A Bit of Everything

Johanna Warren: First of all, yes: translation is writing! It’s not some tidy mathematical process of substitutions--if you want to know what that looks like, try running your favorite poem through an internet translation engine. The most important prerequisite for being a good translator is being a good writer.

Some of my favorite authors in English are Virginia Woolf, Joan Didion, Sylvia Plath, and Annie Dillard; in Spanish, Miguel Angél Asturias, Claudia Hernández, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, and Susana Thenón.

Question: What research did you do while writing your book?

Johanna Warren: True to its name, A Bit of Everything covers a lot of ground--and, in the wake of Valera’s expansive philosophical wanderings, so did my research, which included investigations in botany, traditional Cordovan cooking, religious celebrations, classical mythology, and the many outside works to which the author refers, such as Faust and the writings of St. Theresa. Naturally, I also had to devote some serious time to digging up the meanings of obscure proverbs (which Valera is very fond of) and idioms, many of which are obsolete in today’s lexicon.

Question: Is there any character you most identify with? Why?

Johanna Warren: Well, Mr. Valera himself is quite a character--he is at once proud and self-deprecating, solemn and humorous, a well-versed scholar and a self-proclaimed "layman." It took me a while to figure him out, but I grew to love him, like a didactic but ultimately tender-hearted grandfather.

Question: Have you considered trying your hand at other genres?

Johanna Warren:A Bit of Everything was actually a significant stylistic departure for me; previously I had only translated poetry and contemporary short stories.

Question: Have you always wanted to be a translator? What other careers have you pursued?

Johanna Warren: I became obsessed with translation just last year when I took a workshop on it in college. As soon as I started my first homework assignment, something clicked: I felt like I had found it, that thing you’re supposed to do. That said, I’m also actively pursuing several other artistic endeavors: I’ve made some money doing freelance illustration projects and commissioned portraits, and for the last three years I’ve been writing, recording, and performing songs under the monicker Sticklips.

"Career" is a scary word to me--probably because nothing I’m interested in promises to make any money. For now, I’m going to keep translating, painting, and playing music until the day I wake up shivering under a newspaper blanket, missing all but one of my teeth and picking off larvae from a half-eaten dumpster sandwich. Then maybe it’ll be time to get a career.

Question: What's it like to have a book published for the first time?

Johanna Warren: I’m deeply grateful to have been given this opportunity as a fledgling (but eager) young translator. Being the underdog, I think, is always a good motivation to set your bar high, to not disappoint. This was quite a difficult first book, due to its antiquated language and labyrinthian sentence structures, but I worked hard, ended up with a result I’m proud of, and learned more than I ever thought possible. After Valera, I feel ready to take on anything!