KQED Forum

“I think the most important thing is to get inside the voice of the author and figure out where they’re coming from, what tone they’re going for, but also what the effect is going to be for the readers.” – Olivia Sears, literary translator and founder of the Center for the Art of Translation.

Tuesday on Forum, the non-profit Center for the Art of Translation announced the opening of a bookstore and cultural center in downtown San Francisco dedicated to bringing translated works to the public. We had @catranslation founder @o.sears, along with translator @bdantaslobato and publisher @adam.z.levy on the show to ask: What does it take to bring a book to an English reading audience? How do translations challenge our world view?

We also dug into the art of translation, hearing from our guests about the intricacies of translating authors’ language, style and voice into English.

Listen back, wherever you get your podcasts.