czwartek, 24 października 2013

Tell me how you treat your translator and I will tell you what kind of person you are

I did not really plan to write a review but I need to share a few thoughts after reading Travels with Kapuściński. Stories of 14 translators ["Podróże z Ryszardem Kapuścińskim. Opowieści czternastu tłumaczy"]. 
So far, I've read a few books by Kapuściński, but I was always so caught up in his descriptions of people, places, cultures that I have never thought about the author.

And who knows the author better than his translators, right? This book contains 14 stories told by the translators about their work and their impressions on Kapuściński. Each story is a piece of the puzzle and together they create a portrait of a friendly, kind, smiling and shy man who despite his workload, always remembered to thank his translators for their effort and was even sincerely interested in their everyday problems. A man who was always curious, always fascinated by the world around him. A man who was well-known but still was humbly admitting his mistakes and was actually listening to a translator, patiently replying to his/her e-mails.
In fact, this is a book about a perfect author-translator relationship! I knew it was possible in real world!

There is more... The stories also remind us that sometimes we can read good books in our mother tongue only because a translator was persistent enough to persuade a publisher they were worth publishing. Maybe we should more often pay attention to the translator's name in fine print? If only for a second.

It's a good read, especially for the translators who lost faith in their clients. 

czwartek, 10 października 2013

New beginnings for old things...

Llynedd, dechreuais i ddysgu yn yr ysgol am gyfieithwyr (O Saesneg i Bwyleg). Weithiau, roedd hi'n anodd. Weithiau, roedd hi'n hawdd. Ond, pob penwythnos yn ysgol o Dydd Gwener i  Dydd Sul oedd y peth caletach. Yn enwedig, pan oedd fy cymdogion mwynha ein pewythnos a chael parti tan 4 yn y bore...
Ond, nawr yr ysgol yn ol. Ac ar ol penwythnos cyntaf dw i'n casau Saesneg eto...
Dim syniad pam dw i'n talu i bod nerfus pob penwythnos ;)

piątek, 4 października 2013

Hydref

Hydref hapus i bawb!
Ces i'r haf brysur iawn a gobeithio fydda i mwy o amser yn Hydref. Amser i ddysgu Cymraeg a gwneud popeth neis. Gobeitho...
Mae'r dyddiau yn hyfryd a heulog ym Mhoznań. Mae'r amser perfaitth i fynd am dro i barciau ac edmygu lliwiau hydref. 



Nawr, gyda myfyrwyr ol yn y dinas, mae'r ynni am ddechrau pethau newydd yn ol hefyd.
Dw i'n meddwl bod hydref yn well i wneud penderfyniad na Dydd Calan. Mae'n debyg, rhywyn arall yn Stary Browar, cytuno gyda fi. Dyna'r ciwb mawr ble bobol yn ysgrifennu ble fyddan nhw wneud yn y dyfodol. 


Fy mhenderfyniad yn Hydref? Dysgu Cymgraeg.

PS Paid ag anghofio i gwennu heddiw! Diwrnod Gwenu Rhyngwladol Hapus!