Translation as a blessing

My review on goodreads

A friend asked me if could do a translation because he had no time to do it. He hadn't read the book, but he told me that it was an autobiography of a muslim who had become christian.

I had been asking God for two years to give me the opportunity to translate a christian book, and although I knew that this might be his answer to my prayers, I didn't expect much.

I've read and heard many testimonies of conversions, some interesting, a few amazing, many quite boring.

After three weeks I received a first draft of a translation of the first chapter. After the first page I thought: this is going to be boring. Either the translation was poorly done or the author didn't know how to write. I decided to make the best of it.

The book is no literary masterpiece. But that's not important. Nethertheless it drew me in. His experiences are extraordinary and show in a simple way how great our God really is!

I just couldn't stop working on it. I have a job, my household, my family. I estmate that it would take me 4 weeks - I finished the translation within 10 days like on eagle's wings. I didn't get tired at all.
I feel so blessed that God gave me this opportunity!

Now, of course, I hope that this German version will soon be published and I pray that it will be read by many believers and not-yet-believers.

For believers it is a great encouragement: our God is working just as He was thousands of years ago, He is faithful and true to His word, He hasn't changed, His overflowing love and grace are the same now and forever.

Who wouldn't like to have a real conversation with Jesus standing in his room? Who wouldn't want to pray and see immediate healings? But are we ready to follow Him wherever He sends us? Are we ready to obey whatever He says? Would we endure persecution? And do we really appreciate what He has done for us? Quite often we take for granted His protection, His forgiveness and His love.

For Christians who grew up in a christian family and never doubted Jesus' sacrifice for us it's easy to forget what a gift His forgiveness really is, what it means to have certainty of salvation.

How many like him are out there who need to find the Heavenly Father they are seeking and to learn about His forgiveness and His love?

Are we ready to tell them?

A week of christian non-fiction

This week I spent my time with christian non-fiction. Lately I hadn't read much of it, because a lot of these books are too superficial or too theoretical to really enjoy reading.

But too authors asked me for reviews, one of them even sent me his Paperback from America. How could I say no?

And in between I had to do the translation of a preaching about showing mercy to others.

So I read three different texts about three different aspects of life as a follower of Jesus.

None of them told me anything I hadn't already read and learned in nearly 50 decades of being a Christian. That doesn't mean that I don't need to read it again and again,

Both books aren't superficial at all nor too theoretical. Both show profound knowledge of the bible and speak of divine truth. The first makes readers aware how to put on their armor and why it is needed, the second  will make every reader marvel afresh how great is our Lord and worship Him because only He is worthy of all our praise.

To make my week complete the sermon emphasized God's mercy and how we can show mercy to the people around us.

Everday life gets so much into focus that I often forget who I am following, what battle I'm in and how God expects me to treat others.

These are only three aspects of Christian life, there are so many more and it is always good to be aware and to engage our mind thinking about things that count in eternity.

Here are my reviews of the two books:

The armor of God

Spiritual warfare is not very popular in our times.
Christians who talk about it are seen as fundamentalist ranking on the same level as Islamists.
There are Christians who suspect demons behind every corner and blame them for ereything that doesn't work out as they think it should.
Others totally ignore Satan and his fallen angels as non-existant.
But "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph. 6:12).
What we need is sober-mindedness. We must recognize that Satan is real. That's no reason to live in fear, but we need to be aware of the ongoing battle and we need to be prepared.

If you don't know how this little book is a profound biblically based help.
With its questions at the end of every chapter it is a valuable guide in small groups.
The author sent me a free copy and I'm glad to help spread the word.

There's no one like Jesus

I didn't learn anything new and I'm not sure that this book could convince anybody of the uniqueness of our Lord Jesus, but it is good to read or hear some things we know again and again.

Blake western examines different aspects, qualities and characteristics of Jesus, always emphasizing that He is so great, amazing and surprising that it is impossible to fully describe or even understand Him.

Not all chapters may appeal to everybody, but sure enough you will find something that really will touch your heart.

For Christians it is a book that reminds us who we are following and what a privilege it is to be in Christ and He in us. Sometimes we forget who is with us when everyday life distracts and frightens us.

This book will lead you straight into worship.

Back to translations

Last winter, when I was in desperate need of money, God sent me a fantastic opportunity. For about 3-4 months  I made some translations for Saddleback Church in Berlin and got paid very well.

Unfortunately they decided to stop the translations and my contract expired in May.

Last week I received an email that made me really happy. They asked me if I was available for a translation. Of course I am!

I'm still waiting for the reniewed contract (What will it say?) but I've just finished the first draft. About ten hours work and I'll have to go through it at least one more time.

This is fulfilling work. This is how I would love to spend all of my days.
I don't only love translating, but doing it for the church I feel that I'm part of something bigger, I'm working for God's Kingdom. These texts have purpose and depth.

It's not that easy either. Sometimes there's just not the right German translation for a bibel verse they are quoting because they emphasize on a distinct word in the verse that doesn't exist in any of the German versions. I'm trying hard to do my best.

I want to thank the Lord for this opportunity. He knows my heart, he gave me my talents, he knows my needs and he'll provide for me.

First review of my translation

Well, I shouldn't be complaining: 5 stars and a short review mentioning the „well-done translation“.

But I know this is just a favour. We're working together, she didn't want to disappoint me. By her sparse comments I understood she didn't really like it.

Ok, it's not my story she didn't like. I didn't write it, I'm just the translator. But I spent a lot of time with it, every day struggling with the best expressions, searching the right tone of voice for each character, trying not to alter Peter's style.

What a challenge! Somehow it became my baby and I felt proud when it was „born“. I wanted everybody around me to read it – with faint response. Until now not even my children have made the effort. I didn't expect it from my husband – he never reads fiction.

So, I'm still waiting for a „real“ review.

This first translation was the realization of my old dreams. Now I've got a new one: to make this hobby a job. Dreaming isn't forbidden, is it?

I think that's what I should have done from the beginning: study languages and persue my aim at that time and become an interpreter. But a good friend who was studying to become a translator (of written word only) told me that all those students who went for interpretors had grown up with two native languages and that I wouldn't have a chance. I really regret believing her.

Do I really want to start a blog?

Am I really going to start a blog about the books I read? What are the reasons that make me think about it? Do I really want people to read what I think not only about books? I don't know.

Perhaps one of the reasons is that NetGalley has declined three of my requests. I understand that publishers want to sell their books and are looking for reviewers with influence. I'm not. My eight friends and four followers on goodreads or my 30 friends on facebook aren't much of a public. My rank as reviewer on amazon isn't worth mentioning so why should they give me their books for free? No, I have no impact on the reading world.

Do I believe this could change with this blog? Of course it won't. Why should anybody want to read this, why should anybody even find this?

Maybe I think my reviews to be worth reading. But I doubt it. Maybe they are pregnant but normally too short.

I've read some really good books from nearly unknown writers who I try to support by writing reviews. But what kind of support is this if nobody's going to read them? I like to think that the authors do and I want to encourage them by giving praise to their good works.

I'm still waiting for this encouragement. Seemingly nobody wants to write a review for my first translation.

After reading a bunch of English books and especially after Peter Rosch's books without difficulty I got the impression my English wasn't as bad as I thought and built up the courage to ask Peter to allow me to translate his book But I love you.

Peter was the first author to contact me after one of my reviews on goodreads. I hadn't expected any reaction, I hadn't even rated his book with 5 stars, but he offered me a free copy of his second novel and asked me to write a review. It felt so good! Of course I read But I love you within two days and wrote this review:

 This is the first time I got a free copy from an author who is asking me to write a review. That's why I try to be not too short without telling too much.

About two weeks ago I read My dead friend Sarah – and fell in love with Peter Rosch's writing style. I'm glad that his style hasn't changed. Obviously he loves to create long twisted sentences full of sarcasm, details, a little humor and an enormous vocabulary (for me as Non Native Speaker quite a challenge). With two or three sentences he makes you feel the awkwardness of a situation or the odor of a place. It's really amazing. In My Dead Friend Sarah I didn't really like neither Max nor Sarah. In this book it also takes some time to get to know the not really lovable characters but you learn to understand them and to feel with them. 
Did you ever wonder what's going on in an insane mind or why, when and how an alcoholic is drinking? This book will put some light on it.
This is not a crime novel even though there are quite a few crimes nor is it a love story. Perhaps you could call it a psychodrama about unanswered love mirroring the insanity of our society.

In the end I felt a bit like Alicia: “Her emotions – half a dozen or more – were bouncing their way around inside of her, pounding from within, and looking for her to help them escape“ - just missing one crucial emotion: hope.

If you're looking for an optimistic or funny book with a typical happy ending make a different choice. 
If you appreciate awesome writing style and want to emerge in someone's mind this is a must-read!

During the following summer the idea of translating this book didn't leave me. And when I finally asked him he seemed to be thrilled. And I plunged into work. It sure was a challenge to translate these incredible run-on sentences. But it was fun! And I was so proud to see the result on amazon.

There have been other positive reactions from authors that are encouraging me to write reviews.

Patrick McCarty wrote :"You seem to me an exceptionally acute reader. I would have you read a book of mine anytime. You are an extraordinarily sensitive and alert reader. I would like to have a dozen like you."

I had written this review about Moonlight murder:

Truth be told, if I had come across this book in a bookstore I wouldn't have bought it. I never buy poetry, most times I don't even like it (only my own) – but there was and is this feeling that I long to read something different, not this „normal“ stuff you can find everywhere. So when there was this request for a review I took the chance. And I would have missed something if I hadn't.
The book starts with some poems. I must admit, that I do not understand them. I felt over-challenged, intellectually unable to grasp the meaning. And I blamed the fact that English isn't my native language and therefore I probably just couldn't intuitively feel the beauty of the text. 
But as it seems this isn't the reason.
As soon as I got to the prose the beauty of the language hit me with undeniable force. These beautifully crafted sentences absorbed me and I wonder how it is possible to create such an intense atmosphere by writing just a few phrases.
This book is like a museum full of wonderful paintings painted not in oil but in words. And while wandering through the rooms you're meandering the memories of a boy.
This book is not about the story although there is one, it is about the beauty of language, the joy of expression, the pleasure of reading.
Who is D.B. Wallace? Whoever he might have been or whether he has ever lived – he is a fusion of Dickens and Poe writing in modern language. I'd love to read more.

 So these experiences among others encourage me to start a blog.

But there's something else: I'd like to be a writer myself, always enjoyed writing, knowing I could never write a novel. I lack imagination, would never be able to compose an interesting story. The only thing I really can write about is myself and I doubt this would be interesting enough.

Maybe that's why I started to write about my reading experience. Ultimately that's writing about me.