I've read a great many books translated from Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean, because there are a huge number of fan translators who've made it their mission to bring those novels to an American audience. But what about novels written in other languages?
I've long been a fan of Alexey Pehov's Chronicles of Siala, but only the first trilogy plus the first book of the following series have been translated. None of his other award-winning books. Some of them have been translated to German, which is slightly better . . . I took German in high school and a little Russian in college, and German's definitely more attainable for me. I even started (very laboriously) translating the second of his Wind and Sparks books from German.
Then there's Lilli Thal, who wrote the staggeringly brilliant Mimus, a book so good I never realized it wasn't fantasy. The only of her books that has been translated from German to English. How I want to read more!
Say, did you know that Google Translate has gotten really good lately? Turns out the combination of years of machine learning aided by a touch of AI makes the translation from German to English really smooth. And did you know that with the Google translate app, you can hold up your phone in front of a book page and read the translation almost instantly?
Well, now you know. You can.
It's not perfect. Quotation marks tend to get lost, and there are a few other issues -- and I'm grateful that I have just enough German to help me along.
But. But........
I feel like a supervillain who has just accomplished his goal of taking over the world and needs to raise his long, spiky fingers in the air and break into maniacal laughter.
But I'm reading it! I'm reading them, the books I've wanted to read for years! And they're good.
Well, not all of them. I read a dud from Pehov, though I have hopes for the next one. But, regardless, the first 100 pages of Lilli Thal's Die Puppenspieler von Flore (The Puppeteers of Flore) is definitely extremely good. And I am happy.
Like this:
:)
But more like this:
:D
or even . . .
*raises hands to the crackling lightning, throws back head, and lets out echoing laughter*
