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PORTRAIT OF A TRANSLATOR: MARIA BOHDANIVNA HABLEVYCH An Interview by OLESSIA SHCHUR Maria Bohdanivna Hablevych is a talented Ukrainian translator . Born in Volsk, Russia, on November 2, 1950, Hablevych graduated from Ivan Franko State University in Lviv, Department of Foreign Languages, in 1973. Since then she has worked as a translator, an editor, and a teacher of English. She is currently Director of the Center for the Humanities at the Ivan Franko State University. Hablevych has translated, from English to Ukrainian, the works of many famous representatives of British, American, and Australian literature, among them, John Updike, Jack Kerouac, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot and Sylvia Plath. She has also revised and edited the work of other translators. But Hablevych is first and foremost recognized as a translator and researcher of William Shakespeare's literary legacy. Her translation of Shakespeare's Henry VIII and his poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle" appear in the six volume 1986 Ukrainian edition of Shakespeare's works and she is the author of many articles on the process and problems of translating Shakespeare into Ukrainian. Maria Hablevych has been a member of the Ukrainian Writer's Union since 1988. Since 1998, she has been a Full Member of the Shevchenko Scholarly Society in Lviv. OS: When did you start translating fiction, and what was your first translation? MH: My first translation was a piece of poetry which was given to us for homework by our teacher of English when I was a second-year student. But I don't think that this translation should be considered as my real start. I would say that my actual start was on the day of my first official publication, which was much later, in 1979. It was the translation of "Pic", a long story by Jack Ker ouac, and it was first published in Vsesvit. Later, it was published by the Veselka publishing house as a separate book. So, there were two beginnings. OS: There are various definitions of translation. Is it an art or a science, or maybe a combination of both? MH: That depends on the person who defines. If this person is a scholar, he would define it as a science. It he is a practicing translator, he would rather want it not to be too theoretical. For me, translation is more of an art. Actually, I would say that it is finding out the laws the art of translation are based upon. Laws belong to theory or science, but these are the laws of art. OS: What are the main qualities a good translator should possess? MH: He should have talent, first of all. And talent should be defined as something a musician needs to be a good musician. A musician should have an ear for mu sic, so a translator should have an ear for language. And an ear for a language means an ear for any language, including a foreign one. An ear for language also means an ear for music because language is music in deed. So having an ear for translation means being able to feel the human psyche. One has to be open to everything ... sometimes there are [even] translators good for poetry, but not good for prose. And to be a really good translator, one should be good at everything. So openness is the second thing. And the third thing is the necessity to be a good psychologist. And being a good psychologist means understanding the laws of art which are inside us. If you can feel these laws first and then understand them, you will be a good translator. OS: According to translation studies theorists, in order to translate poetry properly, the translator should be a poet. Do you agree with this opinion? MH: Not quite. First of all, many poets are poor translators, because one more thing which is essential for a translator is not being too powerful an individual. Poets are powerful personalities, so when you are a poet, you would sooner or later impose yourself upon the text you are translating, and you cannot help it because you are just too strong. When a translator is not too much of an individual, meaning that he loves the object of his translating more than he loves himself, he will be a good translator. But that may mean that he may not be a poet. OS: What is the difference in your approach to translating poetry, prose and drama? MH: ... Poetry is probably most difficult because it calls for deep knowledge of the language and the subtlety in understanding poetry in general. And understanding poetry means understanding language and people. Prose is easier because it does not need much depth. You know, poetry and prose are like a 22 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 1999 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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