What's involved in translating a novel? Interview with Polly Mackintosh, French-English translator for Gallic Books

Send us a text

We have explored a lot of different components of the book publishing industry on the podcast, but neither of us know much about the work of literary translation. So, we were thrilled to get the chance to talk with Polly Mackintosh about her work. Polly is Commissioning Editor and in-house translator for Gallic Books, and is the translator of the forthcoming novel, Clara Reads Proust by Stéphane Carlier. 

We chatted with Polly about how she got started as a translator, what her favorite and most challenging parts of the work are, her process and how she captures each author's style and tone, what influence she thinks AI will have on the work of literary translators, and much more. Join us as we learn about the fascinating mix of art and craft that goes into translating a work of art like a novel!

-----------------------
Books we're reading in this episode:   

Clara Reads Proust by Stéphane Carlier, Polly Mackintosh (Translator) (published in the UK on March 28th, forthcoming in North America - May 21, 2024) 
Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb (forthcoming - June 4, 2024)
The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore (A League of Extraordinary Women #4)
A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories by Terry Pratchett
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #0 )
What I Know About You by Éric Chacour (forthcoming - September 24, 2024)
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
-----------------------  
Additional notes from Polly:

The ebook of Clara Reads Proust will be available to everyone (US and UK) starting on  March 28, 2024. There isn't a date for the audiobook release yet, but it will be coming at some point.  

After the interview, I asked Stéphane whether he'd ever been a hairdresser, and he said he hadn't but shared the following insights:

I asked one of my best friends, Quentin, who happened to a hairdresser, to help me. Sent him emails with questions like "What does it smell like when you get to the salon in the morning? Please be very specific" or "What's in the drawer of the counter at the entrance?" Poor Quentin, he was so nice and helpful! The "Proust parts" of the book (the second and third parts) were easy compared to the "salon part" of it (the first one)!

-----------------------
Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.

Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.

If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.

And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.

Read on!