Interview of the month – Kleopatra Elaiotriviari

Interview of the month – Kleopatra Elaiotriviari
(translator – Vice-President of the Panhellenic Association of Professional Translators Graduates of the Ionian University) 

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you decide to pursue a career in translation? 

In the early 90s, a family friend mentioned the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting at the Ionian University in Corfu to my mother, which was a school I had never heard of before. Back then I was in highschool, I had started learning English and French from an early age, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I did find learning foreign languages relatively easy, so I started preparing for the admission exams of the Ionian University. I took classes of English, French and translation (to and from these languages), essay writing and summarising techniques at a private preparatory school. In 1993 I passed the exams and that’s how it all started. Spanish is my third working language; I learned it later, in the course of my studies.

You collaborate with both translation agencies and publishing houses. Could you compare the two experiences of “technical” and literary translation?

The experience is pretty different, but at the same time the two are interconnected. In my opinion, working daily with various types of texts teaches you a great deal. Especially when you have the opportunity to collaborate with experienced colleagues who review your work. Constructive criticism and the opportunity to look at your work corrected by a colleague with professionalism and respect, leaving your ego at the door and keeping an open mind, help you realise all the possible solutions that are available to you in a comprehensive and objective way. And that’s because translation only rarely is black and white. Translation choices are almost infinite, but the time you have to finish a project is always finite. That means you have to turn over all the possible solutions in your mind as fast as possible to arrive to the best one, each time taking into account a variety of factors depending on the type of the text, the author’s style, the audience etc. Having said that, translating literature is a magical process for me. I love my job, be it translating mutual funds or the code of conduct for employees at company X. Nevertheless, literary translation is my passion. I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to translate literature. It is a very challenging, but also extremely fascinating job. Literary translation requires endless hours of research and work. This is true of course for “technical” translation, too. I think very few people outside the sector realise the intellectual effort involved in translation. Most people tend to think that translators are “machines” that have swallowed a few dictionaries (laughter).

In terms of literary translation, which difficulties do you usually face and how do you counter them? Talk to us more specifically about Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, whose series of books has been translated by you. 

A few months ago I finished the translation of the seventh book (in the order they have been published in Greek by Metaichmio publishing house) by Cuban writer Pedro Juan Gutiérrez. The fact that I have been studying and translating the works of Gutiérrez, as well as most of his interviews for Greek offline and online media since 2004 has greatly helped me to “enter”, sort of speak, the author’s universe, although each book consists a unique micro-universe in itself. Most of the challenges during translation relate to factual elements of Cuba, as well as Havana’s slang, which is used constantly by the author and reflected in his work. I had the pleasure and the honour to meet the author in person and he is always available to answer my questions and provide clarifications. Nevertheless, before I bother him with my questions, I always try to exhaust all available sources, either through research in dictionaries and online or by seeking the advice of my friends in Latin America who can be of help. Another one of Gutiérrez’s unique qualities is his raw, practically vulgar way of writing and his provocative sex scenes that dominate his novels. These parts require additional attention, as the translator is expected to translate the original text in his own language with no moral or other reservations, no efforts to censor or smooth over the author’s language and tone. It’s a great challenge. I have actually received compliments for the translation of Gutiérrez’s sex scenes in Greek! (laughter).

What are the specificities of Spanish language and literature?  

I don’t think I could come up with the specificities of Spanish as opposed to English, French or Greek. Each language has its own specificities, each author has his/her own tone, each literary work entails its very own translation difficulties on many levels. However, it should be noted that although “Spanish literature” usually refers to the Spanish language, there are more than one Spanish language: Cuban, Mexican or Argentinian Spanish have significant differences that cannot be ignored. There are many traps for the unseasoned translator and research saves lives!

What is your view of the translation profession in the publishing sector? 

I doubt there is any business sector that has not suffered the consequences of the crisis in Greece during the last few years. The publishing sector is no exception. Discussions regarding the future of e-books or the “war” waging between “commercial” and “serious” literature abound. I think that many publishers are seeking to reduce “risk” by investing in the “safest” publishing choices, and, naturally, most publishing houses are after the next best seller. Whatever the case, a publisher who respects his/her readers and his/her products must also respect the work of authors, translators and editors, as well as of all and any professionals involved in the production of books, on any level.

What would you advise a translator taking the first steps of his/her career?

I would advise them to keep their eyes open, to challenge and always review their work and to be open to well-intended criticism. Furthermore, they should be very careful when forming new collaborations, they should always sign clearly worded contracts and they should not hesitate to request the advice and guidance of more experienced colleagues. In recent years, thanks to translators’ associations, forums and social media, communication between professional translators on any kind of work-related issues has grown significantly. I find that very encouraging.