Poetry Translating as Expert Action Processes, priorities and networks

Chapter 5. Five translators translate 

I 1 Toen

When

wij

we

onze

our

handen

hands

over

over

ons

our

hart

heart

streken

stroked [past simple]

= were lenient

I 2 weet

know

jij

you

nog

still

hoe

how

het

it

klopte,

beat,

hoe

how

onze

our

helen

halves

= do you remember = it was right/correct

I 3 eensklaps

suddenly

weer

again

waar

true

waren,

were,

woorden

words

bij

by

kaarslicht

candlelight

II 4 hoe

how

wij

we

vertaald

translated[participle]

en

and

gespeld

played/spelt [participle]

in

in/into

oud

old

vlees

meat/esh

lagen

lay

II 5 adem

breath

ons

us

ophief,

raised/cancelled [past simple],

strovuur

strawre

ons

us

aanstak

ignited/infected [past simple]

= wildre

III 6 als

like

rook

smoke

hing

hung

geluk

happiness [subject]

om

around

ons

us

heen,

[strengthens ‘around’],

buiten

outside

III 7 de

the

kleine

little

kou

cold

van

of

het

the

najaar,

autumn,

wij

we

waren

were

tevreden

contented

IV 8 zo

so

liggend

lying [position]

in

in

wat

what

wij

we

bezaten,

possessed,

het

the

ogenblik

moment

IV 9 dat

that

ons

us

omarmde,

embraced [past simple],

viel

fell

toen

then

de

the

tijd

time

in

in

= then time fell in/then fell into time

V 10 men

one

hoort

hears

nog

still

het

the

tikken

ticking

achter

behind

het

the

witsel,

whitewash,

lege

empty

V 11 langzaam

slowly

vallende

falling

zwarte

black

beschimmelde

mouldy

druppels

drops [noun]

Figure 23. Toen wij: Source poem (Kouwenaar 2002: 42) + English interlinear

(I = Stanza I, 1 = Line 1, etc.)

Of the workshop’s nine other translators, four volunteered for the study. Their

pseudonyms are Fleur, Geoff, Hugo and Irene. All are native-level English writers,

and native (Fleur, Hugo) or near-native (Geoff, Irene) Dutch readers. All have