If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for your favorite translator, or if you’re looking for some winter break reading for yourself, I’ve got two recommendations for you (and of course, feel free to add your own book recommendations in the comments!). One is The Green and the Red, a French novel written by Armand Chauvet and translated by Elisabeth Lyman, and the other is The Marketing Cookbook for Translators, written by Swedish translator Tess Whitty, who also hosts the Marketing Tips for Translators podcast. Here they are!
A few comments about each book (disclosure: I received review copies of them): The Green and the Red is set in Rennes, France, and the plot can be summed up as “pork producers versus vegetarians” (seriously!). As a vegetarian, I was hooked on the first page, which features the heroine Léa desperately trying to order in a vegetarian-unfriendly restaurant in Paris–ending with her claiming to be “allergic to ham.” This gave me flashbacks to my study abroad year in Paris in the early ’90s (picking ham out of the food: been there!) and it sets the tone for this delightful story, in which Léa ultimately falls in love with the pork producer’s marketing director. The book is a fun, easy read, and Elisabeth’s translation is as smooth as it is invisible; if I didn’t know the book was a translation, I never would have guessed. However, get this: Elisabeth’s name appears on the cover, and she’s listed alongside the author on the Amazon page. So, kudos to her and to Ashland Creek Press for that recognition. I think The Green and the Red would be make a great romantic comedy movie, so maybe we’ll see it again on the big screen!
The Marketing Cookbook for Translators is a fantastic addition to the translator business book genre, and Tess draws on her international marketing background to create a thoroughly practical guidebook; no theory at all, just “how do I actually do this?” I liked Tess’ book so much that I wrote a back cover blurb for it, and here it is: “Many freelancers struggle with marketing because it feels overwhelming: in the face of too many options, most of us end up doing nothing. Tess Whitty’s ‘cookbook’ approach helps defeat analysis paralysis by breaking the seemingly insurmountable task of finding clients into steps that take as long as you have. If you have fifteen minutes, pick one marketing appetizer to get the ball rolling; if you can block out more time, pick a main dish and really dive in. Whatever you choose, you’ll reap the benefits of Tess’ international marketing background and the lessons she’s drawn from building her own freelance business from the ground up.” I really like Tess’ compartmentalized approach to marketing; there’s definitely a place for books that take the “complete overhaul” approach, but lots of people won’t make it past chapter one of that kind of plan. Definitely better to pull off a manageable chunk and actually do it; and Tess’ book will show you the way!
Readers, any other suggestions for winter break reading?
Hi Corinne,
Nice idea. I have one to suggest. The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker. I’m in the middle of it and am enjoying it very much. I like his advice, so far.
http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Style-Thinking-Person%C2%92s-Writing/dp/0670025852/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418755534&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sense+of+style+the+thinking+person%27s+guide+to+writing+in+the+21st+century
I have one caveat. Buy a readable version. I’m listening to it, as I often do with books, and I don’t like the narrator. He must be popular – it’s not the first time I’ve heard his voice. However, he puts me to sleep. I find myself losing concentration and going a minute or two because I lost the thread. I’m sure it’s the droning voice causing that, not the content.
Hi Corrine, thanks for the nice review and for highlighting Lisa’s fantastic job on her first translated novel.
I’m not sure what you mean by “she’s listed alongside the author on the Amazon page”?
This is the case for any translated book sold on Amazon. The format is:
by Armand Chauvel (Author), Elisabeth Lyman (Translator)
Thanks Marco; what I mean is that it’s the publisher’s choice to list the translator or not. For example here’s a book that I translated: http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-North-American-Indians-Indigenous/dp/B005Q8B5I2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418831781&sr=8-3&keywords=dictionary+of+north+american+indians and for which my name is listed on the copyright page, but not on the cover or the Amazon page. So I appreciate that the publisher of Elisabeth’s book chose to include her alongside the author.
Thank you Corinne! I was not aware of that, thanks for letting me know that it’s the publisher choice to list the translator or not.
Great list Corinne, I think I’m going to buy The Marketing Coobook for myself! 🙂
I’m waiting on the Marketing Cookbook down here in Mexico and I got The Sense of Style as an early Xmas present. Really looking forward to digging in.
Thanks!
Thank you for the recommendation Corinne, and for all your support and reviews. I really value your opinion!
Thanks for the tip, Corinne — now I’ll go read the Green and the Red with my French in-laws at fois/faux gras season.
Just for anyone else searching, I couldn’t figure out why the book was not showing up on amazon.fr – it’s Chauvel, but the font on the cover makes ‘l’ look like ‘t’ which got into the review too – thanks again for pointing us toward this book, it sounds like a fun read! And now I’ll go try ordering it from a more local source…
An update on that search and a question for anyone who happens to know — does this book exist “en version originale”? I can only find the English translation (and indeed, it shows up everywhere as a collaborative work with the translator, which is great to see!).
Lingo, by Gaston Dorren. Just started reading and it looks great! http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/28/lingo-a-language-spotters-guide-to-europe-by-gaston-dorren-review-learned-and-pleasantly-ironic
Elisbeth Lyman also has a whole page dedicated to her at the back of “the Green and the Red” with a photo and a mini-biography (as does the author, Armand Chauvel). These things are not automatic, and while my own brief contact with M. Chauvel would suggest he is an amicable fellow, I think the prominence given to the translator has something to do with the manner and level of collaboration Elisabeth Lyman brought to the project.
I agree with your comments regarding the translation, Corinne. I think Elisabeth came up with some neat solutions to what must have been (I have not seen the French original, since it has not yet been published) some tricky French expressions. A great choice for holiday reading – or anytime reading, for that matter!