the Garden” by Moacyr Scliar, “Norwegian Woods” by Haruki Murakami, and the 2002 Man Booker Prize winner “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel.
The last earned him the Literary Translation Award from Vietnam’s Literature Association in 2004.
Lu has also translated classics like “Utopia” by Sir Thomas Moore and “The Chinese Theory of Art” by Chinese renowned scholar Lin Yutang.
Trinh Lu, real name Trinh Huu Tuan, was born in 1948 in Hanoi and worked as a reporter and editor for the Vietnam News Agency.
He spent 15 years in the US working for the UN
A man of many talents, he is also a pianist, interior designer and painter.
He was voted Artist of the year by the New York-based Ithaca Journal in 1993.
Lu never academically trained to be a translator but there is no doubt that he is one of the best in Vietnam.
In an interview with Thanh Nien, Lu talks about his fateful choice and the state of Vietnam’s book translation industry.
Why did you choose this profession?
By chance. Somebody gave me a copy of Life of Pi and asked if I could translate it into Vietnamese.
[I was] jobless at that time – late 2003, as I remember – and said yes.
The translation was a success.
People started calling me for translations.
I have translated more books since.
But I spend most of my waking time doing other things that pay for my subsistence.
I would not say literary translation is my profession.
What do you think makes a translation a good one?
It should recreate all important aspects of the original in the mind and heart of the reader of the translation: meaning, voice, language, feelings...
How the English-speaking readers perceive these aspects of Life of Pi should be replicated in the Vietnamese reader’s perception of the translation.
What would you say about a translation considered good by the readers but is actually too loose and not faithful to the original?
That would not be a good translation.
What is the most important element in translation?
Hearing the voice of the original author, knowing in the guts what made her/him write those sentences, paragraphs, chapters... and be able to replicate all that in the target language.
What are your criteria for selecting original works for translation? How long does it take you to absorb and translate such a work?
I have translated novels, poems, art theory and political books.
If I really want to share a book with my fellow countrymen for a good reason, I will recommend it to a publisher.
How long does it take is a tricky question. It depends.
People warn that we are facing a translation “disaster” after a series of mishaps in published translation works. What do you think?
I appreciate the warning, but am positive about the improvements forced and inspired by those mishaps.
The last two years saw a surge in literary translation with the publication of many famous contemporary literary works from Japan, China, France etc. What do you think of this trend and the future of literary translation in Vietnam?
This is related to the surge in our economy and international integration.
Books, particularly literary translations, are becoming a commercial product with a growing market.
Given our situation, this market will continue to grow.
Suddenly, translations become crucial.
It connects us to the world, and, by doing so, helps us to connect to ourselves.
Translation of literature is an important part of this learning process because it helps us feel the mind and heart of the world and to keep us human and humane.
What about our own literature? How do you see it in competition with translated foreign literature?
In the market, the better goods win.
The assumption here is that the consumers know what is good.
Translations help enrich our own language and ways of thinking and expression.
Our literature will benefit from translations.
We have translated many foreign literary works and most of them have become big hits. But only a few Vietnamese works have been translated and published overseas. What do you think about this?
Quantity doesn’t count here. I think the best of our contemporary literature has been translated and published overseas and rather highly appreciated too.
Look at the international awards given to authors like Nguyen Huy Thiep, Do Chu, Le Minh Khue.
I think literature, prose particularly, is our most promising art.
We need good translators to reveal it to the world.