I frrst looked up Margaret Sayer Peden about 5 years ago, Isabel Allende is one of my favourite writers and from the first book I read of her (Paula), I knew I had come across something special. I always read her books conscious that I was reading a translation. From Paula I went on to Allende's novels from the 80s. The beauty of the writing was not lost on me, it had me going back for more and more. I noticed every now and then I would stop and almost marvel at a partcular passage, there was something, something that I could not place. At book 4, I can't remember the title, a passage of a mundane scene describing both the weather and political climate hit me like a lightening bolt "THIS is NOT translation, this Sayers-Peden can write". Sayers Peden taught me through her 'translation' that translation is not the verbatim swapping of words, it requires a real appreciation, understanding, supplemented by research to translate the original works. I remember people would say of Garcia Marquez "if only I could read the original spanish", it being presumed that it would be more 'authentic' and 'better'. Through Sayer Peden i learned that that is certainly not the case, the translation is one hell of a feat when they produced what Sayers Peden did. It is only today, 18th April 2023, I have learned of Sayers Peden's passing in July of 2020. She has a phenomenal legacy, and I thank her. Rest in Eternal Peace Petch.
I frrst looked up Margaret Sayer Peden about 5 years ago, Isabel Allende is one of my favourite writers and from the first book I read of her (Paula), I knew I had come across something special. I always read her books conscious that I was reading a translation. From Paula I went on to Allende's novels from the 80s. The beauty of the writing was not lost on me, it had me going back for more and more. I noticed every now and then I would stop and almost marvel at a partcular passage, there was something, something that I could not place. At book 4, I can't remember the title, a passage of a mundane scene describing both the weather and political climate hit me like a lightening bolt "THIS is NOT translation, this Sayers-Peden can write". Sayers Peden taught me through her 'translation' that translation is not the verbatim swapping of words, it requires a real appreciation, understanding, supplemented by research to translate the original works. I remember people would say of Garcia Marquez "if only I could read the original spanish", it being presumed that it would be more 'authentic' and 'better'. Through Sayer Peden i learned that that is certainly not the case, the translation is one hell of a feat when they produced what Sayers Peden did. It is only today, 18th April 2023, I have learned of Sayers Peden's passing in July of 2020. She has a phenomenal legacy, and I thank her. Rest in Eternal Peace Petch.