Translation

Just finished reading a novel translated from Spanish: The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez. I found it a good read, entertaining enough and hard to put down in places. It got me thinking about the process of translation. The book has really good flow, and flow depends not just on structure but also on the language used IMHO. So how much credit goes to Vásquez and how much to his translator, Anne McLean? Would a different translator have given me a vastly different reading experience?

It's the second translated novel I've read this year, the other one, Andrés Neuman's Traveller of the Century, also originally Spanish. The book itself (which is excellent, a more challenging read than Vásquez but for me more rewarding) touches on the topic through its two main characters, who translate poetry across various languages. 

It made me want to learn a language and read a novel in it. But I probably won't do that anytime soon. 

A former colleague has offered to convert Debtribution into Brazilian Portuguese, which is the closest I've come to the translation process. This project seems to have stalled; the title itself was a challenge. Must crack the whip on Lucio, make sure he gets his dedo out.