By Judith Turcotte
Over two years ago, I embarked on a journey to translate Illusion de Pouvoir, the third novel of the Montréalie series written by my husband, Louis Michel Gratton. The reason I chose to translate the third one is that it can be read independently of the other two. At the time, I really had no idea of the work and time entailed. You cannot just translate word for word, the nuances must be carefully interpreted. More than 100,000 words on more than 300 pages was quite a task but to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, frustrating at times, but would definitely translate another.
I must have inherited my love of writing from my mother who in the early sixties would write amusing texts on the day-to-day experiences of our summers on the cruiser my father had purchased in the late fifties. She unfortunately never had the courage to get them published.
I began writing for the Commerce News at Loyola, now Concordia University followed by some freelance articles for different organizations. Once I moved to Saint Lambert with my parents in my early 20s, I contributed to the south shore newspapers on occasion. After joining the Bank of Montreal, I became assistant editor of the monthly magazine for a short while.
I am now relatively busy with numerous translations including my husband’s bi-monthly blogs on the Saint Lawrence River. Among these activities, I have been giving weekly adult French courses to a senior group along with several private courses in both French and English.
I do appreciate the translation, Judy, as I have so many books waiting to be read and reading the French original would take me so much longer with a dictionary close by.
I would like to buy a copy, if you can let me know the cost.