Journale Lucy Fricke’s Töchter: A Translation Road Trip

AND SHE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND DID LOTS AND LOTS OF TRANSLATIONS …

By Isabelle Liber, translated by Sinéad Crowe


How did this story begin? What led to me translating this novel?

I’m often asked how I “choose” the novels I translate.

The honest answer – or at least the statistically accurate one – is probably a bit disappointing: I don’t choose the books; my publishers do.

When I became a translator, I quickly accepted that my work would be dictated by more than just artistic concerns. Authors, publishers, the book market, schedules – so many factors influence what I do! Sure, you can dream about following only your passion and your (impeccable) taste.1 Whether you could do this and still make a living – that’s another question. But the astonishing thing I’ve found in my career as a translator is that my “obligatory” projects have, without exception, turned out to be wonderful ones. Have I just been lucky enough to only ever work with “good” publishers? Possibly. In any case, I’ve grown fond of every book I’ve been hired to translate; indeed, I’ve developed a deep bond with them. I see these books as wild little children who have moved to a new country, and it is my task to look after them, to live with them and teach them the language and customs they’ll need to settle into their adopted homeland.

But let’s return to our story. While it’s often the publishers who decide what works will be translated from German into French, you can always recommend books you love, or at least draw attention to interesting titles. This is the aim of the Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt Programme, a professional development scheme for early-career translators. When I took part in the programme in 2005, I chose Nina Jäckle’s novel Noll to work on, and I submitted my sample translation to French publishers. Several of them expressed interest in the project, and ultimately the book was published by Autrement under the title L’Instant choisi2 in 2006.

The French and German book covers. © Autrement and Berlin Verlag

So even if there’s no guarantee of success, it’s possible – desirable, in fact, perhaps even essential! – for translators to at least try to take contemporary (or less contemporary) literature across borders. Because it’s exciting and fun, and because it increases the diversity and wealth of translated titles. And because sometimes luck is on your side and your attempts to find a publisher work out. Certainly in the case of our story here, the stars (and there were many stars involved) seemed to be aligned right from the start.

The first of these stars* was Karen Köhler, a wonderful writer and a wonderful person. During a tour of France in April 2018 to present Bêtes féroces, bêtes farouches3, my French translation of her collection of short stories – a tour that involved countless train journies, apéros and unforgettable readings – I asked Karen what her favourite books at the time were. She mentioned three titles, one of which was Töchter by Lucy Fricke. I read the book and I liked it. I really liked it, in fact, so I decided to pitch it to publishers I regularly work with. I began working on a sample translation, but I didn’t get around to finishing it as I was busy with another translation. That didn’t stop me from pestering publishers, though. One editor whom I particularly admire could tell you all about it; I nagged him for months. But it was no use. My enthusiasm wasn’t enough to convince him.4

The second star* appeared much later in the form of Michael Wenzel from the literary agency Editio Dialog, which represents Rowohlt in France and had been pitching Töchter to French publishers. I had contacted Michael when I first embarked on my search for a publisher. In June 2019 he wrote me that he’d received an offer for the novel. I informed the publishers I had already contacted, telling them that they needed to move now if they wished to acquire the rights. One of the publishers was on the verge of making an offer but then changed its mind.

What a pickle for a translator. I knew that the novel was going to be published in French; I just didn’t know where. At this point of the negotiations, Michael wasn’t allowed to tell me the name of the publisher that was buying the rights. He promised to let the publisher let me know that I was interested in translating the book, but that didn’t set my mind at ease. I was worried he’d change his mind or forget or pass on my address too late …5 It was at this point that my third lucky star* appeared: it was none other than Lucy Fricke herself, whom I’d contacted via the literary networking platform Literaturport. She sent me a very friendly reply telling me that the French translation of her novel would be published by Le Quartanier.

With the help of a certain well-known search engine, I discovered that this publisher . . . is based in Montreal. Merde. Knowing absolutely nothing about the publishing landscape in Quebec, I assumed that a Canadian translator would be hired for the job. Just as I was resigning myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be the French translator of Töchter, my fourth lucky star* appeared in the sky: my friend and colleague Sonja Finck, who lives in Quebec. She happened to be visiting Berlin at the time, so I invited her over for dinner and asked for her advice. What I didn’t know was that she’d worked with Le Quartanier for a long time. She advised me to get in touch with the publisher right away.

There were so many lucky stars* guiding the French version of Töchter along. I wish I could repay those of you who showed me the way, who helped me, who believed in me; if I could, I’d give you the moon and stars!

A translation’s fate often hinges on a helping hand, a useful tip, a stroke of luck or sheer coincidence … but perhaps the final star* in this story was me. After all, it was me who eventually prepared a sample translation for Le Quartanier and was ultimately hired to translate Töchter.

If you want to find out more about this theme, make your way to these pit stops: THE JOURNEY BEGINS and A ROADMAP TO A TRANSLATION.

 

Drive on.

 

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