Can I be a traitor to my own writing? I'm sure that can happen. We're in danger of betraying our work whenever we translate what we wrote. Even if the translation is good, it's never like the original. Every language has a flow and specificities that reflect the culture that can't be fully transmitted even when the translation is accurate.
I'm talking about this because I'm in the middle of translating a short story I wrote in Portuguese at the beginning of this year. I believe it flows well in Portuguese and has some references to Portuguese culture that can't be fully enjoyed or understood by someone who wasn't raised in this country.
It is challenging, but it is, at the same time, fun.
The most challenging part is the one I'm doing now, maybe because it's precisely the one I'm doing now! It's the sex scene since this is an erotic lesbian short story - as the contest I made it for demanded. It's harder because the euphemisms I use in Portuguese don't work in English, so I might as well write a whole other sex scene from scratch if I want it to sound believable or even logical, because it's important to be believable and logical while being filled with emotion, as well. If the sex scene has a position that isn't physically possible, for example, it will take away from the very important act of believing and seeing the scene unfold in your mind and that's a very important part of storytelling.
I'm hoping to finish it soon, and then comes the editing, which is always very hard. I'll get there in due time.
Comments