Marlaine Delargy interview

For discussion of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel Lilla Stjärna
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Nightrider
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Marlaine Delargy interview

Post by Nightrider » Sat Oct 08, 2011 6:07 pm

I never imagined that once I entered the world of John Ajvide Lindquist's writings there would be no going back. I was gone alright... hook, line and sinker. Obtaining his books became an obsession...except for one small detail. Lindquist wrote in Swedish. This language was as alien to me as Ancient Sumerian. Naturally reading all of his works in English was a dream. Marlaine Delargy made that dream come true. As a translator of John Ajvide Lindquist's recent works, she became an integral part of the creative evolution that brought the books to a wider audience.
Marlaine Delargy was kind enough to take some time from her busy schedule to discuss some of the finer points of her profession and answer my questions.

Vitaly


Marlaine Delargy , welcome to "We, The Infected".


Thank you – it’s good that people are interested.


Can you talk little bit about your background?

I was born in the north of England and grew up in Manchester. I went to university on the west coast of Wales, in Aberystwyth, and I now live in a small town in Shropshire.
I’m fluent in Swedish and German, and not too bad at French.


When and how did you start translating books?

One of my tutors at university, Laurie Thompson, started a journal called Swedish Book Review in the early 80s; the aim was to promote translations, and I did some work for him. (He now translates Henning Mankell and Håkan Nesser, among others.) I taught in secondary schools (pupils aged 11-18) for many years and more or less gave up translating, but started again when I left teaching in 2004. I was lucky enough to get some work via Bonniers in Stockholm, again through Laurie initially, and gradually built up a reputation. Fortunately the work keeps coming in!


Can you give us a short overview of the process you utilize when working on a new book?

I read the book first, work out how long it’s likely to take, agree terms with the publisher, then aim to do around 40 pages a week. When the first draft is finished I leave it for a couple of weeks, then come back and read it as a piece of English, making lots of changes! After that I usually proof read it, then read it one last time before sending it off.


Do you pick the books you work on?

I tend to get offered the kind of books I like now – crime, John’s books, and the odd more literary text from Other Press in NY. I would say no if I didn’t think I could do a book justice.


How did you start working with John Ajvide Lindquist?

I was asked by Text Publishing in Melbourne if I would be interested in translating Människohamn, which was published as Harbour. I’d read Let The Right One In, and really liked his writing. Text were pleased with my work, and since then I’ve gone on to do Little Star and Paper Walls.


Does John Ajvide Lindquist work closely with you during a book's translation?

Not really – he’s there if I need to ask a question, and always replies very promptly. He’s also very amenable to making any changes that might be necessary; I would never change anything without asking him. He doesn’t usually want to read the final translation because he’s too busy, but he did read the short story for A Book of HorrorBengt Karlsson, Murderer. That one had never been published in Swedish, so I think he was a bit more anxious about it.


Which works by Lindquist have you translated?

Harbour, Little Star, Paper Walls (which will include the title story from Let The Old Dreams Die) and Bengt Karlsson, Murderer.


Did you have to change any part of Harbor (Harbour UK title) for American release?

My work is for Text in Melbourne, so we produce a version which suits the Australian market. I don’t know what the American publishers might change – spellings, I presume. The issue with John’s work is usually song lyrics. Some of the old-fashioned songs he includes sound completely stupid when translated into English, so we usually have to cut those quite a bit. With the more modern stuff, the problem is copyright. The law is quite different in Sweden, and publishers don’t seem to pay for using song lyrics. However, as soon as you publish in Australia, the US or the UK, the situation is very different. Several lyrics had to be paraphrased in both Harbour and Little Star because it would have cost a fortune to quote just one line of a song.
In the case of Harbour, if you look at the original you will find that Henrik and Björn speak to each other almost entirely in The Smiths’ lyrics, because they are obsessed with Morrissey and the band. However, permission was not given to use these lyrics in English (there were over 40 of them!), so John had to do a very speedy rewrite just before publication.


How long does it usually take to completely translate a book?

Depends on the length – a 350-page novel will take me about three months.


What are you working on right now? If it's not a secret...

It’s a crime novel by Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt. The Swedish title is Det fördolda, and the English title will be Dark Secrets. I’m working for Murdoch Books in Sydney, but I assume it will have UK / US distribution eventually. My next book published will be Drowned by Therese Bohman, for Other Press in NY.


What kind of books do you like to read?

Crime novels, and slightly fluffier books by Maeve Binchy, Rosie Thomas, Sophie Kinsella!


Marlaine Delargy, thank you for your time.
We'll look forward to your future translations.
http://www.aspca.org/

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Re: Marlaine Delargy interview

Post by lombano » Tue Oct 11, 2011 7:03 am

Thanks for this, both of you.
Bli mig lite.

DMt.

Re: Marlaine Delargy interview

Post by DMt. » Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:43 am

Yes, nice work V.

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Cuchullain
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Re: Marlaine Delargy interview

Post by Cuchullain » Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:01 am

Excellent job folks, it's nice to hear Marlaine speak about her process. :D
"Då är vi ihop"

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Re: Marlaine Delargy interview

Post by a_contemplative_life » Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:52 am

This was extremely interesting. What a cool job this would be!

Please tell us at some point how you were able to arrange this interview. I'd love to know.
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Re: Marlaine Delargy interview

Post by Nightrider » Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:26 pm

a_contemplative_life wrote:This was extremely interesting. What a cool job this would be!

Please tell us at some point how you were able to arrange this interview. I'd love to know.
I got a hold of her e-mail and simply asked her for an interview. She was gracious enough to say "Yes".
Very cool lady.
Vitaly
http://www.aspca.org/

Visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WeTheInfected

Nobody understands...and of course...how could they?

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