Welcome to It's Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible.

In our first episode, Italian translator Antonella Lettieri joins the pod to discuss her journey into literary translation. Guiding us through her path from commercial to literary translation, while explaining how to pitch yourself, Lettieri dives into her experience and offers invaluable advice for emerging translators.

We discussed her translation of Matteo Melchiorre's epic novel, The Duke, in great depth, as well as her translation of Maria Grazia Calendrone's memoir, Your Little Matter. We spoke about her fascination with language from an early age, the sense of responsibility in translating non-fiction compared to a novel, and the importance of believing in one's work.

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction

01:12 - Antonella's introduction

01:54 - Childhood fascination with language

03:51 - Transitioning from commercial to literary translation

11:08 - Translating from Italian into English

16:28 - On producing translations

23:34 - The Duke

28:22 - Challenges in translation

33:15 - Working with Melchiorre

37:44 - The Duke summary and analysis

47:40 - How does literary translation work?

52:53 - Translation process for Your Little Matter

54:08 - Your Little Matter summary

01:01:47 - Which translated fiction novel would you highly recommend to listeners?

01:04:01 - Advice for literary translators

-

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose

Photo Credit: Megan Taylor