Ty mene lubysh?
Kira is still a teenager when the world as she knows it begins to change. The collapse of the Soviet Union means liberation, but she is confused about what she might use it for. She only knows one thing: she has a lot of love to give.
Kira's story struck more than a chord with me. I was nine when Poland held its first democratic elections since it had become part of the Soviet Bloc. I remember my mother took me with her to the polling station. Some people would cast their votes smiling and cheering, other in solemn silence. My mother had a look of incredulity on her face. She was probably thinking it was yet another hoax. After all, she had spent all her life voting in rigged elections. "Solidarność" won by a landslide and... things were beautiful for a while. Later the historians called this process a 'peaceful transition', but in my personal story I recall more than a bump on the way.
This week I have provided a pro bono translation of Ty mene lubysh? for a special screening in the Warsaw Museum of Modern Art.
The surprising benefits of worrying
Last week I had the pleasure of translating an interview with Kristrún Frostadóttir. Iceland's youngest ever Prime Minister, she is keen to show she can fill those shoes, and what with the current political situation, she has plenty of opportunities to prove that. Some of the burning topics include the US tariffs, EU accession, fishing rights, climate change, and the army (or lack thereof). While translating the interview, I noticed an interesting thing: she said she was worried six times. Six times in a 12-minute conversation. A chronic overthinker, I did not let that detail slip and thought of what it might mean, and whether her male counterparts would be inclined to say the same with equal frequency. I mean, it almost did not sound like the head of government talking about politics. It almost sounded like a mother expressing her worry about her child. And that made me think of other powerful women, both real and fictional, like the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen (herself a mother of 7), or Birgitte Nyborg (seen here in the background) , a character of the Danish series Borgen, which mesmerised me a few years ago (you can see it on Netflix). What Frostadóttir and Nyborg have in common is they are both Nordic, they are both prime ministers, and they are both... worried. I wonder if worrying is a 'female' thing and whether it might sometimes be a good thing. I mean, Frostadóttir promises a referendum on the EU accession and an internal debate on whether Iceland needs an army, and that is where her worrying took her. I suppose to a good place of dialogue with her nation. I keep my fingers crossed for her and other women killing it in the political arena ('killing' is not to be taken literally). And I hope to see her grow as a leader and become something more than "the youngest PM". To become a character, as fully-fledged as Nyborg. Or, in the words of her Icelandic compatriot Björk: to not just be feminine.
Treasure
Treasure, the film I translated for the Off Camera and the Warsaw Jewish Film Festivals last year, is still making rounds in Poland, testifying to the need to keep healing the Holocaust wound. Catch it at the Polish-Czech-Slovak Kino na Granicy this month!
Xarxa Mesa Redonda
I finally got to meet the local Xarxa people and it was a hoot! The Valencian Xarxa has been doing a great job of reminding all and sundry that translation is an art that has been around for millennia and will not go away without a fight (a head-to-head battle with robots, if needs be!). And yes, the background picture is that of Jerome of Stridon, patron saint of translators. He may not look that well fed, but we made sure to fill our stomachs with hearty portions of vegetarian food at Oslo Restaurant ;o)
LocLunch Valencia
It was the fourth time I had joined this wonderfully multilingual and multicultural crowd. We met at Mercabañal and some of us could not resist dipping our feet in the sea (a great alternative to the siesta)...
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