Przekład jako kompromis: garść uwag o tłumaczeniu prozy Pawła Huellego i Olgi Tokarczuk na język angielski

This paper, by the translator into English of novels by Paweł Huelle and Olga Tokarczuk, discusses general ideas about the art of bridging cultural gaps through translation, in particular that translation inevitably involves a compromise between the author and the reader. It discusses some translation techniques, such as the advantages of reading the text aloud. For illustration it focuses on Mercedes-Benz by Paweł Huelle, explaining how the translator attempted to retain the pace and style in English. It mentions problems involved in translating a book with almost no punctuation, ideas for translating dialect, slang and nicknames, and how to avoid footnotes. It moves on to the experience of translating Olga Tokarczuk’s Dom dzienny, dom nocny into English, and offers some ideas on translating neologisms, culturally exclusive details and contrasting writing styles