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“If you talk to a man in a language he understands that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” — Nelson Mandela

What is literary translation?

Literary translation is the translation of literary books, texts, articles, poetry, plays, songs…

It differs from translation or technical translation as it requires getting the original message across in the same manner as the original writer.

The literary style

Every writer has a literary style. The style is an essential characteristic of every literary writing, the writer’s creation, personality, and emotions at the moment. To some degree, it reveals the author’s personality.

For some authors, a translation should reflect the style of their original text, while others think translation should have the translator’s style and be more in line with the target language reader.

The skills of a literary translator

A translator should master both the source and target languages, identify with the author, understand their culture and country, and employ a good method for translating literary texts.

The literary translator must consider all aspects of the text: its lexical, grammatical, and phonological features and its beauty and style. These can be different between the source and the target language. So there is always a part of interpretation, approximation, and creation.

As a cultural difference, for example, the English language doesn’t heavily distinguish between formal and informal text, whereas French, Spanish, German, Italian, and many more have a clear distinction. This expression of formal voice is not limited to the language; the translator should also consider the culture, the epoch in which the action takes place…

The objective of a literary translation

The translator’s objective is to reach a quality level equivalent to the original text and translate the entire content.

Literary translation generally translates a message, not just a meaning, harmoniously.

The cultures can differ, and the dictionary might not give a precise equivalent word.

For example, a French translation can be significantly longer than the original English text. A single word like “clockwise” needs a full string of words, a full sentence “Dans le sens des aiguilles d’une montre” for its translation.

So the translator must find a way to express the same meaning of the original language with fidelity to their language. 

Translations can also contribute to a better understanding of the source culture.

Your book translation to French

Your book met great success in your country and maybe across the world in other English speaking countries.

Imagine now reaching French speakers…

Contact us for your book translation into French

Genre

Littérature française, Littérature francophone, Prix Goncourt

Résumé

Cela fait deux ans que Paul Hansen purge sa peine dans la prison provinciale de Montréal. Il y partage une cellule avec Horton, un Hells Angel incarcéré pour meurtre.

Retour en arrière: Hansen est superintendant à L’Excelsior, une résidence où il déploie ses talents de concierge, de gardien, de factotum, et – plus encore – de réparateur des âmes et consolateur des affligés. Lorsqu’il n’est pas occupé à venir en aide aux habitants de L’Excelsior ou à entretenir les bâtiments, il rejoint Winona, sa compagne. Aux commandes de son aéroplane, elle l’emmène en plein ciel, au-dessus des nuages. Mais bientôt tout change. Un nouveau gérant arrive à L’Excelsior, des conflits éclatent. Et l’inévitable se produit.

Une église ensablée dans les dunes d’une plage, une mine d’amiante à ciel ouvert, les méandres d’un fleuve couleur argent, les ondes sonores d’un orgue composent les paysages variés où se déroule ce roman.

Histoire d’une vie, Tous les hommes n’habitent pas le monde de la même façon est l’un des plus beaux livres de Jean-Paul Dubois. On y découvre un écrivain qu’animent le sens aigu de la fraternité et un sentiment de révolte à l’égard de toutes les formes d’injustice.

L’auteur

Jean-Paul Dubois est né en 1950 à Toulouse où il vit actuellement. Il a obtenu le prix France Télévisions pour Kennedy et moi (Le Seuil, 1996), le prix Femina et le prix du roman Fnac pour Une vie française (Éditions de l’Olivier, 2004) ainsi que le prix Vialatte pour Le Cas Sneidjer (Éditions de l’Olivier, 2012). Les ventes cumulées de ses romans publiés aux éditions de l’Olivier et chez Points s’élèvent à plus d’un million d’exemplaires.

Interprétation Audio

Jacques Gamblin

Critique

J’ai eu le bonheur de découvrir Jean-Paul Dubois à travers Tous les hommes n’habitent pas le monde de la même façon. Intriguée par le prix Goncourt 2019 et une popularité bien mérités, j’ai été subjugué par ce livre extraordinaire, que j’ai eu la chance de savourer dans sa version audio.

La plume délicate de l’auteur nous emporte dès les premières pages dans un récit captivant aux personnages complexes et aux rebondissements surprenants. La version audio, avec son interprétation magistrale par Jacques Gamblin, a enrichi cette expérience littéraire, donnant vie à chaque scène de manière captivante.

Au fil de la lecture, j’ai été transportée, ressentant les émotions des personnages avec une intensité remarquable. Ce livre m’a fait rire, pleurer et frissonner d’anticipation. Une histoire qui m’a profondément touchée.

Je recommande vivement cette œuvre captivante à tous les amateurs de littérature. Une œuvre d’art littéraire où l’imagination règne en maître et les émotions sont à fleur de peau. Une expérience inoubliable vous attend, que vous choisissiez de lire ou d’écouter cette merveille littéraire.

Definition of neck or nothing: with complete abandon and recklessness, at all risks, risking everything

An attempt at success that risks losing or ruining everything. This contract is neck or nothing—we’ve put so much time and money into this deal that we’ll go bankrupt if it doesn’t go through.

An illustration: a Neck or Nothing Man!

Print made by: George Cruikshank – Published by: Thomas Tegg

This is a George Cruikshank cartoon called “A Radical Reformer, i.e. A Neck or Nothing Man! Dedicated to the Heads of the Nation”. It was published by Thomas Tegg of Cheapside on 17 September 1819.

Description (source: The British Museum)

The Guillotine monster

The ‘Heads of the Nation’ flee in terror from a huge grotesque monster (left) whose body is a guillotine from which flames stream after the fugitives.

The creature wears a bonnet rouge, and its jaws, with huge teeth and dripping blood, extend across the upper edge of the guillotine, whose curved blade forms a vast chin.

The arms project from just below the jaws, a dagger in the right hand; blood drips from the dagger and the crisped talons of the left hand.

Grotesque bowed legs in ragged breeches splay from below the guillotine, centered by the round hole for the victim’s neck from which blood gushes, and through which peers a grinning skull.

From the vast mouth issue the words: “I’m a coming! I’m a coming! I shall have you, though I’m at your heels now I’ll be at your Head’s presently, “come all to me that are troubled with money & I warrant I’ll make you easy!!” Behind and on the extreme left, supported on clouds, daggers march forward, followed by tiny guillotine-Reformers who chant: “and a Hunting we vill go”.

The fugitives

The most prominent fugitive is Lord Castlereagh, who looks over his shoulder, saying, “Och! by the powers! & I don’t like the looks of him atall! atall!” He has dropped a large green bag inscribed ‘Castle[reag]h’s Bag’, from which gold coins are pouring.

Lord Liverpool falls face downwards across a similar bag: ‘Liverpool’s Bag’.

On the extreme right, his face cut off by the margin is the Prince Regent running fast despite a gouty leg; his wig flies off, and he exclaims: “Oh! My Wig’s off!!” Eldon, the Lord Chancellor, close behind, his (Chancellor’s) wig also flying away, answers: “Never mind, so long as your head’s on!”

At the Regent’s feet lies a crown, near two bags, ‘100000 G P R his Bag’ and ‘Old Bag’s Bag’.

Other figures are indicated; behind, a bishop with a grossly bloated nose intended for the Archbishop of Canterbury (cf. No. 13276) flees in wild terror, losing their wig and mitre.

Plate numbered 368. 1819 – Hand-coloured etching