Jen Calleja, “the punk-rock translator”. There’s part of me that baulks at this description as most people don’t know what punk means and therefore does her no favours. In fact, she’s a great writer, translator or not, as evidenced by the novel, Vehicle, reviewed ecstatically by yours truly a few years ago and, of course, by her new book Fair. An ingenious trip around modern translation in the form of a ‘fair’, with stalls and events which allows Calleja to deep dive into how the world of the modern translator necessarily encompasses issues, like pay, process, politics and diversity. I’m an absolute geek when it comes to stuff like this and am also fascinated by Literature’s (capital L) gatekeepers who Calleja is happy to take on especially when there’s a lingering belief that “only academics should translate literature” ie white, middle-class academics whose livelihoods shouldn’t be taken away by a new diverse gang of translators in town who want a bit of the action. Action that is tough in ways that other writing isn’t. Action where nit-picking and carping is just part of the game. Action that requires the kind of literary chops that lets translators fully inhabit a text to produce a translation that’s hopefully readable, compelling and suitably stylish. Fair is all over this, the choices made, the hard work, the pitfalls and the triumph of producing a great translation. Modern translators have got it good, in part, because Jen Calleja’s brilliant Fair is the perfect guide. No translation needed.

Fair (The Life-Art of Translation)

– Jen Calleja – Publ. by Prototype Publishing

Steven Long