The translation of foreign language books into Maltese or English is gaining ground on a local level. Yet, some feel that devoting energy to non-original melitensia is wasting precious resources. Ramona Depares finds out more.

The literature scene in Malta has grown considerably over the past years with books in Maltese enjoying a revival also thanks in no small way to contemporary authors like Immanuel Mifsud, Pierre J. Mejlak, Alex Vella Gera and Ġuże Stagno, among others.

Parallel to this, there is also a growing market in the trans-lation of Maltese works to foreign languages. Works by Mifsud and Mejlak spring to mind and, conversely, the translation of foreign classics to the Maltese language.

The latter, in particular, has attracted criticism aimed at both publishers and translators. With melitensia in a fledgling state, would it not be wiser to focus on publishing books in the Maltese language, naysayers ask.

The truth is, of course, that both aspects of publishing are essential to a healthy market. Chris Gruppetta from Merlin Publishers feels that this line of thought is extremely short-sighted.

“Much larger countries, including Italy, France and Germany, which boast enormously rich national literatures, not only do not shy away from translation but celebrate it,” he says, adding that it would be terribly presumptuous of us to think that we can sustain an entire body of literature with the output of a population of 400,000.

“Foreign literature will often tackle subject matter that varies from that written locally. And that is a healthy way to widen readers’ world views.

“For example, earlier this year we published a series of children’s novels that covered such genres as space travel, wild animal trafficking in an African reserve, and dragon-and-swords fantasy.”

Gruppetta also points out that the practice of translation is hardly a recent one. Many readers of a certain age will remember cutting their teeth back in the 1970s and the 1980s on a series of Ladybird classics translated to Maltese.

So why the reactivation of the translation publishing programme? Because the demand is apparently still there for particular sectors and satisfying said demand can only lead to increased readership – that ever-present goal.

“We have a number of ever-popular reference and religious titles in translation. For a younger age group, probably our series of Id-Dinja Tiegħi picture books are the bestsellers. In just over a year the various animal characters Lupu Lupettu, Rosetta Banana and their friends have become hugely popular with the youngest children.”

So is the decision to trans-late based solely on demand? Gruppetta prefers to put it down to “intuition”.

Context, he adds, is almost everything, with some books that he describes as ‘tempting’ being inapplicable to Malta due to their social, political or other contextual content.

“With picture books my children are often a great testing lab. If they like it, even in the original whatever language, that usually means we’re on to something. And there’s also my wife Rachel, who has a pitch-perfect instinct for what will work and what not,” he says.

It would be terribly presumptuous of us to think that we can sustain an entire body of literature with the output of a population of 400,000

However, the decision to actually translate a book is only the first stage of a long process – finding the right translator is the next one. In Gruppetta’s case, the job is made somewhat easier by his having worked, over the years, with most of Malta’s best literary talent.

“In creative writing, I find that translators who are authors themselves can do a brilliant job, as long as they have the experience and restraint not to overpower the original author’s voice with their own.

“There are obviously some great non-author translators. But, there, perhaps it’s more of a challenge to find the right translator for the right project,” the publisher says.

This year’s book festival will, in fact, see a number of translated works being launched by Merlin; there is Il-Fabbrika Tal-Kliem, a picture book “the likes of which we’ve never seen in Maltese because it is a love story for adults as much as it is a tale for children”. The Maltese edition has been translated by Clare Azzopardi.

There are also two books in a new detective novels series for children called Il-Misteri Ta’ Thea, translated from Italian into Maltese by Rita Saliba.

Gruppetta’s approach is echoed by Joseph Mizzi, from MidSea books, who adds that criticism is misplaced, given that only one in 15 works are translated works.

“The Maltese book market is very small and, as publishers, we do give precedence to local authors. There’s also another factor to consider; Malta has a bilingual reading population and very often it is not necessary to translate a book, with all its production hurdles, when it can be read locally in English.”

This has not stopped Midsea Books from publishing trans-lations of a number of well-known classics, all of which were very well-received.

The list includes George Orwell’s Animal Farm, translated into Maltese by Gorg Borg and published in 1972; John Milton’s Paradise Lost, translated by F.X. Mangion; The Jewelers Shop, written by Karol Wojtyla (later to become Pope John Paul II) and translated by Oliver Friggieri (1981); Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, translated by Victor Fenech; Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist, translated by Steve Borg; and the one that sold most – John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, translated by Tony C. Cutajar.

Midsea Books was also involved, together with the Għaqda Biblika Maltija, in the first official translation and publication of The New Testament in Maltese and later in the first edition of The Bible.

The decision process, Mizzi says, very often stems out from the necessity to propose a genre or a theme which is uncommon in local literature or with local authors.

“There are times when the publisher goes for a work which, in the opinion of his editorial board, is outstanding and should be translated into Maltese. There are also times when an author, or translator, proposes a title which they feel should be considered for the local market in Maltese. In truth there are always a number of factors which will determine whether a publisher should go for a particular translation or not,” he adds.

Finding the right translator who will “not only enter into the author’s mind and heart, but also into the spirit of the plot which is often far away from the realities we Maltese might be accustomed to, is always a challenge.

“However, most of our translators are very skilled and are able to do an incredible job in rendering a book in the Maltese idiom. Moreover, there are other aspects to consider that go beyond the translation of the work itself, such as negotiating the rights to the script. Very often, these are publishers of international repute and there are times when negotiations take longer than the translation of the work itself,” Mizzi says.

Midsea Books are also launching a number of trans-lations at the book fair, including Trezza Azzopardi’s Booker Prize Shortlisted novel The Hiding Place, which was translated by Steve Borg. They will also be publishing four books for young readers.

The National Book Festival takes place between Wednesday and next Sunday at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

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