translators on translating 3

I have come across some more good translator interviews recently. A subtitler and web translator for Maori television has some useful things to say about the web translator's skill set. Chris Andrews, the translator of Roberto Bolaño and others, is interviewed for The Quarterly Conversation here and is well worth reading. In fact do browse through The Quarterly Conversation because it has lots of wonderful posts, reviews and interviews on translation.

The recent intense media interest in Google Translate has generated some interesting responses by translators. David Bellos, translator of Perec and other vertiginously difficult French writers, suggests in the New York Times that literary translators may be the only translators to remain indispensable in the age of GT. Lynne Bowker of the University of Ottawa thinks that MT and TM tools have the potential to interact with the creativity of literary translators. Basically, the range of skills required of professional translators and the need for flexibility are only going to increase. Plan to store your eggs in more than one basket!