There is no such thing as one-for-one equivalence in translation, as the veteran translator David Bellos knows better than most. In Edinburgh to introduce his book Is That a Fish in Your Ear, he joins Charlotte Higgins along with James Geary to muse on the particular challenges posed by metaphor. When, for instance, is a head not a head - when the word can be used for everything from a company CEO, to an anatomical feature, and a garlic bulb? Important to get it right, if - as Geary argue in his book I is An Other - metaphor does indeed permeate every aspect of communication, from political speeches to text-messaging and everyday conversation.
We also catch up with two young authors, Anjali Joseph and Nikita Lalwani, one British and the other Indian, to discuss writing about foreign countries.
Reading list:
Is That a Fish In Your Ear by David Bellos
I is an Other: the secret life of metaphor and how it shapes the way we see the world by James Geary
The Village by Nikita Lalwani
Another Country by Anjali Joseph
