Verónica Minieri (translator)

(2)

I love translating all kind of stories. To be able to retell a great story in a new language —looking for the right expression, the exact shade of meaning, the precise nuances of the words I read and write— is a joy I can hardly describe.

I am an English >Spanish translator. I got my degree in Translation at the National University of Comahue in 2010. My dream has always been to become a literary translator, but I’ve been forced to accept other kind of translation work to make a living. So, I usually work for a translation agency and as a freelance translator for some local companies. I also teach English to adults in two different secondary schools, and I’ve worked as a teacher of English at the National University of Río Negro. I've translated a book called English Pioneers in Argentina, (written by Gordon Bridger) and some short stories, and attended the BCLT Summer School in 2010, which was a fantastic experience for me.

I live in Patagonia, in a little village by the Colorado River called La Adela. I was raised in a family of readers. My mother was a History teacher who worked as a French teacher when she was young. My father is a poet. He's worked as a History teacher, and besides, he has written some essays, but most of all, he's a poet. He used to tell us a couple of Andersen’s tales after dinner. My sister, my three brothers and I started reading when we were very young and we all fell in love with books. We are still passionate readers which give each other books as birthday and Christmas presents.

When I was a child, my favourite books were The Wind in the Willows, the Wizard of Oz, and Bilembambudín, and, a bit later, The Little Prince, and The Innocence of Father Brown. Now, I enjoy reading The Wind in the Willows to my little daughter, Simona, who is just 2 years old and asks for “the mole’s tale” whenever she can. I have a nineteen-year-old son too, Tomás, but nowadays I live only with my husband and my daughter, because my son is in a nearby city working at a restaurant and studying to become a chef.

I read every fiction book I get hold of. I love detective stories; actually, any story that involves a mystery. But I also love novels and short stories that deal with relationships, such as love, friendship and family. I don’t have a list of my favourite writers, but Borges, Cortázar, García Márquez, and L. Sepúlveda are some of the best writers in Spanish I’ve ever read. And in other languages, I love Chesterton, J. Simenon, Fruttero & Lucentini, Larsson, J. M. Connely, and of course Jane Austen, Jean Rhys and Joanne Harris too. And I must mention M. de Vasconcelos, Twain, Saki …and hundreds of others! What a strange potpourri I’ve made here! The thing is that I really enjoy a gripping novel or a moving short story; a good book is always the best plan for me.

I love translating all kind of stories. I've always enjoyed reading and understanding, and to be able to retell a great story in a new language, looking for the right expression, the exact shade of meaning, the precise nuances of the words I read and write, is a joy I could never fully describe (even though many times it’s a real challenge!) I don’t know how to tell it… it feels like being home at last, as if some hidden truth, unknown for the rest of mankind, were intimately revealed to me. Funny, isn’t it? But really the best feeling I can think of.

Samples (available online):

 2010 - Co-translation of Brenda Lozano’s short story “Sugar”:
http://www.newwriting.net/writing/translation/sugar/

2009 /16 -Translation of British Pioneers in Argentina & Britain and the Making of Argentina, by G. Bridger  http://www.pionerosbritanicos.blogspot.com.ar/ http://www.britishempire.co.uk/article/granbretanaargentina.htm

 2008 - Translation of poems. My version of Robert Gurney’s Rhythms is available online:
http://colecizj.easyvserver.com/psgurrhy.htm

Native language: Spanish
Translates from: English
Translates into: Spanish




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