Anvil editor: Essence of books not lost in translation
Translating English books to the Filipino language does not destroy the message of the original work, digital editor for Anvil Publishing told The Spiral Journal.
Arvyn Cerézo said a translator’s job is to merely echo the content of the source material to preserve its original meaning.
“[T]ranslators do not change the context of the source material. They do not change the plot of the story. … What they do as a translator[s] is to echo the source material’s content. In this way, the essence of the book is not lost in translation,” Ceŕezo said.
The original message of books should not get lost in the process of translation and that translators should give due respect to the original author by not making the work appear as if it is their own, Ceŕezo said.
“There might [be] some things that can affect the translator in doing the process [of translation] but he should still make his work faithful to the source material as much as possible. That’s the goal,” he said.
Preserve Filipino language
Cezero said Filipinos should master both the Filipino and the English language because it will make them “versatile in this vast changing world” but said they should master their own language first because “it is the spirit of our national identity.”
Despite the advantages of being multilingual, Cezeŕo said Filipinos should keep supporting their national language.
“Let us continue supporting the annual Buwan ng Wika in our schools. Let us teach our kids the Filipino language so that it will not die. Let us be the custodian of our own language by employing it when we can,” Cerézo said.
He also urged the Filipino youth to read books in the Filipino language by using new platforms like Goodreads and invited them to join literature-focused events such as The Philippine Readers and Writers Festival and the Manila International Book Fair.
Cerézo graduated with a degree of English Langauge and Literature Studies from the Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation in San Carlos Pangasinan. He has worked with several translators such as Ambassador Olsa of Czech Republic, and esteemed writers Susie Borrero, Bebang Sy, and Luna Sicat-Cleto.
Last September 15, he released his first poetry collection titled “Dystopia and Derelict Dreams.”
Anvil Publishing, Inc. is a publishing partner of National Book Store Inc. established in 1990. It published books such as Bata, Bata Pano Ka Ginawa? and Dekada ‘70 of the Carlos Palanca Awardee Lualhati Bautista. Jeah Noreen Dalaten with reports from Nicole De Leon