Women & Translation

September 2, 2022 / Natacha Bordier / Comments Off

August was the month of Women in Translation. Launched by Meytal Radzinski in 2014, this movement aims to promote literature written by women in languages other than English.

The goal is to help them reach a larger audience and give them a higher chance to be recognized and appreciated by English readers. And by a public from other languages too. In fact, according to WIT website, less than 31% of translations into English are written by women.

Even though this movement focuses on women writers, translators play a key role in spreading their art. Taking WIT month as an opportunity, AOT chose to put a spotlight on some of the famous women translators throughout history up to today in our monthly blog post. Women that used the power of translation to break cultural and linguistic barriers.

*“A word may turn out to be a miracle” Nora Gal – “Words living and Words dead”*

A few ‘canonical’ women in translation

You’ll discover below some of the women that contributed to spreading literature across borders and enriching the art of translation. All promoted the role of women and translation. They left their mark in the history of translation and opened a path for future generations.

Margaret Tyler (1540-1590)

Spanish > English

At the time of Margaret Tyler, women translators were supposed to only translate religious literature. She is the first English woman to translate a Spanish romance, Espejo de prίncipes y caballeros from Diego Ortύñez de Calahorra. She chose the English title “The Mirrour of Princely Deedes and Knighthood”. Her work became a bestseller despite criticisms because it was a masculine topic.

Aphra Behn (1640-1689)

French > English / English > French

Aphra Behn is known to be the first woman to earn her living from writing. She became a role model for generations of women writers. She wrote and staged 19 plays. Later in her career, she also translated “Six Books of Plants” by the English poet Abraham Cowley from English into French. And then “A discovery of new worlds” by the French Astronomer Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle from French into English (almost as soon as its publication in France).

Anne Dacier (1654-1720)

Greek and Latin > French

Anne Dacier was a translator of Latin and Greek classics, from poets to playwrights. She became famous for introducing the Greek poet Homer to the French people by translating the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” poems. The English poet Alexander Pope then translated her prose translation of the epic poems from French into English. She was the first to use the term ‘traductrice’ (translator). The story has it that she put together the first translator code of ethics.

Sarah Austin (1793-1867)

German and French > English

An advocate of public education, Sarah Austin argued the need to create a public education system in England. She translated from French to English the Report on the State of Public Instruction in Prussia by Victor Cousin, a French philosopher for the French Minister of Public Instruction at the time. She also translated “The Story Without an End” from the German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Carové. Well-connected to the writers of her time, she is famous for standing for her intellectual rights as a translator.

Mary Howitt (1799-1888)

German, Swedish and Danish > English

Next to her translation work, Mary Howitt was also a poet and writer. She received a Silver Medal from the Literary Academy of Stockholm for sharing with a broader audience Scandinavian literature through translation. Known for her translations of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, she introduced the Swedish writer Fredrika Bremer to English readers by translating 18 volumes of her work, including her feminist ideas.

Matilda Hays (1820-1897)

French > English

English novelist and journalist, Matilda was the first translator of the French novelist George Sand with her friend Elizabeth Ashurst. She worked on most of the translations with Elizabeth. But she translated “La petite Fadette” alone after the death of her friend. One of the first openly gay women of the time, she wanted to improve women’s conditions through her writing. She was also the co-founder of the monthly English Woman’s Journal.

Florence Ayscough (1878-1942)

Chinese > English

Born in China to an American mother and a Canadian father, Florence Ayscough, was a writer, teacher, and sinologist. Author of eight books on Chinese culture, history, literary criticism, and translation, she translated ancient Chinese poems into English. Amy Lowell, her long-life friend, put some of them in verse. She contributes to introducing Chinese artists to the American public.

Zenobia Camprubí (1887-1956)

English > Spanish

Born in Spain, Zenobia studied in the US and lived in Cuba. Writer and later professor at the University of Maryland, she was the first to translate into Spanish works from the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore who received a Nobel Prize in 1913. She spent a great part of her life between Spain and the US. Involved in many initiatives, she was a pioneer of Spanish feminism (she was the secretary of one of the first women’s associations in Spain) and is known for her entrepreneurship.

Nora Gal (1912-1991)

English and French > Russian

Nora Gal was a prominent translator, a translation theorist, and a literary critic. She worked on literature masterpieces like “Le Petit Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Nora Gal also contributed to the art of translation with her manual Words Living and Words Dead. In it, she challenged the conventions and advocated for lively word choices, simplicity, and flow over technical style. “A word may turn out to be a miracle.”

Simin Daneshvar (1921-2012)

English and Russian > Persian

The first Iranian woman to be published for her collection of short stories, Simin Daneshvar is also considered the first principal Iranian woman novelist. She is known for writing sensitively about Iranian women and their lives. She was also a recognized translator who worked on famous pieces by Anton Chekhov, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Paton.

Ann Goldstein (1949)

Italian > English

The longtime chief of the copy department at the New Yorker, Ann Goldstein is famous for her translations of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet. She also worked as an editor on the first compilation and translation of Primo Levi’s works into English, overseeing a team of translators. It’s worth noting that Ann Goldstein learned Italian as an adult.

Don Mee Choi (1962)

Korean > English

Korean American poet and translator Don Mee Choi brought previously inaccessible Korean poetry to English readers. She began her career by translating modern Korean women poets and has published some of her own poetry. She received several prizes and awards, the latest being from the Royal Society of Literature International Writer in 2021.

Emily Wilson (1971)

Latin and Ancient Greek > English

Professor in the Department of Classic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Emily Wilson is probably best known for being the first to translate into English Homer’s epic poem the “Odyssey”, published in 2017. Her work was critically acclaimed. Before making the headlines, she also translated Seneca’s tragedies and other various masterpieces. In 2019, she was one of the recipients of a MacArthur Fellowship for bringing classical canon to new audiences.

AOT & Women in Translation

Kim Beard and Elisabeth Hansard founded the Art of Translation agency. We are a language services provider certified Women Business Enterprise. Here is what it means and why we want to contribute to women translators’ legacy.

AOT, a WBE certified translation agency

The National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) is the entity delivering the WBE certification. It was the first organization to create a certification program for women-owned businesses. To be eligible, women must have majority ownership and control of the company.

As per the NWBOC About us page: “Research revealed that many corporate and government agencies were not recognizing the benefits of contracting with women-owned businesses”. Then, they did another study to see if businesses would be interested in developing a certification for women. With the help of IBM sponsorship and inputs from many public and private sector professionals, NWBOC was founded. (https://nwboc.org/history.html)

The WBE certification was a huge success. Therefore, NWBOC launched other programs for veteran-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, and others.

As per the FAQ page of the NWBOC website: “Certifications offer the business entity and the owner a chance to be vetted within the federal and state procurement arena.” (https://nwboc.org/faq.html)

A small contribution to the huge legacy of women translators

To celebrate the month of Women in Translation, we wanted to recognize some of the women who shaped the art of translation. The above list of women is non-exhaustive. We could add many other names to it.

Through their works, these women helped not only to break the barrier of languages and bring the content they were translating to a larger audience. But they also promoted women and their rights. Their works are proof of the power of translation.

AOT is a women-owned boutique agency providing language services, from translation to formatting. Specializing in rail and technical translation, we love to develop long-term relationships with our clients. Our goal is to become partners and work toward your success.

We can also help you in any other translation field, from technical to marketing content. Check our services here.

AOT is at your service in any language and format. Contact us to learn more.