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Goldsteins first drafts are literal renderings of the authors words.
Translating can be like lining up unruly toddlers who have their own sense of order.
Still, she tries to render it as near to Ferrantes words as she can.
I tend to stay closer to the text than many of my colleagues, Goldestein says.
Its a literal Italian translation from latrina.)
Here, Goldstein explains some of the sentences that gave her particular trouble.
Italian:Come che e cosi arcigna Giovanna, stasera?English:Why is Giovanna so grim tonight?
Finding the exact right adjective was crucial here, Goldstein says.
Its a moment where Giovanna sits with her parents, who hound her about her bad attitude.
It has to be a word that she might know, or might not know.
First Goldstein usedsurly, thenstern, thendour.
Surly might have worked better, Goldstein admits.
I ask her which ones she considered.
Oh, well, I hadpecker,dick.
I had some other ones, too, I cant remember.
I probably dont have that good a vocabulary in these things, she laughs.
But she decided to stick with exactly that word,pesce,and all its slimy connotations.
