Jhumpa Lahiri on (non-)self-translation

In the preface to her language memoir In altre parole /In other words, translated into English by Ann Goldstein, Jhumpa Lahiri explains why she opted against self-translation:

"Writing in Italian is a choice on my part, a risk that I feel inspired to take. It requires a strict discipline that I am compelled, at the moment, to maintain. Translating the book myself would have broken that discipline; it would have meant reengaging intimately with English, wrestling with it. rather than with Italian. In addition, had I translated this book, the temptation would have been to improve it, to make it stronger by means of my stronger language. But I wanted the translation of In altre parole to render my Italian honestly, without smoothing out its rough edges, without neutralizing its oddness, without manipulating its character," (pp. xiii-xiv)

Rejecting self-translation into the dominant language thus offered her the possibility to protect her new literary language. In the chapter L'adolescente peloso / The Hairy adolescent she shares her experience of having self-translated one of her short stories, an experience which led to the ultimate rejection of self-translation:

"I imagined that it would be an easy job. A descent rather than an ascent. Instead I am astonished at how demanding I find it. When I write in Italian, I think in Italian; to translate into English, I have to wake up another part of my brain. I don't like the sensation at all. I feel alienated. As if I'd run into a boyfriend I'd tired of, someone I'd left years earlier. He no longer appeals to me." (p. 117)

She recalls the overwhelming richness of her dominant English in comparison to her Italian and the urge to protect the latter:

"The two languages confront each other on the desk, but the winner is already more than obvious. The translation is devouring, dismantling the original text." (p. 117)

Self-translation forces her to face her split identity:

"As I translate this short piece into English, I feel split into two. I can't deal with the tension; I am incapable of moving like an acrobat between the languages. I am conscious of the unpleasant sensation of having to be two different people at the same time - an existential condition that has marked my life." (p. 119)

Although the self-translation into English felt like an "obligation" (p.119), she acknowledged that "traveling between the two versions turns out to be useful. In the end, the effort of translation makes the Italian version clearer, more articulate. It serves the writing, even if it upsets the writer" (p. 120)


In other words is a beautiful testimony of falling in love with a foreign language, of the struggles to conquer it while - despite - all the efforts remaining an outsider forever.

Quotations are taken from:
Lahiri, Jhumpa: In other words. Translated by Ann Goldstein. Bilingual Edition. London/New York: Bloomsbury 2017

Zoë Jenny: "I would rather write something new."

Swiss born writer Zoë Jenny, who moved to London and has just switched her literary language to English, was asked about self-translation in a recent interview by New Books in German:

NBG: Would you consider translating your own works into English, or do you feel that has to be done by a third party?

Z.J: I don’t think I would be interested in translating my own work as long I have new ideas for books. I would rather write something new."

To read the full interview please click here .

Self-translation / Self-destruction

Ian Monk, member of Oulipo, writes about his self-translating experiences by comparing himself to Dr. Frankenstein:

"And what a pain it turned out to be. The further I got stuck into the two texts in question, the more my translations seemed utterly limp and lifeless. And the more I worked over them, the more I felt like some kind of Dr. Frankenstein, with a monster on the slab which was staying stubbornly dead, no matter how many lightning flashes were aimed at its heart."

Nevertheless, the piece we can read on Wordswithoutborders has been self-translated!
So please head over to the fantastic Wordswithoutborders to read the entire article - worth reading!

Evan Fallenberg: "I cannot and will not ever be able to translate my own work."

Author and translator Evan Fallenberg decided against self-translating his novels into Hebrew, because he doesn't think his linguistic skills would be good enough:

"As good as my Hebrew is, I came to the language too late for it to feel natural when I write in it. And if I can't write in Hebrew, I can't translate."

However he is looking forward to see his novels being translated into Hebrew and to collaborate in the process:

"One day I hope to see my own works translated into Hebrew and other languages. I look forward to being involved in that process, much as I have sat and pondered words and sentences with the authors I've translated."

To read the full interview conducted by Ann Hagman Cardinal in 2008, please click here

Rachid Mansoum: "Je n'aime pas traduire mes textes..."

Rachid Mansoum was born in 1970 at Marrakech. He is a poet and a translator and writes his poetry in French and Arabic, but prefers to be translated by someone else:

"Je n'aime pas traduire mes textes car il m'est difficile de m'auto traduire. J'aime que quelqu'un d'autre qui n'est pas moi, prenne cette initiative. Je sens qu'il y a un malaise dans cet acte d'auto traduction. C'est un acte où il y a quelque chose de narcissique et de monstrueux. C'est mieux d'avoir un regard extérieur sur son texte." (Débat avec l'auteur, Institut Français Marrakech 2008, published by Editions Harmattan.)

To read the full interview in French, please click here.

Reasons against self-translation

In an interview with the New York Times the trilingual playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri’ explains why he opted against self-translating his play from Swedish to English: “It’s almost impossible to translate your own words,” he said. “You need someone who’s a bit rough with the text, who can challenge it and take it for a ride.”