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Mika Laaksonenis another residentinBanskáŠtiavnica.
Beginning translator from into Finnish,Mika Laaksonenis putting together a thematic edition of the Finnish magazineduring hisTrojica AIRresidency inBanskáŠtiavnica. Its goal is to introduce Finnish readers to literature and culture, and to study the meeting of the two small languages. The magazine will feature articles byAnnaKyppö,longterm head of the Slavic Studies in Finland,andZuzanaDrábeková, founder of the Finnish Language Department in ia, to name a few,as well astranslated excerpts of prose and poetry, prepared byAlexandraSalmela, EeroBalk, JariAulaandMikaLaaksonen.We are pleased to to have interviewed the latter about how literature can be interesting for Finnish readers and aboutthe biggest challenges he faces as a translator.
Readers will have the opportunity to meetMika Laaksonen livetogether withVanda RozenbergováinBanskáŠtiavnica, as part of ourdiscussion-series that presents the residency programTrojica AIR and its residentsto the public. The event takes place in Art Cafe Banská Štiavnica,19Julyat6PM, andAlexandra Salmela will be the host of the evening..
What do Finns know about ia and what is the purpose of promoting literature in Finland?
For the broader Finnish public, ia and its literature present a yet unchartered territory. Even the well-informed Finns view the land between the Danube and the Tatras largely as a country of hockey players.Bratislava, oncea fairly popular destinationfor Finnish tourists, stuck in the minds of a large part of the nation thanks to the fact thatFinland won its second gold in history there at the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2011. The university in Jyväskylä has hadthe only Lectorate of language and literature in all of theNordic countries, which, thanks to the years-long persistent workof AnnaKyppöyielded numerous purely Finnish translators of , witha vivid interest in literature and culture. It is unfortunate that the lectorate might be cancelled soon, despite the ongoing interest for the language– it could have even functioned as a springboard to studies of other Slavic languages. ia can be proud of Bratislava-born bilingual authorAlexandraSalmela, whom the cultural public remembers thanks to her winning the arguably most prestigious literary prize, Finlandia in 2010, as the first foreigner ever. There is still much to discover.
Back to culture. Bosnian-Croatian writer Predrag Matvejević wrote in one ofhis books that it is typical for Slavic people to throw themselves even into seemingly lostbattles with an unprecedented enthusiasm. Perhaps thisdefinition encompasses numerous historic figures and writers who decided to go and break through against all odds–the culture and society still profit from their actions. I think that not many smaller-sizecountries can boast such multi-faceted literature thatwould be, at the same time, so little known in the world. I believe there is unused cultural potential in literature. Its rise does, however, require self-knowledge, self-appreciation and the courage to grow wings.
How can the excerpts that you are preparing spark interest in Finnish readers?
I am working on a wide range of excerpts by authors who differ in genres and styles.The excerpts come from the books: Slon na Zemplíne(An Elephant in Zemplín) by AndrejBán, Č辱 (Bonnett) byKatarínaKucbelová, Muž zjamy adeti zlásky(Man in Depression, Children in Love)by VandaRozenbergová,andMengeleho dievča (Mengele's Girl) byViolaStern Fischerováand VeronikaHomolováTóthová. I believe that these excerpts can speak to the readers precisely because there issomething exotic about them, unknown and unusual. They have a certain atmosphere which stylistically represents the colorfulness and varietyof the mosaic called ia. These samples unveil life's drama, history bothsmall and big, and they also offer laughter through tears. I think that if the translator gets it right, the reader will be rewarded with newness, freshness and readability.
What poses the biggest challenge for you, working on these specific translations and putting together this particular edition of the magazine?
In collaboration with the Finnish literary and cultural magazineäö (Rupture), we will publish a monothematic edition dedicated to literature and culture. It's an ambitious project, since our goal is to introduce literature to the Finns. The main topics of the magazine will be literary bridges between smaller languages like and Finnish, and the impact of such a literary exchange in the times of globalization.
Perhaps the greatest challenge when translating is how to capture and express the imagery of a certain text. How should one interpret the historical memory, events or local traditions to the Finnish reader, whose reality is, after all, slightly different?
Do you communicate with the authors of the texts you are translating?
Admittedly, I have only been communicating with authors through their texts up until now. Recently, however– by means ofthe residency andLIC'shelp,too– I have struck up many new and interesting contacts with writers, and I hope that our upcomming encounters will not only be mutually enriching, butalso helpful to our project. When I translate, I rely heavily on the opinions of several established Finnish translators, e.g.Eero Balk, Jari Aula or thealready mentioned Alexandra Salmela.
Does the residency suit your work? Are you able to concentrate better?
Banská Štiavnica has really charmed me. Whata creative place. It breathes history and literature at every corner. Multiple authors that I likecome from here. I am thankful not only for the opportunity to work here, but also to getting to know the town closer. As I am permanently employed, I used my summer vacation to go on the residency. It allowed me to disconnect from the everyday stress and to dedicate myself to literature, translation and planning.
What else are you working on these days– any other translations, authorialtexts, etc.?
I translate in my spare time, and I loveand follow literature and itsactivities. I am interested in literaturefor its inner values– for the chance to discovernew worlds and cultures, to get a deeper sense of them. I will be very happy if I can help in sparking people's interest in literature inFinland.
Not long ago and thanks to the support of LIC,I have translatedmy first sample into Finnish, an excerpt from Peter Pišťanek's novella Neva. I was pleasantly surprised when the editor-in-chief of the probably most prestigious Finnish literary magazineParnasso confirmed that the text will be published by the end of this year.
The Literary Information Center really won me over for this work and this project. They are raising and supporting next generations of translators and promoters of literature, which deserves to be known in the world. The people at LIC have my sincere gratitude and respect for their work.
