I usually read Swedish authors in Swedish, as I am doing with this one. I don’t read as quickly in Swedish as in English, but I prefer to read books in in the original language if I can. I think something – even something tiny – is always lost in translation, no matter how good the translation.
I am a translator, but I translate legislation and specialist texts within the defence, environment, labour market and GDPR areas. These texts are dry, factual, and very rigid. I would never be able to translate a novel and do it justice. I have always loved writing, right from when I was writing my own stories at the age of six, through degrees in journalism, English, and teaching journalism. But I am not a great writer. I am a good writer but I don’t have the talent to write a novel. I would get the specialist and cultural terms right in Swedish, but not the spirit of the book. My translation would be dead and dry. If you translate a novel, you have to achieve the exact tone, the atmosphere, characters and factual terms. That is why good and well-known translators can be credited on the front cover of a novel. Sadly, most translators don’t receive the credit they deserve.
When I read Swedish novels in English, I can tell if the person is writing for American or British readers, due to how they describe schools, the legal system, and how they spell. I can tell if the person is immersed in Swedish society by how they translated slang or cultural references. For example sverigevän directly translates as Swedish friend, but these days usually means a Swedish nationalist on the far right of the political spectrum.
I would imagine AI will do most – if not all – translation in the near future. But I hope that AI writing novels is a ways into the future. I would like to preserve the human heart in that at least.
