A couple of weeks ago I spent two delightful class periods visiting the first grade Spanish classes at Hillside Avenue School in Cranford, NJ. I popped in virtually, but the classes met in person and what fun it was to be together in this special way.
First, with the help of Pequeño Búho (that’s Little Owl in Spanish), I introduced the Spanish edition of LOVE IS KIND: EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO and we compared the cover to the English.
Next, I read LOVE IS KIND in English but with lots of Spanish phrases infused including Pequeño Búho (Little Owl), Abuelita (Grammy), Conejo (Rabbit) and, of course, una caja de chocolates en forma de corazón (a heart-shaped box of chocolates)!
After reading in English with oodles of Spanish phrases highlighted, I shared my screen so we could play a game show with Pequeño Búho as host. For the game show the children answered questions about the Spanish/English words we learned. The fun included sharing spreads from both editions (and the French edition too) and I challenged them to see if they could spot the differences between spreads of the English and Spanish. I also introduced the concept of translator and that that’s a job they could have one day.
We ended our special time together with an enthusiastic Q&A. What a wonderful end-of-year treat for students and teacher… and author alike! And afterwards, to my utter delight, I received a special delivery from the first graders – delightfully illustrated thank you notes of Little Owl and his friends .
Each and every one is a treasure and I now present to you a sampling. Enjoy!
NOTE: If you’d like me to come and visit YOUR school or homeschool co-op with this or another program, please reach out to me using the contact tab above and I can give you all the details.
Today I’m delighted to share a very special Read.Discuss.Do! graphic created by children’s author Rebecca Gomez for the Spanish edition of LOVE IS KIND — EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO!
This is the same activity that she previously created in English:
A couple of week’s ago, it struck me that my Spanish language readers might enjoy this activity, so I asked Becky if she’d be up for creating a Spanish version. She said yes! It was a group effort, with special thanks to Rebecca’s husband and the Spanish team at Vida, but the final, lovely presentation is Rebecca’s. Thank you!
Although this is the first graphic Rebecca has created in Spanish, it is far from her first Read.Discuss.Do!
This campaign (hashtag #ReadDiscussDo), which celebrates reading beyond the book by creating sharable images that give simple ideas for book related discussions and activities, was created by Rebecca in 2017. That’s when she posted her very first #ReadDiscussDo in coordination with her picture book WHAT ABOUT MOOSE?
Since then, she has created over 50 Read. Discuss. Do! graphics including one for each of my books.
Many of the graphics, as well as dozens of posts that feature either #ReadDiscussDo activities or book lists can be found on her website. She’s also planning to launch a Read, Discuss, Do! website so be on the look out for that.
In the meantime, discovering the activities is easy. Simply search #ReadDiscussDo on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
Thank you, Rebecca, for creating a Spanish version for this special activity. Happy reading, discussing and doing, all!
I’m delighted to announce that the winner of last week’s special giveaway, a brand new copy of EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO (Vida Editorial, 2019) written by Laura Sassi and illustrated by Lison Chaperon is…
Pamela H!!
Congratulations! I will be in touch with you shortly so we can get the book to you.
Thank everyone who took the time to comment. Happy reading and writing, and keep spreading love and kindness!
I was delighted last Spring to learn that a Spanish edition of LOVE IS KIND (Zonderkidz, 2018) was in the works and couldn’t wait for its release this past December. Titled EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO and published by Vida Editorial, the Spanish division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, it’s a beautifully done edition. I’ve been practicing reading it aloud nightly in preparation for a live story time later this week and in doing so I’ve really come to love the charming flow of the translated version. This does not happen by chance! It’s the result of the efforts of a good translator. A close look at the copyright page of the Spanish edition revealed that the translator was a woman named Danaé Sanchez. I gratefully connected with her social media and asked if she’d be up for an interview. She was! I know you will enjoy her lovely spirit and keen insights into the translation process as much I have have. Here now is our interview, with my questions in bold. Enjoy!
Welcome, Danaé. Please tell us a little bit about your journey into the book world. How did you come to be a translator?
All my life, I had wanted to a graphic designer and when the time came to choose a career path, I applied twice for the best Design College in the country and was rejected –twice. I pouted. But God had a plan all along. As a child I had prayed that God would use me for His Kingdom and I have a memory of finding a book by my mom’s bedside table. I opened it up and it read, “Thomas Nelson, Nashville”. I loved Nashville and said, “I am going to work there.” God was weaving His purpose in my life.
Years later, after being rejected twice in the Design school, the Lord spoke to me through my dad, suggesting that I major in translation/interpretation. I did. When the time came to do my internship, I started working with a friend who translated books for a Christian publisher. I knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life!
Three years later I started collaborating as a freelance translator with Thomas Nelson, Zondervan and other Christian publishers, and since June of 2009, when my journey with books began, I have translated over 70 books. Each book has been a gift from God! I am so thankful for each and every book and author I have translated.
Wow, what an amazing path your journey you have had. I’m glad you listened to that voice. And I’m so delighted with the way you translated LOVE IS KIND. What is your process for translating a book?
First of all, thank you, Laura! I enjoyed so much translating LOVE IS KIND!
When I get a book to translate, I normally read about the author first to get into their world –I find it very important to immerse into the world of the author. Next, I read through the book in the original language to get familiar with the book as well.
Then, each day as I sit down with the text, I pray for my job to be excellent, and for God’s grace to be able to convey the heart of the author for their audience in the translation.
When I finish translating the book, which might take a couple of weeks or months, depending on the genre, the length and the topic of the book, I do a first read-through to check any grammar mistakes or anything that I might have missed. Then I do a more profound check to edit it, to find a better word I could have used, and to polish the whole text. Finally I print the text to do a final proofreading because sometimes there are mistakes or typos that are not visible for the eye on a screen!
Before turning in my work to the publisher, I pray again for the book and the author. It is a blessing to translate such wonderful material to make it available for people around the world! And I always get giddy when I get the book in my hands and see it in print for the first time!
It strikes me that, as an author, I go through many of the same steps as you do to make sure that each word is just right and captures the heart of the story I’m telling. Thank you for sharing your process.
What challenges do you face when translating a book?
Every book sets a challenge for the translator –but these are lovely challenges! There are books that set a challenge in terms of formatting, others set a challenge in terms of the topic or the nature of the text. There are books that present a challenge for the translator when the original material hasn’t been edited or proofread, and the translator needs to re-edit the translated book so it can be easily read in the target language.
“El amor es bondadoso” was a challenge in terms of rhythm and vocabulary. When translating a book for children, you need to find words that a child can understand, without breaking the feel or the style of the author. That is why a translator must love words and be a good reader! In this case I found a lovely “song” in the prose that I didn’t want to disrupt. So, in this case, the challenge was to try to reproduce the song, the rhythm, and to come up with an ideal term in Spanish for a couple of places where you made up words.
The example that stands out is “tooth-er-ific” which appears in the scene where Beaver finds Little Owl’s coins and thinks the tooth fairy brought them. Beaver is so happy that Little Owl decides to let him keep the money and wishes him a “tooth-er-ific” day. Fortunately, in this case I found two words in Spanish that mean exactly the same. Tooth: diente. Terrific: grandioso, magnífico, genial. I chose “magnifico”, as it merged better with “diente”. So, the word I chose was: dientífico!
I love that word! It’s so much fun and definitely in keeping with the feel of the story. And here’s a picture of both the English and Spanish pages featuring “tooth-er-fic” and “dientífico“in case readers are curious for a peek:
As you reflect upon your time translating the book, is there a special moment in EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO that is your favorite?
Yes! Little Owl’s soft heart made me cry! I cried from the very first page, because Little Owl had saved his coins to honor his Grandma on her birthday. I too have a very close connection with my Grandma and love that Little Owl honored his Grandma –which is something that children need to learn and to live now: a culture of honor.
Little Owl’s honest heart also impacted me so much– to sacrifice for the other. When he could have spent his money to finally buy Grammy her gift, he instead used it for the good of Mrs. Mouse and her baby! (I cried again!) And why do we do all those things? For love.
Little Owl, as Grammy said, spread love everywhere he went. I think sometimes we think that to love is to do something outrageous, when in fact, simple love can make the most impact. Being together is love. I was impacted by the message of selfless love that we need so much in this time.
And… the illustrations are sooo lovely! They melted my heart! I really enjoyed so much translating your book, Laura! Thank you for writing such a delightful book!
Oh, thank you, Danaé. And I hope Little Owl’s heart melts others hearts as well, so that love and kindness overflow.
One last question before we close. In addition to translating, you are also an author. Tell us about your book(s). Any other works in the pipeline?
I LOVE books, but I never thought I would become an author! About seven years ago, I wrote a book about what God has done in my life. I was bullied when I was little and lived through several things that threatened to hinder His purposes for me. I didn’t know who I was, and accepted so many different names, such as failure, loneliness, depression, suicide… and those were not mine to take! But God worked through those trials to show me who I am in Him and fulfill His purpose for my life. The title of my first book is “When He Called My Name”. It’s currently only in Spanish, but I am working on translating it. Woven into the text are stories of Bible characters who went through trials that showed them who they were in God.
I am currently writing my second and third books. My second book is going to be a follow-up on the first book and the third book is going to talk about prayer, and the importance of knowing the Word of God, and how to pray the Word of God –a journey I started with God 7 years ago.
Thank you, Danaé, for sharing your journey with us today. It’s been fascinating to get an inside look into all that goes into translating a book. You remind me a bit of dear Little Owl, for like him, you put all your heart into your work, be it writing or translating. Thank you for blessing your readers in this way.
TWO LAST THINGS: First please tune in this Wednesday, April 1st at 7pm ET for my Facebook Live! reading of EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO over the the Vida Editorial Facebook page. Here’s the lovely graphic they created for that:
Finally… THE GIVEAWAY! If you’d like a chance to win a FREE copy EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO (Vida Editorial, December 2019) post a comment below. (NOTE: Must have U.S. mailing address and at least 18 years old to enter.) The giveaway is sponsored by Vida Editorial and ends Monday, 4/6/20 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be announced next week!
¡Feliz cumpleaños! That’s right today is the birthday of a very special book — the Spanish edition of LOVE IS KIND! The Spanish title is EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO and it’s published by the Spanish division of Zondervan, Editorial Vida.
I’m so excited for the release of this book for several reasons.
First, I’m delighted that the book’s special message of kindness and love will now reach an even wider audience.
Second, I just love the story in Spanish. I mean what could be cuter than an earnest Pequeño Buho on a quest for chocolates for his abuelita! (And just wait until you see this new version – even the 1 Corinthians text that is found in the illustrations has been seamlessly transformed into Spanish in the new version. It’s beautiful!
Third, I have for a long time wanted to re-learn Spanish, which I spoke fluently as a five year old living in Mexico. I have always regretted that I lost my ability to speak upon return to the US- due to lack of practice. Later, after we returned from France, where I, too, became fluent, and remembering my earlier regret, I worked hard to keep up that language. Now is my chance to return to the Spanish language, in the hopes that very soon I will be able to read EL AMOR ES BONDADOSO in Spanish to a group of children. That is on my list of treasured-things-to-do! Stay tuned!
Laura Sassi Tales 