Laura Watkinson's translation of Annet Schaap's Lampie made Carnegie Medal history in March when it became the first book in translation to be shortlisted for the awards.  As part of a special international focus day leading up to the announcements of the 2020 Medals we were delighted to talk with Laura about translation and her career.  

(1) How long have you been translating and how did you enter the field?

That’s a good question. I’ve been translating on and off since I first started learning languages at school, starting with fun things, like trying to translate the lyrics of “The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book into German, which I’m sure was a disaster! I’ve always been fascinated by languages for some reason and was delighted when I found out that I could study them at school – which later extended to university too. I’ve also done other work, including teaching English abroad, working for a subtitling company and a brief stint with the BBC Pronunciation Unit, but often used to do translation work on the side and taught a few university translation courses too. It was a course in literary translation from Dutch into English at UCL that really made me focus on translating books though. I’ve been a full-time translator for pretty much twenty years now. I still love translating and learning languages. I’m your typical language nerd.

(2) In your opinion what are the qualities that make a strong translation and are there any special considerations when working upon fiction?

I think a strong translation captures the tone and spirit of the original book. When an author’s voice is strong and confident, as is the case with Annet Schaap, that guides and inspires the translator. As I gain a feeling for the author’s voice and for the text, I begin to have a sense of how they might have used the resources that are available in English, which helps me as a translator to follow creatively in the author’s footsteps. With any book, fiction or nonfiction, I take some time to listen closely to the author’s voice, even if I think I know it already from other books.

(3) The shortlisting of Lampie is a historic moment for the Carnegie Medal as it’s the first time a translated book has reached this stage, are there challenges with bringing translated titles to the UK children’s market and how important are prizes and promotions?

It’s fantastic news. I’m British, so I grew up reading all those wonderful authors who won the Carnegie Medal. I remember Susan Price coming to visit us at our local library club and reading to us from The Devil’s Piper, which I believe was her first book. I was very excited when she signed the book for me. Then there were other authors I loved and read, such as Lucy M. Boston, C.S. Lewis, Eleanor Farjeon and, more recently, Philip Pullman and Patrick Ness. One of my favourite books ever, Elizabeth Goudge’s The Little White Horse, won the award in 1946. My mom gave me her copy of it when I was little, as it had been a favourite of hers too. So, it’s amazing for me to have worked on a book that has been recognised by an award with such an illustrious history. I’m so grateful that translated books are now eligible for the Carnegie Medal too, reflecting the fact that great children’s literature comes in many different languages. The British and American markets have traditionally been a little reticent about opening up to books in translation, but I believe that is starting to change. We’re seeing more and more great books in translation, and recognition of translated books is important. We need to hear more voices and read more great stories.

(4) Were there particular parts of Lampie that you found more enjoyable to translate or more challenging and what were the reasons for this?

I enjoyed translating all of Lampie, from start to finish. Annet has such a strong voice and such a great ear for dialogue, so it was particularly good fun trying to echo what she’d done with the Dutch dialogue. I have to confess to a particular fondness for the mean voice of the wind in the first few chapters. It’s a fun book to read aloud.

(5) What kind of communication did you have with author Annet Schaap?

Sometimes when I’m translating, I’ll have a few questions for the author as I’m working, but that wasn’t the case with Lampie, as the story is told very smoothly. During the editing stage, Annet had a look at the translation and we emailed about a few points. We discussed some questions with Daniel Seton from Pushkin Press and, of course, with the wonderful Hannah Featherstone, who is a very sensitive reader and did a great job of editing Lampie. So, there was some back and forth before we finalized the text.

(6) Can you tell us a little about other books you have translated?

I’ve particularly enjoyed translating Tonke Dragt’s books, also for Pushkin Press: The Letter for the King; its sequel The Secrets of the Wild Wood; The Song of Seven; and The Goldsmith and the Master Thief. Tonke Dragt is a beloved author in the Netherlands and, along with many other readers, I’d always found it frustrating that her classic books hadn’t been translated into English yet. Many thanks to Pushkin Press and Adam Freudenheim for making that happen! The Letter for the King was written in 1962 – and it came out as a Netflix series in English this year, which I was so pleased about. Happily, Tonke Dragt is still with us, so she’s been able to see what a success her books have been in English too.

(7) Finally, if you were making a case to champion translated books to librarians what comments would you make around the importance of reading work in translation?

Translated books can open up new worlds that you might never have thought about. In a way, a translated book offers a double guarantee of quality, too. Not only has the book made it to publication in its original language, it has also been well received at home already, and so publishers, literature foundations, readers, reviewers, authors, illustrators and translators have joined its cheerleading squad and, as a result, it’s made its way into other languages. That’s a great recommendation. Ultimately, though, translation provides access to lots of new and exciting tales and characters and allows a wide range of voices to be heard. There are so many great stories waiting out there in the world – and who doesn’t love a great story?

Thank you to Laura Watkinson for a fascinating interview.  To find out more about Laura, why not visit her website.  Do check out the international themed videos we have programmed for today as part of the National Shelf Service (these are themed around different book awards from across the globe and will be released on the hour from 11.00am and will cluminate with a  very special prelude to this evening's announcements by 2019 Kate Greenaway Winner Jackie Morris which will go live at 3.00pm).  The announcements themselves will take place on BBC Front Row this evening from 7.15pm.