This June through September, GovD Assistant Administrator Rachael Koev led our division’s first annual summer book read. Rachael selected The Translator by Harriet Crawley as the book for the inaugural session. The book is described as “a taut, highly topical thriller, set in Moscow and centred on a devastating Russian plot to sabotage the undersea communication cables linking the US to the UK. But also, a passionate love story between two people determined to stop this cataclysmic act.” (Goodreads)
GovD announced the book in June, where GovD members could read the book at their own pace – whether on the beach, on vacation, or commuting to and from work – and participate in a live discussion at the end of the summer. On September 13th, GovD members who signed up for the book read met over Zoom to discuss the thriller.
Being language professionals reading a novel about language professionals, our readers were keen to see how a fiction author captures the nuances of our work and lives. A topic that came up immediately was the use of the terms ‘translator’ and ‘interpreter.’ While we linguists correct (or fight the urge to correct) the general public as they use ‘translator’ and ‘interpreter’ interchangeably, the main character in the book, Clive Franklin, proudly uses the title ‘translator’ for his interpretation work, a nod to his working language Russian, which does not make such a distinction.
During the discussion, Rachael shared that as a diplomatic interpreter serving at the highest levels of government, Clive played an interesting role, walking the line, not just between the two languages and the two cultures, but between the two governments. Our government linguist readers appreciated many of the small details throughout the book – last-minute assignments, receiving little to no information or prep time, and how information moves through channel after channel.
That being said, one part of the novel in particular did raise some eyebrows. Clive’s Russian counterpart, Marina Volina, is portrayed as a linguist who works with flawless Russian, German, French, Italian, and English. Many of us could only dream of reaching such levels of proficiency.
If you didn’t get a chance to read along with us over the summer, we encourage you to pick up this Sunday Times “Best Thriller Book of 2023.” Have you read the book already and want to learn more about the author and behind the scenes? Check out this interview with the author on the Crime Time podcast.