Today, we announce the finalists for the Prix de traduction de la Fondation Cole, sponsored by The Cole Foundation. This year’s prize goes to the French translation of an English-language book written by a Quebec author. It comes with a purse of $3,000.
This year’s jury was composed of writers Charles Bender, Samuel Mercier and Chantal Ringuet, all of Montreal.
There are two finalists in the category this year.
The first finalist, Catherine Ego, is nominated for two books.
Her first nomination is for NoirEs sous surveillance. Esclavage, répression et violence d’État au Canada, published by Mémoire d’encrier. It is a translation of Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present de Robyn Maynard, from Fernwood Publishing.
From the jury: « Dans cette traduction, Catherine nous démontre toute l’ampleur de sa grande érudition et de son talent.… (Elle) parvient à rendre le souffle de cette œuvre sans en diminuer l’impact. La grande précision requise dans ce type de rédaction exige de plus d’être à l’affût du vocabulaire le plus précis et le plus largement accepté afin d’éviter l’écueil d’expressions ou de terminologie qui aurait pu être considéré désuet ou même totalement remise en question alors même que la réflexion globale sur le langage utilisé pour discuter des enjeux abordés dans ce livre évolue à grande vitesse. »
Her second nomination is for Zolitude, published by Éditions du Boréal. It is a translation of Zolitude by Paige Cooper, published by Biblioasis.
From the jury: « Il faut célébrer la richesse et l’inventivité mystérieuse des nouvelles de Paige Cooper. La traduction permet au lecteur francophone d’entrer avec aisance dans le travail de l’écrivaine. L’agilité poétique avec laquelle Catherine Ego transmet le texte de l’autrice est de celle qu’on ne retrouve que chez les plus grandes traductrices. »
The second finalist is Benoît Laflamme. He is nominated for Éclipse électrique, published by Éditions du Boréal. It is a translation of The Knockoff Eclipse by Melissa Bull, published by Anvil Press.
From the jury: « La désarmante simplicité de la poésie du texte d’origine cache des défis formidables que le traducteur arrive à surmonter de manière magistrale…. Laflamme’s translation distinguishes itself not only by the fluidity of the text and the real pleasure it brings to the reader, but also by his sensitivity and careful attention to detail…. Une poésie, qui se donne l’air d’être presque accidentelle, se glisse dans la langueur, parfois presque anxiogène, des personnages. Ces perles ne perdent rien de leur lustre alors que le traducteur trouve toujours moyen de rendre avec précision les images qu’elles portent, permettant qu’elles retrouvent le même impact même à travers le filtre de l’adaptation. »
Congratulations to all the finalists and their publishers!
Be sure to tune in to QWF’s YouTube page, or visit our website, at 11:00 am every day from October 13-19 to discover the finalists in all of the categories, as they too are announced. Visit the page now and set your reminders!
You can buy copies of the shortlisted works by visiting Paragraphe Bookstore’s website. Paragraphe has a special page dedicated to the QWF Awards finalists with all titles available at a discount.
HOW TO WATCH THIS YEAR’S GALA
The winners of this year’s prizes will be announced during a special celebratory video broadcast Gala at on Wednesday, November 4th. Watch the video with the rest of the community as it premieres at 7:00 pm on QWF’s YouTube page.
For those of you who want even more interaction, we invite you to take part in the QWF Red Carpet, taking place in the half hour before the Gala airs. Beginning at 6:30 PM, take a picture of your at-home gala garb and post in on either our Facebook page or on Instagram and Twitter using #QWFGala2020. All who do will be entered into a draw to win a collection of the award-winning books.
Also, immediately following the Gala broadcast, the QWF will be hosting a Zoom After Party. This will give everyone a chance to rub virtual elbows and connect on what would normally be the social event of Quebec’s English-language writing community. Check back to QWF.org, or QWF’s Facebook page at a later date for the URL.
Let us know you are attending the Gala by RSVPing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2658290597753480