Hunting in translation

Now an established format at Festivaletteratura, Translation Slam consists of a live discussion between two or more translators who have prepared translations of the same text. They get two weeks time to prepare their versions and they cannot ask anything to each other or to the author. Presenting their work today are Katia de Marco and Alessandra Scali, who were challenged to translate Hunting Elks, a short story by Swedish writer Mikael Niemi.

Moderator Laura Cangemi, also a translator, starts with an anecdote. She tried for years to invite the Swedish author to Festivaletteratura, only to be declined every time, for a very specific reason: the beginning of September is elk hunting season in northern Sweden. Niemi, at the far end of the table, confirms and adds: “But I had to come to Mantua at least once, so here I am”. And here he is, justifying his absence in previous years and explaining that where he comes from hunting elks is not recreational, but a traditional way to simply bring food to the table in a land where nothing (except potatoes) grows.

The excerpt for translation was a scene of initiation in which a boy goes hunting with his father and kills his first elk. The two translators approached the text in completely different ways, De Marco was more adherent to the rhythm of the source text, more concise, while Scali aimed at a natural sounding version, emphasising the pathos but sometimes sacrificing immediacy. Cangemi highlighted some extracts of the text, showing examples of the different choices taken and asking the translators to explain them. Lively discussions filled the room: does the dog say Uaff or Woff? Is there a slang word for “dad”? How can Swedish have so many different ways to describe noises?

In the end, both De Marco and Scali managed to give extremely convincing reasons for their choices, while recognising at times that the other one’s version was maybe better. They had the opportunity of asking the author himself, who gave important insights and praised his translators for their fundamental work. Because, after all, says Cangemi, a Translation Slam is not a challenge, but a way to shed some light on the work of those who too often remain in the shadows.