Perhaps the most humble translator Canada has ever seen, Susan Ouriou is dedicated to the words and meaning of the texts she translates. I had a chance to see her in action as part of the Emerging Aboriginal Writer’s program in Banff this September. She worked with one French speaking student in particular, taking care to make his words heard to us and ours to him. She translated all of the French writer’s works for presentation tackling perhaps the most literary of literary forms with flair: poetry.
Susan told me she absolutely loved the young adult novel for which she won the English-language translation award: young adult novel, Pieces of Me, a translation of La liberté? Connais pas by Charlotte Gingras.
Ouriou, who studied at the Sorbonne, is also a novelist and is working on her second novel after penning Damselfish. Perhaps another reason for her dedication to preserving the author’s intent in translation.
crystal luxmore 